A Dream called America

"Son, why don't you go to America like everyone and make lot of money ? You will be happy and we will all be happy". This is the constant lecture, my mother gives me.

Why do I need to go to America to be happy ? I want to live here. I like this place. I'm so used to this. I get to be with my family. What a beautiful life !. Hold on. Do I really like this place ? Don't I feel like missing out on something, everytime I see my friend's American adventures in orkut.

The above thoughts summarize my life till now. Neither here nor there. Welcome to my story. I'm Gautam. I completed my engineering in Computer Science. Everyone is an engineer in the city, where I live. We are famous for outsourcing. They call it Bangalored.

Finally I decided to resolve this conflict. And hence started this quest.

"Dude, Why not ?" Shyam with his usual, why the hell he is asking me attitude. For him, this is a no brainer question. For the last 7 years, he is working in a investment bank in New york. He completed MS in no-one-remembers-its-name university. And then joined this investment Bank. His designation reads Vice President, Stratergy in Technology. The latest information is that he has made enough money, to live happily ever after in India.

"Do you regret not being able to stay in Bangalore ?"
"Me. Regret ? WTF. I enjoy NY. This is the coolest place to live on earth. I reach office in just 15 min, thanks to subway. Work from 9 - 5. Everyone is so cool here. They live the way they want to live. Ameerica man, Ameerica."
"Don't you miss your parents, friends, smell of just being in India ?"
"Dude, I told you many times. Don't watch too many bollywood movies. This Ashutosh Gowariker guy has confused you so much with his Swades movie. All this ye jo des hai tera crap."

It hit me. I was talking to a wrong person.

"Why ? " karthik got irritated. Kartik was IIT topper in computer science. He rejected lot of offers in US. He has started his company in Bangalore. He is from middle class. The kind who suffer the most in India. The kind which does not have much money, does not belong to reservation gettable caste. All he has got with him is passion.

"Karthik, what is that you really want to do ?"
"Why are you asking all these questions ? I think you are getting too much carried away by the glamour in those jobs."

Karthik is the most intelligent guy, I have ever met. He never answers to the point. I have to ask him the same question many times in many different ways, before I get the answer.
"No. I wanted to find out, why you rejected those offers ?. You can make much more money by working there for few years and then setup your own company, with that money. Why struggle so much now ? There are so many rich ppl, who did the same"
"You know Dhirubhai Ambani."
No, not again. Why is he not answering my question.
"Ofcourse, I know Ambani. Rags-to-riches. Started with no money, now they are the richest people in India."
"Exactly. That is my point. You can be successful here. Just that you need to work little hard. We have problems in India, but then no country is perfect. We need to make it perfect."

You cannot get more cliched answer. It hit me again. I was talking to a wrong person again.

I still could not figure out.

"Gautam, its 9.30, you said you have to go to office early." Shouted my mother. Uuffff, I'm late again.

I started my bike and said bye to her. Time for yet another day in office and before that I need to fight the traffic.

My Quest continues.