Tamil Songs in Washington

Ok... so that is what I am doing... I have downloaded Tamil songs from the internet and have been listening to it on and off.... somewhere it gives me a sense of grounding... a feeling of this is where I am from... now I understand the mentality of an immigrant... and why Indians who live abroad are even more conservative than their counterparts in India... cos you want to hold on to everything that defines you.. and your culture (which includes songs) defines you the most ...

I have also realised why I felt so lonely coming back to Washington... cos there are no people around me... now in Washington, my house is lovely and I like it (except I have no cleaned it for days - dont judge people, I am not used to cleaning everyday by myself) but it is in an apartment complex where I dont know my neighbours... infact I hope to run into my neighbours while throwing the garbage out but no such luck yet and even contemplated creating a ruckus so that the neighbours would come out... and then I get out of the house, the streets are all almost empty... and then there is the tube ride where I dont see many people talking to each other... all of them are grim and reading something or the other - now contrast this to the Mumbai train rides where from the beginning of the ride till your destination, you are adopted into a community of rail commuters who let you in on their lives (slowly)... back to Washington- I reach office and I have a cabin to myself (everybody does - so no great shakes) and for days I can go without seeing a living being near my office... and then I come back home....

so in all this my contact (actualy people to people contact) is limited to official matters in the office... and on a very need based basis... so there is no leisurly stroll to Cafe Coffee Day with friends at 5 p.m.. or even to eat peanuts at 6 pm... and then the travel back home where your driver will vent out his grievances in life (and you ARE the root cause of all his probs) and so on and so forth...

I almost feel like Amrish Puri in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge where he is feeding the pigeons at Trafalgar Square and he imagines he is in the mustard fields of Punjab....

Only the gyrating dancers and the song are missing from my imagination....