My Student Life@USA

 It all started with a chat with Vinu. And as has many times though the objectives of the work was very different you derive something very different from it. I was contacting Vinu and was thinking of catching up. But what I got out of the 20-30 min chat was  re-visting my student life. Especailly looking into some facets like Financial which at that time was so un-nerving that I never looked into it. But overall it was re-living a stage of my life which at that time was tough and hard, phyiscally but more importantly mentally. But it was the same hard going that changed and also improved me in so many ways.

US and India are so different now. Globalization has changed both of them in so many ways in the last 10 years I have know and have started appreciating them so much more. But my migration from my country to this certainly was when these changes had started. The Globalization force that will change the two Democracies that were so different make them seem a bit similar now. India is now a proud county, with greener future. And US by the same forces is now once the country whoes once green pasture so many wanted to come to, including me, are now encountering the Fall Season.




[12:31:06 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Hi Vinu seems you had contacted me earlier
[12:31:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: on Skype.. was not online so missed you
[12:31:48 PM] vinu: hey
[12:31:49 PM] vinu: yeah
[12:32:08 PM] vinu: tell me....how much did u have to spend from your side for ur MS
[12:33:42 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Not sure about hte exact amount.. but I thnk Ihad some 6000$ from credit cards here and I had taken a loan of 8 Lakhs.....
[12:33:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: plus some 2 Lakh my savings
[12:34:13 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and some 1.5 lakh tha my Dad gave from his pocket
[12:34:53 PM] Shantanu Shukla: but most important.... "THE COST of fees then were less than now"
[12:35:31 PM] Shantanu Shukla: all school's fee have increaded by atleast 40 -50 % from my time fees
[12:36:23 PM] vinu: u never got scholarship for any semester?
[12:36:34 PM] vinu: i mean did u have to pay fees for all the 4 semesters
[12:37:08 PM] Shantanu Shukla: yes that is correct... no scholarship
[12:37:21 PM] Shantanu Shukla: FYI the fees now at syracuse is $1,249 per credit hour
[12:37:38 PM] Shantanu Shukla: at my time it was around $800..
[12:38:08 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so around 60% more now if I had to do the same course
[12:38:45 PM] vinu: what about living expenses
[12:38:51 PM] vinu: how did u manage that?
[12:39:04 PM] Shantanu Shukla: we worked at food court to cover that portion
[12:39:27 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and working 80 hours to 100 hours a week during summer covered one semester fees
[12:40:03 PM] Shantanu Shukla: ie the 3 months of break we got between 1-2 year, ie between 2 and 3 semester
[12:40:43 PM] vinu: u basically have to pay for tuition and living expenses...right
[12:40:51 PM] vinu: there is no other cost involved....right
[12:42:24 PM] Shantanu Shukla: why not.. coming to US, I think it costed me Rs 50,000 or something like that for one way flight
[12:42:45 PM] Shantanu Shukla: besides applying fees to US... GRE fees etc etc..
[12:43:05 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But most important is time...
[12:43:19 PM] Shantanu Shukla: remember when I was incurring debts.. msot ppl were earning money
[12:43:58 PM] Shantanu Shukla: FYI - I did find the cost per credit at that time was less than 4*00 per credit
[12:44:08 PM] Shantanu Shukla: sorry $800 per credit
[12:44:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: saw this link http://www.syracuse.com/visit/poststandard/index.ssf?/visit/colleges.html
[12:44:14 PM] vinu: yeah but not much money....when u were studying..ppl were earning Rs.25000-40000 per month max
[12:44:30 PM] vinu: in india
[12:44:41 PM] vinu: u could make that working in macdonalds in usa
[12:44:44 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But what about expereince
[12:44:50 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and oppurtunity cost
[12:45:09 PM] vinu: ur getting to study from usa....getting more experience than the crap work doen in india
[12:45:13 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Dude if I had worked there and came to US in 2004...my startning salary would be much higher
[12:45:24 PM] vinu: FYI....i have really learnt something after coming to USA
[12:45:32 PM] vinu: the quality of work in India was crap
[12:45:54 PM] Shantanu Shukla: remember if you cannot get through campus.... like most of us had to all our degree comes to nothing
[12:46:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well Vinu we have talked about what is better.... earlier also...
