It's about time!!

Have been quite upset about the reservation issue, so I decided to change my line of thought and think of something else to write. Being critical is hep these days, so I have chosen my next victim:
THE INDIAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER IN US+ Families!!!

The mind is muddled right now and can't think where to begin to criticise this species. My current client is in downtown Manhattan, Wall Street where I get to see a glimpse of these people more than I want to and I don't know where to look. Dont get me wrong, I am an extremely patriotic person and hence I feel ashamed when these guys portray the wrong image of Indians.Their faults?? Let me start, well from the beginning.

Anyone would agree that when you are in a foreign country one must behave in an manner that upholds the image of your fraternity. But no,

1.They wear sneakers to office !!!!on Wall street!!!, a place where if you want to be casual it's okay to leave out the tie. Get the idea guys!! Sneakers are for jogging!!! Leave them home

2.They stare, stare and stare more. If you are a desi girl and have taken the subway from New Jersey to New York you know what I am talking off. They will be in groups always, and talk loudly in the subway.

3.They will talk loudly in their vernacular language from office phones to their family in India. While the client pays them to work, they will calling each other about the cheap deals going on for electronics on the net, or cheap calling cards that they found, about the latest girl that he is talking to on shaadi.com!!!!Its obnoxious. I had a client who complained that a consultant was always on the phone.

4.They will work late,Wait till 7.30 in the office to portray an image that they are working hard. Ofcourse, you have to wait till late if you wasted office time.

5.They will go to the pantry for coffee, spill milk, or sugar on the platform and not be courteous enough to clean.

6.They talk more listen less. An exasperated user was trying to explain a bug in an application to one of them in front of me. He just would not listen.Went rambling in his accented English in an I-KNOW-IT-ALL kind of way. Their diction is terrible at times.They dont invest time on preparation for meetings and rely on pure (in this case non-existent) genius to see them through meetings where the client asks tough questions

7.I was in a departmental store the other day and was waiting for a desi to move from the shelf of protein bars so i could pick up mine. It was unbelievable. The desi and his wife were putting their hands in all the boxes ,mixing everything and trying to chose as if they were sorting vegetables!!!

Anyone reading this might think how much I hate these people. Well no, I hate the fact that because of their behaviour clients end up thinking that all Indians are like that, Mis-behaved , Bad -communicators, and mis-fits in a modern society

We are a brilliant set of people, but such obnoxious behaviour makes an outsider put us in the same category of people who jump fences and come in the US.

What does it take to wear a simple clean ,ironed shirt and put on some deo???. It does not have to be fancy.

Of course not all are like that, and some of the people are really good and I am proud of them.

You are an ambassador of your country, so please portray a good image..It's about time

With Love, To Mom.



Happened to be walking down a nearby street on a sunny afternoon.Was passing by hair/beauty salon when the door suddenly opened and a flustered teenager came out followed by a worried middle-aged women . The lady said to her daughter," If you keep trying these things you wont have any hair left". The girl looked back and yelled loudly "JUST SHUT UP MOM".

Both of them got into a parked car and were soon out of sight .Just before she got in the car , the lady looked back and for brief moment her eyes met mine.Those eyes had pain,worry,embarrasment and so many other emotions. I personally was very upset with that sight.

Obviously, the lady was trying to dissuade her daughter from using some cosmetic like color or something on her hair .She cared for her daughter and wanted her not to spoil her hair with cosmetics and the daughter took it as "Mommy telling me what to do".

I always believed that what we are ,is a reflection of how our parents brought us up. But is it true? Whenever I meet a person who is nasty or difficult I have invariably wished to see his/her family background. If the girl lashed out at her Mom in public ,did it really reflect a bad upbringing ? Whats the age when we start having a personality,a identity that's beyond what was taught to us? Really dont know.

For me , whatever I am today is because of my Mom.She has the most loving heart ,the most warm hug, and most sensitive touch in the whole world.She sacrificed a lot for us. Her health,her wishes. She made the right decisions for us, guided us on the right path.She is well-read, open-minded and way ahead of her times.
Today after marriage and managing a home of my own, I am just in awe of her energies with which she took care of the house.I don't think I am even half as good as her at it!!

I can't thank her enough for bringing me up the right way. To teach me to be respectful of people, and learn to give before expecting something in return.

From seeing her on a daily basis , I will now see her only once a year maybe when I visit India. But even today I can close my eyes and just feel her prescence near me.I instantly feel happy and content when I talk to her over the phone.She is the BEST and I love her.

Is the answer elsewhere?


With so much talk about $3 gas, oil rich countries blackmailing others, nucelar energy, terrrorism and the "War on Terrorism" one obviously begins to question whether there is a solution at all to these issues. Diplomacy,talks ,treaties and more talks. But no tangible results in sight...Countries sign agreements ,and as soon as the political equlibrium changes ,they themselves openly defy these very agreements .I always look at treaties as feel-good, small term quick fixes. I never believe that they will always be honoured. Frankly ,the answer I believe lies elsewhere...Good old Science and engineering

Energy will always be the driving force for world politics.All middleastern countries that harbour terrrosits do so just because they deem themselves as indispensable due to the world's dependence on them for oil.Untill this dominance and monopoly remains they will continue to dictate terms to the rest of world.It's like having a hen that lays golden eggs.

Considering this, and the harm that usuage of fossil fuel does to the environment, we need to push the accelerator on our efforts for alternate sources of energy.We no longer can afford to remain in the clutches of crude oil. I know it's easier said than done but it's looks like the long term, one-size-fits-all solution to many many problems.

When we drive down freeways here, I am appalled at seeing what I call the 1 person-1 car phenomenon.Think about this. Even if half the people decide to ride with someone else, the traffic would be cut by half, the fuel consumption cut by half and the ride would be enjoyable with company. Carpooling to work, or just taking public transport is feasible if you care enough to try.This obsession with a private life,dont know me- dont talk to me-leave me alone life does harm to not only oneself but has a radical effects on society and our future.

I look at my energy bill which is inflated due to a not-so-effcient dryer, and I wish I could just dry my clothes on a line as in India. Use the solar energy,It's free, no Bills cause no one owns the SUN!! Or atleast as yet!!!!

Small things count. But we specialise in looking the other way....I am sure if the money used by all the govts for defence was spent in research for alternate energy sources , we would have been far better off than we are now..