In American Way

In American way

P K Routray

A story of a dear friend

with whom early parts of life I had spent

as a school boy from the same village

and as students in the same college

sharing our time, dreams and ambition.

His was to go to USA as his final destination

to pursue his career in a good and paying profession

with fat salary he can have comfortable life to pull on,

life would be enjoyable unlike India with no worries to trouble

with all modern gadgets, uninterrupted power and luxury car to travel.

In India life is hard with thin salary and scarcity of opportunities

He left us for happiness and worriless life leaving us amidst Indian sorrows and anxieties.

With time his visit to India thinned down so also the communication,

assumed I perhaps with peace and bliss us he had forgotten.

Met him after a long time of forty years on his rare visit to India

with his non Indian wife, mineral water bottle in hand being afraid of Indian bacteria.

Hugged we remembering our sweet young and childhood days

the swimming , fishing and missing the class to watch the street plays.

I told him how true his apprehensions were on my Indian way of life.

It was hard for me as my life was besieged with struggle and strife.

Expected I to listen his joyful American life with fancied imagination and jealousy,

with fat salary, best of health service and recreation facility he must be living in ecstasy.

His reply was thought provoking with a sigh of regret all along

questioning his ambition as to whether his decision was right or wrong.

“Yes I got rid of Indian worries and sorrows by fleeing away from you

but instead got crushed by American worries and sorrows for which I do rue.”

(N.B Indians generally drink tap water Indians’ immune system rakes care if bacterias present in tap water)