[12:46:36 PM] vinu: i mean i had to sturggle to come to USA
[12:46:47 PM] Shantanu Shukla: The study in US kwas never easy and will never be easy.. if you are coming as fresh student from India...
[12:47:05 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But I had to struggle like ass when we came as student...
[12:47:07 PM] vinu: and i know people who came thought infosys, tcs etc....who worked for 60k-70k for years
[12:47:17 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and after the MS it was not even easy to stay back
[12:47:26 PM] Shantanu Shukla: immigration poicy in US is crappy even then
[12:47:41 PM] Shantanu Shukla: what do you mean by 60K...
[12:47:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: my this years income is less than 60K
[12:47:57 PM] Shantanu Shukla: even now
[12:48:15 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and my first 3 years income after my MS was less than 50K
[12:48:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: anyway vinu as I said... the MS only helped me broadening my understanding...  and that is what in the ,ong run that will help me...
[12:49:18 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and I am ok to go thorugh the suffering and pain to get it..
[12:49:46 PM] Shantanu Shukla: MS in US is tough... it was for me and so it was for Rose...
[12:51:19 PM] Shantanu Shukla: But what you get from it is not the degree but the mind... and the expereince... As we said if you can get through MS and survive you are ready for the real life out there..
[12:51:51 PM] Shantanu Shukla: A really good thing of US system... I really feel because of almost free educaton in India, you never realise it..
[12:51:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: That is my take on it
[12:52:40 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Anyway one good thing of being unemployed... can look into other things which are also important...
[12:53:28 PM] Shantanu Shukla: anyway I know you are  work... But just FYI - a lot of this writing was for me to write out my thinking .. I might actaully write a Blog on it...
[12:53:39 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and that was Blog
[12:54:47 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so u can jsut neglect a lot of my writing or ramblings of mind if you could say so
[12:55:42 PM] vinu: i know of a lot of people...who came to study in university of southern california...good universities
[12:55:52 PM] vinu: and directly got into cisco, google etc
[12:56:31 PM] Shantanu Shukla: not us...
[12:56:43 PM] Shantanu Shukla: as i said it all depends which year you graduated
[12:56:54 PM] vinu: i mean there are 2 ways to come to usa through companies
[12:57:08 PM] vinu: either come through a consultant....or come through tcs, wipro etc
[12:57:23 PM] vinu: consultant is not a good idea...because they cheat a lot
[12:57:47 PM] vinu: and wipro, tcs, your skills are not too good....because god knows what they make you do
[12:58:10 PM] vinu: unless ur in jave, SAP etc...in which case....u can still manage a good salary
[12:58:39 PM] Shantanu Shukla: that is true about TCS etc
[12:59:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: but that is the main reason we take risk of coming to US to study... it is not the MS we come for.. we come for oppurtunity...
[12:59:30 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and as you certianly know.. this is a land of oppurtunities
[12:59:57 PM] vinu: yeah...but not on a H1B....there are too many restrictions
[1:00:23 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well you have to wait till you get the GC... it is worth the wait if you ask me...
[1:00:34 PM] vinu: btw...is canada...a land of oppurtunities lijke USA....i mean what can i not do in Canada...that i can do in usa
[1:00:51 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so why are you in US
[1:00:58 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Dude I know what Canada is...
[1:01:07 PM] Shantanu Shukla: cold as hell
[1:01:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and little oppurtunituy
[1:01:29 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Have you seen the cold of canada
[1:02:09 PM] vinu: i have seen cold of Germany....its not good...but u can survive
[1:02:16 PM] vinu: i have relatives in Germany
[1:02:28 PM] vinu: so i guess Canada is as cold as Germany...right
[1:02:43 PM] vinu: what u mean...little oppurtunity...have u been to canada
[1:04:14 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Germany is like Dallas
[1:04:20 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Canda is another stuff
[1:04:33 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I have stayed in Upstate NY
[1:04:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: It is cold man
[1:05:02 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Cold as hell
[1:05:30 PM] Shantanu Shukla: well I think I should say the Hell would freeze if it was there in Upstate NY or Canda
[1:05:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: DO you know US army trains people to fight the siberian cold by taking them to Upstate NY
[1:06:52 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I hope you know the diff between Germany and Siberia.. !!!
