A NEIGHBOUR IN AMERICA

It is a bizarre experience for a first timer in the New World.

- Ramcharan Harshana

Since I came to my senses, I had dreamt of living in America as I always thought it was a country of great opportunities. Moreover, people there lived quite happily and peacefully.

Somehow I could not realise my dream but through my son Binny I had my dream come true.

After completing his Post Graduation in IT at IIT Kharagpur and working for five years in Infosys at Bangalore, he got an opportunity to go abroad and fortunately, he was invited to work in a famous IT company in the USA.

Imagine my pleasure at receiving his video call and talking at length about life in America. Everything, roads, traffic, shops, lanes, houses, gardens, swimming pools, schools, colleges, malls, bazaars and even cleanliness he talked about amazed me profoundly. He said everything in America was bigger as the dollar is and expensive too.

Then how was he managing to live such an expensive life in the country? He laughed at my ignorance and said it was easy to earn more money there if you are prepared to work hard. Earn dollars.

Spend dollars. Live happily that is the motto with all Americans and one can live contentedly in the world of progress and prosperity by assimilating the lifestyle of a true American.

As the years passed, Binny really had become a true Indo-American.

As I had feared and anticipated he also got married to a girl belonging to Kunnur of South India. I thanked goodness he didn't choose an American girl as his life-partner.

Somehow, Binny knew to come to him to stay in a country of my dream. He gave me a pleasant surprise by sending me all the papers related to passport visa and even air tickets to fly.

Finally the day came when I landed on my dreamland.

Binny received me at the airport in the New York City.

His girl, too, accompanied him. She startled me by touching my feet the moment Binny introduced her.

"Mom, she's Kalpana.