We MUST stop our obsession with the dollar
Over the past 4 years as a teenager I have often been subjected to questions and suggestions of living the 'American dream' by many loved ones and I simply have one answer which is a NO. I really admire the diverse climatic conditions of autumn, spring, winter, summer and those man-made edifices such as the iconic Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Warner Brother Studios or the casinos in Las Vegas. The razzmatazz that the U.S offers has always fascinated me, but it unfortunately fails to recognize bonding and relationships which most of the Indians cherish and embrace and what I personally love about my country.
This entire topic brewed in my mind when I read Sudha Murthy's 'Dollar Bahu'. It strikes the right notes of how the dollar initially rips apart human ties and how finally ethics and relations guide the mother-in-law on the right path.
Almost every single Indian mother wants her child to go overseas and live a plush and cozy life. But what they fail to understand is the mental trauma and struggles that they have to go through; to live in a different environment, adjust to a divergent setting, embrace a disparate culture, food habits, fashion and a whole new way of leading life!
I do not advocate the fact that India is the best place to live in or its a land of opportunities and so on and so forth. India does have its own flaws- the cardinal being mentality and bureaucracy, however we cannot let the dollar dictate our prospects, family ties and relations. Often, many people forget about their roots and their identity in the midst of traversing the path to success.
Needless to say, America has the best infrastructure, technology, facilities and human resource, but does it address depression and loneliness that is ravaging the $20 trillion economy?
What disappoints me the most is the deteriorating ethics among people for something as meagre as a dollar? Yes, the dollar is a universally acceptable currency and has reached almost 75 Indian rupees, but does all this make it invincible?
In the hindsight, what I can witness is an environment of 'high-status' and grandiose lifestyle which people here are craving for. As someone rightly said- the grass is greener on the other side. The dollar frenzy has gripped the nation so intensely that the rupee is weakening both in monetary and popularity terms and we all are to be blamed for it.
This entire topic brewed in my mind when I read Sudha Murthy's 'Dollar Bahu'. It strikes the right notes of how the dollar initially rips apart human ties and how finally ethics and relations guide the mother-in-law on the right path.
Almost every single Indian mother wants her child to go overseas and live a plush and cozy life. But what they fail to understand is the mental trauma and struggles that they have to go through; to live in a different environment, adjust to a divergent setting, embrace a disparate culture, food habits, fashion and a whole new way of leading life!
I do not advocate the fact that India is the best place to live in or its a land of opportunities and so on and so forth. India does have its own flaws- the cardinal being mentality and bureaucracy, however we cannot let the dollar dictate our prospects, family ties and relations. Often, many people forget about their roots and their identity in the midst of traversing the path to success.
Needless to say, America has the best infrastructure, technology, facilities and human resource, but does it address depression and loneliness that is ravaging the $20 trillion economy?
What disappoints me the most is the deteriorating ethics among people for something as meagre as a dollar? Yes, the dollar is a universally acceptable currency and has reached almost 75 Indian rupees, but does all this make it invincible?
In the hindsight, what I can witness is an environment of 'high-status' and grandiose lifestyle which people here are craving for. As someone rightly said- the grass is greener on the other side. The dollar frenzy has gripped the nation so intensely that the rupee is weakening both in monetary and popularity terms and we all are to be blamed for it.
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