The Indian Dream

As I was leaving for Dumdum airport to catch my return flight to the US during my last visit to India, many of my relatives asked me when I was going to be back to see them again.

- BASAB DASGUPTA

One cousin-sister asked a more pointed question: "Do you ever think about coming back to your motherland permanently?"

I had thought about this and related questions hundreds of times in my head. Would I ever go back for good? What would be the reasons? What would I sacrifice by returning to India? Since it is unlikely that I would ever be completely assimilated into American society, what are the reasons for not going back? After years of soul-searching I had concluded that I could return to India under three scenarios.

I could return if I lived like a Bollywood celebrity. It would not only be returning to my homeland, but it would also be living a fantasy and without sacrificing any luxury and convenience of my American life. I often watch YouTube clips of famous Bollywood actors and actresses attending various programmes and ceremonies in their dazzling outfits. They come in chauffeur-driven expensive foreign cars and live in huge mansions in places like Juhu and Bandra. Many have personal security guards.

I am sure that they have dozens of domestic help at their beck and call, ready to serve them in every possible way and the best medical care available. They do not even have to tolerate one minute of inconvenience in their daily routines, inside or outside of their homes. They do not face the weather or the crowd or maddening traffic. On top of it, they enjoy admiration and good wishes from millions of fans from all over the country.

Yes, that is an appealing life I can go for. Unlike living in the US, I can eat delicious Indian food every day, watch Indian films in movie theaters, see cricket players in live action and talk to everyone every hour of the day in my native language.