Goli No 11...Jersey girl ..... connects with saharanpur boy

..... Waking up at 8 am.... i saw jersey girl, my five year old niece from New Jerseyl...... sitting next to me and smiling......... she said..... Good morning Venky........ bai was surprised to see a five year old calling me venky......... I was amused........I saw my father in law……. Having tea…….. wanted to introduce jersey girl to my father in law…….. she wanted to know his name first……. I said ‘thatha’……. She said name…… I said balakrishanan…….. She said good morning ‘balu’…… balu muttered….. ‘New jersey….. New generation’……

Door bell rang……. Nandu phoolwalla delivering his daily quota of garlands……. Nandu from SAHARANPUR…. U.P…… 14 year old….. Trying to help his father…. In flower business…… by delivering it in our colony…….. Also attending municipal school in the afternoons……

As soon as jersey girl saw me….. conversing with Nandu….. she wanted to know…. I said shreya….. this is Nandu…… from U.P…… and then looking at Nandu…… I said ‘shreya se milo….. yeh amrika se hein’……

I asked U.P boy & Jersey girl some questions……. To get them conversing…….. jersey girl in English…… and Nandu in hindi……

As they were conversing…… with out any connection….. Nandu said ‘tom and jerry’……. Shreya’s eyes lit up….. she said…… ‘I love Jerry……. He is soooo cute….. Tom is baaa…..dd……. Nandu said…… ‘Chuhaa...... Billi...... ka chor police........ Billi bahut budbukh….. their tom and jerry conversations continued with a lot of animation….. and jersey connected with U.P……

I intervened…… asked jersey now…… what does she eat in America…… she said lots of burgers……. Pizza’s…… Nandu retorted ‘Kya budgad ……. kya gudbad…… babu our cook prompted…….. ‘Arrey nandu...….. burgar boley toh…… Amrika....... ka ..... Vada Pav..……

This time U.P got excited….. ‘Jab se mumbai aaya...... hoon…… bada pav hi kha raha hoon..…… bohut sasta..….. bohut accha ..…… bhookh mitha tha hein......

I asked jersey girl……has she heard about vada pav…… she drew a blank look……. U.P screamed….. ‘Arrey bada pav pooray indiyaa mein mashoor hein............

I asked U.P boy has he seen India….. ‘Arrey poora indiyaa......... ghoom aya........ basti......... gounda........ illahabad..….. jaunpur........azamgadh..….. benaras..…… poora..... Indiyaa ghoom aya hoon'……

I said…… ‘Arrey yeh toh U.P hoowah'…… nandu said…… wohi toh….. 'Saheb U.P...... toh Indiyaa hein'…….. I stopped my vada pav murmurings…. Thought getting into wrong areas……

Goli No 10...It happens only in India.........

...... met shreya in thane...... five year old daughter of my cousin sister...... born and brought up in New Jersey....... on a short trip to India....

She joined us for a sleep over with my daughter at vashi....... I went to pick her up...... our conversation started in the Meru cab...... I asked her...... Do you like India? ..... Excitedly she said ....... 'I Love INDIA' ......

She looked outside the window...... she said..... she loved.... CROWD..... so many people....... .. TRAFFIC..... so many cars...... auto rickshaw...... I want to ride one...... a herd of cows bumped into our car...... she tried to touch one.... She thought she was in a ZOO....... She saw old depilated buildings.... chawls ......slums........ garbages oozing out of garbage bins......... large politicians hoardings....... slum urchins begging at signals......... Fish market on the roads...... a hijra tapping my window....... at the signal ........ she said..... what is all this..... I have never seen anything like this ...... in new jersey......... I said........ THIS IS INDIA.......

What more do you like in India...... she saw groups of slum dwellers...... carrying asian paints dabbas........ dulux paints dabbas...... nerolac paints dabbas..... filled with water ……. on the highway.....for answering natures call.......... some of them squatting near the bushes...... with dabbas by their side...... she asked ....... excitedly....... what is this ........ embarassed......I tried to avoid.... I muttered....... paint company sponsored events....... brand building...... advertising.......

....... She was confused.... she had never seen anything like this in her life...... looking at the squatters....... Bare bottom brothers and sisters of India....... relieving themselves...... in the wonderful.... natural.... loo of India.... she turned to me for answers.....

I said..... IT HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA.........