New York Mega Million Jackpot

The Bengalis in NY must have bought lotto tickets today! The mega million jackpot is some 640 million. I have seen people staring up for divine inspiration or uttering the numbers in a trancelike state - whatever helps. Has any Bengali ever won the lotto? Dunno. Will find out at 11:00 tonight and you can bet that I will stay awake. Someone in our house has bought $15 worth of tickets. The numbers were chosen with care, a birthdate, the house number - all rather significant. Naturally, there is a good chance of us winning!!

We Bengalis joke about the lotto but never tell each other if we have bought tickets. It's considered a sign of weakness or worse still associated with being a loser. You could almost say that free money is not good money.

There is this friend who suddenly came into some money, and his good fortune has been associated with the lotto. He however vehemently denies it all, and attributes all to his dynamic way of doing business.

We have decided to retire if we win the lotto. No blogging either. The children can leave school, since education will not be necessary to make a living. Will leave something to the dogs also, a la Helmsley.

Just checked the numbers. We have not won :(

The small town girl

The tulips and hyacinths are out in my garden. Hot pink and purple. The colorful pansies in shades of yellow and crimson, border the flower bed and bloom in the delicate urns. They never fail to bring a smile when I return home from work.

But I still crave the jasmines and gardenias which grew with such abundance in a small town in India, where I spent my childhood. The memory of  balmy firefly evenings and the heady scent of flowers has stayed with me for long, and become this one fragrance, that a sudden whiff of something instantly makes unknown surroundings familiar. Just for a second.

Migrated 17 years ago, but the small town girl has not left me. This is my home now, has been for a while. I miss my family in India, the groovy food and the shopping. Memories have replaced the small town as my home.

Sunlight Sunlight

......... And..... it's a crisp sunny day in New York. I shuffled out of the dark curtained bedroom, and was pleasantly surprised to see sunlight seeping in through the skylights and illuminating the pastel colored walls. Sure, it's cold outside, but sunlight does wonders for my spirit.

You see, the memories of growing up in India, having that cup of chai or coffee in our sunlit balcony is always with me. My mom loved to keep things pretty, and the balcony or verandah as we call it in India, was full of potted plants, with a flourishing money plant twined all over the side wall. Maa loved taking care of the plants and trimmed them once a month. When we go back for a visit now, I look forward to the laid back sunny mornings sipping tea on the balcony and reliving the past with our kids.

On a sunny day like this, I can run a hundred errands, listen to the music a little louder in the car, and walk into the office with a huge grin. On a sunny day like this I skip the gym and go for long walks with our little boy and the pups. I love coming home with the daylight still there.

On a sunny day like this you can achieve what you desire. At least try to:)Feel good dear readers, I send you a steaming cup of chai and sunshine from New york.

The sun worshippers did have a point!

Our first born turned 16 this year. Although we had a few choices in names, we had not come up with one befitting a princess. As a result our last name was taped to my bed in the maternity wing, and was used in all references to the baby. On being asked to provide a first  name before leaving the hospital, in order to apply for a birth certificate and a social security card, we pondered over the initial choices and came up with a beautiful and traditional bengali name of 9 characters. It had profound meaning, and like all first time parents, we knew  our daughter would be simply amazing, true to her name.

We were ready with the name of our second child - another traditional and pretty one of 7 characters when she came into this world. The name was once again loaded with meaning, and we were sure it would reflect her personality.

First borns are usually simple and straight, and our child proudly used her name at school. With each year she cringed a little at her name, but nevertheless would not accept any shorter or westernized version.

Most middle children have minds of their own, and on her first day in Kindergarten, my daughter asked the teacher to address her by a shorter version we use at home. The teacher sent me a note. I was disappointed but agreed to the "arrangement".

Finally for our youngest we came up with a name of 4 characters. He would be living in the U.S. after all, and a shorter name would be easy on the local tongue.

Yes, we are much wiser and less traditional now. The world is after all going global.

From Jyotirmoy to Jeter (Part 2 of "From Prakash To Peter")

We visited Mr. & Mrs. Nandy yesterday. My husband calls them Nondi. They live in a gated community, and before we reached the guard I gently tutored my husband to tell the security that we were visiting Nandy, Nandy that rhymes with Brandy or Sandy. But by the time we reached the gates, Nondi and Nandy were kind of mixed up in my husband’s mind, and when the guard asked for a name he said:

Nondi

Guard: Excuse me sir....what?

(a poke in the ribs from me, and a whisper..."as in Brandy")

Husband: Oh yes.... Nandy.

And we sailed in smoothly through the gates.

By the way, our friend Jyotirmoy has reinvented himself as Jeter.

(Note: Article is is Part 2 of http://nina-theamericanbengali.blogspot.com/2008/09/from-prakash-to-peter.html )

From Prakash To Peter

I have rather liked my name all these years. Mom tells me that it has a melodious ring to it. But the melody seems to have been lost in the US. I mean if the Americans can pronounce Famke, Kardashian, Joaquin, is my name that tough?

Well to make things easier for others & to blend in, I shortened my name from Nilanjana to Nila, but people started calling me “Nile-aa”. After failing my second driving test I was informed, “Nile-aa you did not make it”. Very gently I tried to correct the pronunciation, and once again to make life easy for others, I changed my name to Nina.

My husband said that this was a lack of self esteem, and he set the bar in being unfazed by people addressing him as: Manjo Paulino, Manho Ball, and mails being sent to Mango Ball. A friend of his, Arijit Chattopadhyay, has for years survived the ordeal of people calling him Arihit Hihi. I'm sure he too has given pain to many by refusing to shorten his name, and these days he only speaks to those cold callers who can pronounce his name.

But on the other side of the spectrum, there are cases where our dear friend Prakash became Peter, Shyamal turned into Sam, Aniruddha to Rudy, Shayantini to Tina and Nilabjo to Neil. Peter credits his success in the US to the prompt change of name. No wonder then, Archhismaan Chakraborty recently became Professor Archie to his students.

I wish I had my husband’s confidence, but I am truly happy with Nina.

So to the Ritwicks I say - go ahead, "Rick" is all yours to use; and to Madhuchhanda, hey Ann is a cute name. But to those confident few who insist on being addressed by their given names, the Abhimanyu-s and the Anindya-s, I sure am proud of you; at least you are easier on the tongue than our brethren from the Southern part of India: Harihara Murali Nemani Pattabhiramaiya....... and folks that is the name of just one person.

All hail to the Bengali names and cheers to the strength of those who wear them in the US!