I'm Baaaaaack

Summer is here again, and with that comes the endless long days of Spanish music blasting from downstairs, loud Bengali children yelling and playing in the courtyard, the taunting and tempting Mr. Softee ice cream truck music and with July 4th approaching, the illegal fireworks rehearsals.

So, graduation came and went. I was in the Bronx for less than a week when we rushed out of the country to visit BD to take advantage of the travel grant I received from the Asian Studies Department. Whoa, it sure has changed in ten years. Big skyscrapers, construction everywhere, Times Square-esque TV screens in the middle of the city, foreign AC-equipped cars, and of course, the omniprescent Brazil flags showing BD's fervor in the World Cup. (Gooooooooooooo Brasilia!)

Munshiganj was awesome. My family had the entire third floor of the house to ourselves. Since it was built just two years ago, it was wonderfully modern with tiled floors, wonderfully carved wooden doors, and huge ceilings fans in every room. Oh yeah, it also had a TV with cable, so I watched a whole lot of B4U, Zee TV, and etc. I want to watch so many upcoming Hindi films now (---Krrish, Chup Chup Ke aka CCK, Ahista Ahista, Fanaa, Phir Hera Pheri and on and on).

I also met loads of cousins and uncles and aunts whom I have not seen in 10 years. They ALL came over for a party we held. Almost all the girls had our mehndi done beforehand. We had a tent built and the caterers cooked the food in huge pots on the roof. After the food, then the dancing. Craaaazy times, with doll-like Ma being dragged onto the danced floor by my former-dancer aunty, 30-year old brothers doing the hilariously outrageous moves like the funky chicken with their newly-married brides sitting on the sidelines.

Played ludoo and carram and nearly beat the kid who works in my grandfather's place at his own game. Stayed up late to watch World Cup games at odd hours at the night. Bitten by a billion mosquitoes. Drank gallons of coconut water right out of the fruit. Visited lots of schools while the students ogled at us and the guys at Haraganga College wondered whether we were even Bengali. Survived the heat during a current outages. Played Boroph-Paani (like Freeze Tag) on the roof with the moon overhead (just like the scene described in the poem: Kajladidi --- chaad uteche oi) and tall green trees around the house. Shopping at Basundra Shopping Center, one of the most lavish malls I have seen anywhere. Ate tons of food at EmmaNuelles, an amazing restaurant with an internation buffet in the posh neighborhood of Gulshan. Stayed at a hotel in Dubai between our connecting flights. Dubai Airport is wonderful. We took a ride in a vehicle that they have so people don't have to walk so much. They have moving floors, and palm trees, and I watched England and Sweden tie along with a whole bunch of other international travelers. The flight back seemed extraordinarily long, even though we had so much entertainment possibilities on the Emirates plane. I watched lots of movies and television shows, like Failure to Launch, Mujhe Shaadi Karoge, Indian variety shows, Scrubs, Law&Order, Prison Break, Friends, and more.




Funny how I get E-mails for happingings like these:

RagaChitra Foundation brings to you this summer - "India Heritage Day Camp for Kids".

Children will learn about our rich culture through songs, stories and fun filled activities. Children will enjoy a week of their summer by experiencing the idyllic Indian summer, here in New York.

Let us give this opportunity to our children to learn about the land of their ancestors, help them to find their identity and feel proud of their origins.

India Heritage Camp for Kids

Stories *Songs *Rangoli *Slokas *Indian History *Games *Quiz *Charades *Activities *Indian Snacks!


The last item makes the camp worth checking out for me. If only I were between the ages of 6 and 14.

So, I am officially a Cornell alum. It's over, done, finito.

I'm currently serving my jury duty in the Bronx. It's a really tiring and long process, which includes a lot of waiting, and waiting. Yesterday we watched an juror orientation video which started with a reenactment of how justice of served in medieval Europe, i.e. the trial by water. An accused person's hands and feet were bound by rope and then thrown in the water. If they floated, they were guilty. If they sank, they were considered innocent. It was truly hilarious, reminiscent of the video production style of those chemistry safety videos we had to watch freshman year.