The Indians are here! The Indians are here!!
Last night, it seems, Puerto Rico got overrun by the Indians! Around evening time, we noticed a sudden spike of Indians on the streets, hotels, beaches and so on. That reminded us how every Thanksgiving week when we go to South America / Central America / Caribbean to celebrate Sharmila’s birthday, we also run into a lot of Indian guests the evening before Thanksgiving.
At the risk of stereotyping.. ah, who am I kidding? To stereotype a lot, you know those are Indian folks and not locals by a few tell tale signs – for example, all those people gathered around the large chessboard on the floor by the hotel pool early in the morning egging their kids on for the next move? Indians, for sure 🙂
Second, we tend to be very loud in public places. We are not parents of the ilk that would get up from their lobby chairs to tell their wayward young kid gently to not go out of the hotel doors. We yell from across the lobby “Ay, Rajesh! Bahaar mat jaana. Bahaar bhaloo hai”. (Don’t go out. There is a bear outside). Obviously it is a bear sick and tired of the cold up north and decided to get to the Caribbean 🙂
Finally, all those people – especially ladies – getting into the beach after sunset in their jeans just as everybody is walking out? That is us, Indians!! 🙂
Joking aside, over the years, as I have talked to a lot of them and tried to create some intersections, I have learnt that it is pretty much the same set of reasons why Indians in US travel so much during Thanksgiving. First, Thanksgiving is a celebration of family. Most of us, immigrants, tend to not have any family to get together with in this side of the world.
Second, we are also unified in our common fear of the cold. We just do not like cold. A few days of no work during the advent of winter is as good reason as any to hightail it to the warmer beaches.
Finally, Thanksgiving is the glorious season of overeating turkeys. We are the vegetarians. You do the math. 🙂
Rajib, fair enough. But you must also acknowledge the barriers we scale in resisting the temptation of thanksgiving deals. Er… Did I speak too quick? Oops!
Hey, that explains the sari right?
Rajib, did you actually hear the ‘bhaloo’ thing? That’s really funny
Last evening, yes, Aabhas
Rajib – plus the deals are so much sweeter for traveling out of the US during thanksgiving ….
Very funny!!! this reminds me of those days when I was posted in Darjeeling.After office hours, our regular meeting place used to be “MALL”. It was a regular sight that –middle aged bengali boudis wearing over-sized jeans of dadas & urging their little ones ” bhoy pas na, ghora kichhu korbe na,ghorar pithe oth..” & later finding the same mother riding the horse herself with the tear faced little one ; the horse & the little stable boy laughing their heads off. Another common sight — bengalis trying to communicate with the local peoples in broken hindi while the locals were replying in bengali.
It took me a while to realize you were talking about people from India (in the context of Thanksgiving)
I agree, will join you next year!
Sourav, that certainly is the other Indian tradition – rushing for the deals – only electronics shops though 🙂
Somya, coming to think of it, you are absolutely right!
Devashish! Sssshhhh! Not so loud. At this rate, I won’t get any deal next year 🙂
Very funny Debasish
Michiko, when it comes to Thanksgiving deals, we the Indians, are the Chiefs 🙂
Paul, you might want to start practicing your shouting from now 🙂
Anyway happy Thanksgiving Rajib – enjoy!
Funny Observation about Life and Our People, Happy Thanksgiving Rajib !
Now that I live in florida, I have 10 family members visiting.
Funny, but true…especially the chess thing 🙂 Btw, “bahar bhaloo hai”!!! Did someone really say that!!!