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Boys with thick Punjabi accent trying to force an American one; boys who chase girls and parties and boys who spend time trying to save every dollar they can blogger-turned-author Atulya Mahajan's debut book Amreekandesi: Masters of America takes a look at the unreal life of the average Indian-American student.
Atulya Mahajan's Amreekandesi: Masters of America may be vastly different from the high-brow diasporic literature of Jhumpa Lahiri, Chitra Divakaruni, Salman Rushdie and MG Vassanji among others but it offers hilarious, yet poignant insights into the world of the wannabe Americans. If at all, Amreekandesi follows the tradition of IndianAmerican pop fiction, started by Anurag Mathur's The Inscrutable Americans way back in the '90s. Much like its illustrious predecessor, Amreekandesi follows the life of fresh-off-the-boat students dying to soak in as much of America as possible. It documents the ordeals, quirks and preoccupations of young students who migrate to the US to further their careers. Partially autobiographical in tone, Amreekandesi is a story of two boys -- Akhil and Jassi -- and their journey from there middle class homes in New Delhi and Punjab respectively to the Florida State University (FSU) and everything interesting that takes place in between. A Delhi College of Engineering graduate, Mahajan did his MS in Computer Science from FSU. It was during his time in the US when he noticed Indians all around him, in a setting that was as alien to him as it was to them and the different ways they responded to it. An avid blogger (he blogs at Amreekandesi.com) and Twitterer, Atulya Mahajan is also a tech analyst and offers funny yet astute take on life around him. In this interview, Atulya Mahajan talks about his student days in the US, the popular Indian perception about the American way of life and the power of the American immigration stamp on an Indian passport. When and why did you decide to go to the US?
Like with all other engineering graduates of my generation, after completing my four years at Delhi College of Engineering, I had two options for higher studies go for an MBA, or go abroad. I chose to go to America for my MS in Computer Science, after working for a couple of years. This was back in 2004. In hindsight, maybe I should have done an MBA. It seems to be the entry criteria to be a bestselling writer these days. What do you think of the current crop of business managers-turned-writers? It's a mixed bag probably. I believe that they are experimenting with new thoughts and bringing more variety to lighter reads. It has also resulted in more people reading too. On the other hand, critics say that we're not professional writers. But it's different. It takes time to mature. So when I write my second book, it should be better than the first one. The writing improves, it gets better with time. In the end, it's good for the reader and for people like me who've found an outlet for their thoughts. What were the days leading up to your trip to the US like? What kind of preparation did you go through? It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Luckily my job required me to live for a little bit in Mumbai and then Hyderabad, as before then I had never lived outside home. My parents were scared about how I was ever going to survive in a foreign land. When I wasn't busy convincing my parents that it was going to be alright, I was excited and looking forward to this new experience. In terms of preparation, there were discussions with seniors who were already in US universities, enduring obnoxious neighbours and their worldly advise to my parents about how I was going to turn my back on them, going through Internet checklists of stuff to carry along, including about two dozen sets of underwear, because you do your laundry about once in two weeks. Gosh, it just sounds so dirty, but this is what we did). Please click Next to read on You can purchase a copy of Amreekandesi: Masters of America here!
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W hat were your first impressions of fellow Indian in the US when you first got there?
When I first landed, I was delighted to find that you got all sorts of frozen Indian food through Indian stores. Being a Punjabi foodie, that took care of my homesickness. Apart from that, I was happy to see that there was a significant Indian community that provided good support to each other. Then there were the accents. Some got American accents overnight, almost as soon as the immigration officer stamped their passports. It gets really funny when an oblivious boy with a thick Punjabi accent tries to force an American accent. A bit sad really, but funny as well. Over a longer term, I noticed that people really change when they get there. Some just go crazy and only chase girls and parties. Some others spend their time saving each dollar they can. The dollar is evil. It makes people do funny things. What would you say you learnt about America only after you got there? One interesting thing I learnt was that when a stranger sees you walking on the road, they'll smile at you and wish you good morning. Such politeness is rare in India. I also learnt that a haircut costs $14, and on top of that you need to give a tip, or you won't be welcome the next time. I had half a mind to let my hair grow long and get a haircut the next time I went to India.
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Then a lot of concepts around discipline and manners that we Indians are oblivious to, like not interrupting someone in the midst of something, standing in line for a bus, and saying hello to people servicing you like at Subway/McDonalds else they get offended! Did you meet a lot of people like Jassi in the US? Jassi and Akhil are two extremes that I have shown in the book. Jassi is only focused on girls and Akhil only on studies. In reality, it isn't always black and white. I'd say there are a lot of people who combine traits of Akhil and Jassi both, and I have seen plenty of such characters, as well as a few Jassis who spend their days dreaming of rolling in the hay with pretty American girls. Please click Next to read on
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be lynched for using that (ABCD) term. Please click Next to read on
'We still have that thing that American culture is all bad'
Last updated on: July 30, 2013 12:08 IST
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