Identity crisis for NRIs

NRI (non resident Indian) are faced with an identity crisis in India. To get a cell phone, drivers license etc, you need address proof. In other words an identity card showing your picture and address. Your passport is not good enough if it does not carry the current address. Address proof without picture is not accepted either. Only two items are widely accepted: a ration card and a voter's card. Now being an NRI you cannot vote so the voter's card is out. You have not been buying rations for years so the ration card is not current either. So here we are in Mangalore without solid identity. One of these days the ration card will get cleared and then we will become regular people again. Cheers!

Windows in a storm

Sadly, the windows of my high rise apartment can hardly be left open. The strong wind currents lead to way too much banging. This made me notice that all the high rise apts in America have sliding windows. No traditional windows. The challenge of functional windows is what I am faced with now.

Ants in the pantry

I watch the ants in my kitchen feeling kind of sorry that they risk their lives for the meager crumbs. So food of humans must be delicious. I have noticed that animals thrive in human presence. The plants, the clearings, etc that man likes are also preferred by other animals. Something to take note of when thinking of nature preservation. Most nature preservation today means keeping man away.

Housing for the poor

My maid was saying that she does not own a house but rents one. That made me think that she may never own one no matter how hard she works. Kerala Govt in yesteryears gave housing to the poor. Perhaps Karnataka Govt should consider it too. In countries like Mexico if you have a job, you can buy a house, albeit small, which you can slowly pay off in a lifetime. Roti, kapada, aur makhan are fundamental rights of every human being. For hard working people this should be a goal that can be achieved.

The sad state of timber

My search for furniture around Mangalore leaves me disappointed. Wooden furniture is really expensive. India like Africa has timber problems. A lot of valuable timber is protected and hence available only in black markets at exorbitant prices. Malaysian teak wood is more easily available than Indian teak in India. No alarm bells ring for Indians though. Colonialism is perhaps the reason for protecting timber trees in Africa and India. If teak grew in Europe it would flood the market.

Watching the rains again

It has been a while when I last sat dreamily looking out the windows as the rains drench the good old earth. So now I have come to roost in Mangalore a part of Dakshina Kannada so prosperous that no one is said to go hungry. The temples give out free meals to every visitor. Rich and poor eat the same meal at the temples. I liked the geography and I may come to like the people. We will find out as time goes by. Mangalore is breathtakingly beautiful and I do hope the people of this place preserve the greenery filled with coconut trees.

On the lighter side, to get a telephone connection (a land line) you need an address proof. If the milk goes bad it is the fault of your vessel. You need to search hard for what you want. But the good news is that everything you want you can find in Mangalore. Cheers.