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My Dear Mathew,
Jai Mata Di
I am writing from more than one 10 days fooding and lodging in abroad for some business work. Mathew, my friend, you will not believe how difficult and crazy country is abroad named USA.
I was landing here after a very very long journey. My family was telling me that I will have problems eating here, so she is doing needful for the journey by packing 4
aaloo-parathas for me. I am eating them sitting in the smoking area of Paris Airport. But I was not drinking any water because I can not drink using a tap called drinking fountain, where I notice many
angrez people are drinking water like goats drink water in India. They are not making a
chullu, just catching the water jet in their mouth and slurp like
sadda Tommy does it.
After landing in this city of Atlanta, I am feeling very confusing. Because I am seeing only jungle here and roads are looking so clean I am feeling guilty for using them. This city is a jungle with many useless trees where no fruit is growing. There are some buildings also.
Finally, my confusing is ending when I am meeting Guptaji there. Guptaji is being very smart in USA. He is speaking English the way
Angrez people are speaking it and I am not understanding it. I am not seeing any people on the road. Only car. I think these people are having a lot of money and they are not walking to anywhere. They are only running in
kacha-baniyaan in the jungles of the city. I am telling Guptaji that I will not eat food here as it will be beef and no vegetable and
daal. He is agreeing to ask his family to cook and deliver
parathas to my hotel room. I am saying thank you to his family and giving her one gift also.
My confusing is not ending there. I am finding it very surprising that everyone is telling me “Hi, how're u doing?”. I am asking the first person, “who are you?”, as I am not able to recognize him. He is looking at me like I did something wrong and walking away calling me "crazy". I think these people are not being polite to me because of racial. But I am telling myself I will excuse them and not take any
punga here in abroad. I am telling you Mathew, if this man called me "crazy" in India, I will not leave him. On a later date, Guptaji is telling me these
Angrez people are telling "Hi" to everybody. I am not understanding that, if I say hi every body in Chandni Chawk, they will throw stone at me and send me to Agra Mental Hospital. But I am not saying anything. Now I know they are not calling me "crazy" because of racial, but they are expecting me to say hi to them and smile at them. I am doing needful.
I am having good time drinking many type of whisky, more type of variety than I get in
saddi Dilli. But I am not liking the way they are treating smokers like drug addicts. Most of the places are being not smoking places.
I am having a difficult time walking on the roads in abroad. They are having traffic signals for walking gentry also. I am not liking that at all. Gentries are gentries, they are not cars and trucks. They are having brains and are not requiring lights to tell them “walk” and “don’t walk”. I am feeling insulted listening to a light. But I am doing that because I am feeling scared for police. Police there is looking very dangerous.
But there is one thing I am liking a lot. That is the Indian Store. These are shops that Indians are running. The gentle lady on the counter is speaking
panjbi to me and they are also selling thing that I need. I am having a good time buying
gutka and paan parag from there. But I am feeling shy and guilty to spit on the road, so I am doing needful in a toilet called rest room. I am not knowing why they are calling toilet as rest room, they are not having any beds there.
Mathew, I am telling you, if you go to abroad, ask prajaiji
to make good food, desi ghee ki puri and pack for you. If you stay in a hotel, look for a hotel which is having a fridge and a heating oven. So that you can keep your food, otherwise you will only be eating
caws and pigs and also eating snails and all that. Please be advised. They are having Indian restaurants also, but they are being expensive and also not serving good food as
Kake da Hotel in saddi Dilli.
Please inform prajaiji that I was visiting one big shop called Wal-Mart and I was buying a scent for her use. I will present that to her when I am getting the opportunity of meeting her. I am also having a bottle of Jack Daniels whisky for you.
Your true friend,
Vikas Tripathi
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