Jai ho !!

What brings a smile on your face?

Firstly, the famous oscar-award song(Jai Ho) which is heard everywhere in India keeps reminding me of the actual premise of the movie too, the slums !! Not that these omnipresent dwellings require any reminder!! But, my first-hand experience with any slum-dweller is yet to be explored.

My due apologies to the famous actors and directors who lashed out this movie before the Oscars. True, India is more than just beggars, slums and the corrupt government. But, definitely..what Danny Boyle showed in the movie is no less. Just that, reality is harsher when its viewed on the celluloid.

So, what made me write this post about slums? Is it the Oscars ?? No... We, as proud Indians, have watched this movie long back before it created ripples in the entire entertainment industry, and also maintained that it's a wonderful movie (Despite the "Gussa of BigB"). It's the beaming smile of a poor boy which made me write about their lives... atleast to think about them.

The other day, while we were heading back to our gleaming new car, after a party we treated ourselves in a posh restaurant(excuse : CAR ) ... I had these kids, scantily clad, running upto me and asking me "Ek rupaiyya de do, memsaab!" Well, after the more-than-a-thousand bucks we spent on a single dine-out, I was immediately embarassed with the extreme lives our Indians spend in terms of their lifestyles.

One rupee ! Will it make a difference to them? I had no idea how. I gave the kid a long stare, debating on whether to encourage beggars or not. But, my heart leapt on his baby sister(I have serious doubts if it was his own...courtesy the movie). Anyway, it didn't stop me for giving him a 5 rupee coin. Well, am not trying to say it was a generous thing, but the way the boy jumped with joy when he saw 4 bucks more than what he asked... it was totally worth it. He went out to his friends and proudly showed it off. Another Jamal Malik in the making?? I fervently hope so... Sadly, life is not that rosy as it seems in the movies either. I asked my uncle, "What will become of them?" He simply said, "Girls to red light, and boys to black !" What a simple statement, yet painfully true.

Another black feather in the cap, I recently read it in the newspaper, on how the father of Rubina Ali(the youngest Latika in the movie) tried to sell her off to an incognito journalist for a whopping sum of Rs.1 Cr. Thank God it was a fake media guy trying to feed his hungry newspaper. If it was a real Arabian??? God Forbid. Who are we kidding anyway? This happens with so many other girls too.

Coming back to my experience, I remember the umpteen number of times I used to save some leftover food in the fridge, forget totally about it, and finally trash it after a week (because of no choice in the US). Here, I felt good about not trashing it, instead fed my maid, who doesn't know how to thank verbally, but shows it in a very effective way of cleaning my house.

Don't these small gestures bring a smile on your face? Well, since I've spent about 5 yrs abroad, all these seem a bit alien to me,.... the rest of the Indians might find it humorous that am penning down a meagre amount and a bowl of upma. It's just that they touched my heart and the lives of people I touch. So, please bear with my thoughts :)

So, as I set out to explore more on the Indian standards.. I realize its not just missing out some silly American things, but to face a lot of harsh realities too.

Jai Ho!