New York or aamchi Mumbai?

I just couldn't stop myself. I had to do it. Now. I just had to pick u my pen to jot down the train of thoughts in my mind....umm...well not exactly pen...my Inspiron would be more apt. Life goes on as usual in this strange land. These days, I have become so used Manhattan, nothing really amazes me. In fact, I can't help comparing it to "aamchi mumbai" at every step. Manhattan is no heaven on earth, if anybody gave you that impression you better give that person a piece of your mind the next time you bump into him. It's as filthy as Bombay...okay...maybe not exactly as filthy but if you look at the filth keeping in mind the population then Bombay would be a winner I guess. The only thing I like about Manhattan is its orderliness...you have parallel avenues running along the length of the island and streets at right angles to the avenues. You can never get lost in midtow or uptown Manhattan. Downtow Manhattan is a different story...it looks like London ( not that I have been to London, but whatever image I have of the city is from movies and Calcuta) with narrow streets criss-crossing each other. Downtown has a charm of its own, it's a lovely place to be. Sometimes I dislike the very orderliness that Manhattan so proudly displays. Everything seems so rigid...so plain. No meandering roads...no twists...no curves....straight and parallel roads. After all, the different roads and gullies give a city it's character. Maybe that is why I am so completely besotted with downtown. These days, whenever I am in midtown to see the occasional hindi movie at Loews Theatre at Times Square, i don't even glance up at the billboards. After a while, you cease to take in all the grandeur...it becomes part of your environment...you just get used to it. Yet, these were the billboards I used to gape at during my initial days in Columbia.

People tell me " Wow!!...you are in New York!! What more can you want?? You must be having a gala time!!". I wish I could smack them on their face. I am probably having the most misereable life an indian grad student in US can ever hope to have. Okay...New York does have a lot to offer...but it's so damn expensive!! I can't be going for a broadway show every weekend...nor can I go binge drinking at any of the pubs in downtown!! I'd be bankrupt in no time!! It's better to live in some small university town, which might have limited stuff to offer but which would be within means. Moreover, Columbia lacks a well knit indian grad student community. I really envy my Kaustav da, Pulkit and Nitesh for their life at College Station. Ya ya...I know what you must be thinking.."The grass is always greener on the other side of the river." To some extent, I concur, but the point I want to make here is that life in Manhattan is not a bed of roses.

Ummm....I have to get back to writing a paper for one of my subjects. Darn....anyway, before I get back to that let me tell you what I have been upto for the past few days. I saw quite a no. of movies lately. Hotel Rwanda is one of the best movies I have seen lately. It's about a genocide which happened in Rwanda in 1993-94 in which a million people were slaughtered in the animosity between the Hutus and Tutsis. Another good movie was Chinatown. Its an old movie, shot in 1970, but an excellent one nevertheless. Jack Nicholson and faye Dunaway were fab. Amon Hindi movies, I saw Lucky, My Brother Nikhil and Tango Charlie. I liked Lucky...not because of Salman or Sneha Ullal or their acting prowress but because the whole movie's shot in Russia. And, I have a long standing obsession with that country. I hope to visit Russia some day...some people who have been there say that Moscow is the most beautiful city they have ever been to. Anyway, My Brother Nikhil was also good. I don't get the time to read much but I have been reading a few translated short stories of Bankim Chatterjee from time to time. It really opened up my eyes to the prevalent society during those times. Have to read more of that stuff, it's pretty interesting to know about the society during those days. Well...that's all for now....signing off till the next time...