Today completes one year when I came to US for the first time.

I took the flight on saturday evening and on sunday evening I set my foot on US. At 6:00 pm I checked in my hotel …. one of my fellow colleague came to welcome me – he also told me various things about US … what to expect and not to expect at US … many of them I find very amusing today …. dont go anywhere to travel in USA, else you’ll be mugged & lost …. fear all black people, they are here in USA to mug you …. etc etc ….

Today …. nostalgia is the only thing which comes over me when I look back … and try to live myself just 1 year before.

I had many dreams then.

I was unsure of the way things were going on in my personal life. I was unsure of the way things were going on my professional life.

But ….

I was sure of myself. I was sure of potential I had. I was sure to put things straight – just the way I want them to be.

And …

I consider myself very lucky today …. things have went exactly the way I planned them one year before.

And ….

next 1 year is going to be even more important year… I look into it with great anticipation, planning and tension …. nothing but your good wishes will help me put things the way I plan in coming 1 year and ahead.

Keep pouring your good wishes from all directions .. i need them now more than ever .. thanks … 🙂

It’s a strange world !!

Two events happened in past one week, one in western coasts of US and one in UK. Those two events are totally unrelated to each other and they cater to different audience. But both of them have run into same issue ~ ‘Racism’.

Michael Richards (whom I didnt know till this issue) it seems is a well known comedian in US. Last week during one of his stand-up shows he got pissed off, totally out of control and made some real harsh comments on some black people (afro-american as they are called) like calling them niggers showing them finger and saying the great F word repeatedly. Media is saying now that his career is finished !!!

Cut to UK – to a show called Big Brother, where a confused soul like Jade Goody was bullying apni Shilpa Shetty for past few days. She got kicked out of the show recently and now they are saying that her career is also finished !!!

Itz human tendency to love anything ‘similar’ to him/her and to hate anything ‘different’ to him/her. Somebody was not wrong in Swades movie when he said “JO KABHI NAHIN JAATI, USI KO KEHTE HAIN ‘JAATI’) So, like it or not, Racism is here to stay.

(Just to clarify myself – I personally even hate the idea of ‘racism’ but the point I am trying to make is it does not depend on whether we like it or not – it is here to stay. Ummmm … if I use some more green cells, things which can crease out racism is when the world will be flattened in all respects so that there will be enough space for everybody not only to survice but to live a luxurious / comfortable life. Or racism can be out if & when we start interacting with ‘Alien’ people from other planets when we’ll realise how similar white, black or asian people are… and so on …)

Anyways, Racism is not what amused me of above two events but it is two events which happened different part of world and hit the same issue in very similar manner. What a co-incidence! It was like watching an event unfold and then watching the replay.

Update 1
Karan Thapar interviews British High Commissioner, Sir Michael Arthur here.In the show Karan keeps coming back to following two questions:-
* How damaged is Britain’s image in India today (after Shipla Shetty’s issue)?
* Is Britain a Racist Country?

Apart from the way British High Commisioner tried to escape above two questions, I could not help but notice the difference in accent b/w american english accent & british english accent.