The Pony Express - Part 6

The wind chills outside. It is cloudy and dark, but it does not rain. The powdery white petals on the trees fly around in the breeze. The Valley Forge National Park - where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1778 during the American Revolutionary War – is coming alive in the spring. The meadows have turned lush green and the trees are covered in leaves of various shades of green. In a few weeks, the place could be ablaze in a multitude of colors. But today we are satisfied with the splash of green.

The National Memorial Arch towers over the landscape on the Southern side of the Park. The logo of the Freemasons’ Lodge – of which George Washington was a part of – dominates the structures around. For those who have seen the India Gate or the Arc de Triomphe, there is no novelty in the structure. It just serves as a reminder to the bravery of George Washington and his generals.

It's been two weeks here and Bangalore is now a distant, forgotten dream...Not for the so-called and much hyped up "comfortable life" in the USA, but because life goes on - forgotten and forgiven, harsh and ruthless. The sun would still be rising as people queue up for the shuttles, the endless hours spent cursing the traffic and listening to the oohing and aahing of the stupid radio jockeys, waiting hopefully for the masala dosa at the breakfast counter, the endless chatter at the coffee table at 10:00 O'Clock, those pleasant fifteen minutes after lunch when the eyes shut off for a short nap...and sitting on the sixth floor cafeteria, munching the egg sandwich, watching the fiery red sun set behind the chimneys of the nearby factories, is all a distant dream. Life in the USA is a little too smooth for comfort. But nobody else - neither in India nor in the USA - missed anything.

Last week saw “Family Day Celebrations” in the office. But unlike the silly song-and-dance extravaganza that we get to see back at home, the family day affair here seems to be more humane – just bring your kids to your workplace. The cafeteria was specifically set up for the day. The kids seem to have reserved seats. Somebody questioned the need for the bring-your-kid-to-office initiative. Joshy pointed out that this was a practice that was followed in almost all companies across the United States. I replied that perhaps it was intended at minimizing hiring and training costs – train your kids now and when they grow up, just recruit them. No pre-job training is required – maybe something similar to what Sonia Gandhi seems to be doing. Perhaps the best part of the whole day was the guy dressed up as a cow. He wore a red shirt that proclaimed “EAT MORE CHICKEN”. Did Vinay Shenoy land in the USA?

Finally I drove the car – to office, to shopping, and where else.

Pic of the Day: