Chalo*, chalo, chalo...'Am-merika'

America (or as we gujarati’s say ‘Am-merika’) was synonyms to dreams for the whole generation of Indian youths. It literally meant future. When an aged uncle/aunty would ask what your plans are for the future, most of the times, answer would be ‘I am planning to go to Am-merika’!

Believe it or not, but that one sentence answer in some cases also found prospective grooms there brides.

For better or for worst, America had become a ‘bench mark’ of sorts for everything. I remember driving on my LML Vespa NV with my friend, and each pot-hole would be compared to velvety streets of New York and New Jersey. Even the 'pathetic' mercury (white) street lights of VIP road drew comparison to sodium (yellow) street lights of US. The blue-ink pens that were standard in India, started to get the wrath of hatred because it’s rich cousin the ‘black-ink’ pens were a norm in USA.

Oh! Those good old days of singing ‘Chalo, chalo, chalo Am-merika’…

The reality as in most of the cases is always ‘everything but’, but ‘Am-merika’ was different. After this many years, my face still lights up under the sodium street lights of NYC and I very much appreciate the ‘black-ink’ pens that I have in my office drawer. But at the same time I do miss the mercury lights of VIP road and no matter how 'pathetic' & 'blinky' they were, it was under those lights that I dreamed about the sodium lights that I am standing beneath now !!

*'chalo' is 'Lets Go' in Hindi