[1:06:58 PM] Shantanu Shukla: ie in coldness
[1:07:02 PM] Shantanu Shukla: they are not the same
[1:07:12 PM] vinu: ur saying its that cold
[1:07:33 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I have seen -25 Fhreheit
[1:07:42 PM] Shantanu Shukla: at night
[1:07:49 PM] vinu: i have a friend in montreal....and he says....its not that cold
[1:07:51 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and -5 F at 2 in the afternoon
[1:08:05 PM] Shantanu Shukla: all this minus the wind chill
[1:08:16 PM] vinu: he moved from miami to montreal....and i havent seen him complaining
[1:08:59 PM] Shantanu Shukla: how many winters he has stayed there
[1:09:03 PM] vinu: he told me....its just the wrong impression that canada is very cold....
[1:09:11 PM] vinu: he has been there for 3-4 years
[1:09:35 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well Vinu I and all of Rose's family are from NE
[1:09:42 PM] Shantanu Shukla: if someone says NE is not cold
[1:10:07 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I think he must be coming from Siberia... :)
[1:10:18 PM] vinu: ok
[1:10:30 PM] vinu: i am just stuck on my H1B man
[1:10:42 PM] vinu: and i dont know how long it will take to get GC
[1:10:54 PM] vinu: so i was thinlking about moving to canada
[1:11:24 PM] Shantanu Shukla: have you applied for GC
[1:11:32 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and at what level
[1:11:36 PM] vinu: yes...its in process...EB2
[1:11:49 PM] Shantanu Shukla: so you are good
[1:11:53 PM] Shantanu Shukla: should get it soon
[1:12:07 PM] Shantanu Shukla: most of my freinds who had applied with me hav got theirs
[1:12:14 PM] vinu: my lawyer said...4-5 years
[1:12:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: if it is EB2 you are good
[1:12:22 PM] Shantanu Shukla: when had you applied
[1:12:30 PM] Shantanu Shukla: ie ur prioirty date
[1:12:32 PM] vinu: i applied just recently
[1:12:40 PM] vinu: i havent got the priority date yet
[1:12:48 PM] Shantanu Shukla: man u are in US for last 4-5 years... should have applied earlier
[1:13:00 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I have been telling you from day one
[1:13:29 PM] vinu: yeah....i was not sure of my plans....if i wanted to stick with my compnay or not
[1:13:43 PM] vinu: so just got delayed
[1:14:33 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Well that is the part of the pain.. I was in GC process for 4 years myself...
[1:14:57 PM] Shantanu Shukla: luckily these dayit is only3-4 year.. when I had applied it was almost 4-5 years
[1:15:22 PM] vinu: yeah we will see
[1:15:46 PM] Shantanu Shukla: The time will fly by soon....
[1:15:49 PM] vinu: has everyone from our mca batch in usa....got their GC
[1:15:56 PM] Shantanu Shukla: but what is your exact application date
[1:16:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and hope you are following Muthy.com and toehr immigration sites
[1:16:46 PM] Shantanu Shukla: also as for Montreal when ur freind said it is not that cold there
[1:16:55 PM] Shantanu Shukla: the avegare temperature in Dec is AVERAGES
Hi   20°F
Lo   3°F
[1:17:02 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and it is not Jan
[1:17:10 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and if he says that is not that cold
[1:17:17 PM] Shantanu Shukla: I think he really comes from Siberia
[1:17:26 PM] Shantanu Shukla: http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/CAXX0301
[1:17:47 PM] Shantanu Shukla: and remeber it is not Quebec and other places which are away from coast
[1:18:24 PM] vinu: anywyays...we will see
[1:19:11 PM] Shantanu Shukla: anyway enjoy your day
[1:19:16 PM] Shantanu Shukla: will need to run
[1:19:17 PM] Shantanu Shukla: Byee
[1:19:21 PM] vinu: ok...bye
[1:19:24 PM] Shantanu Shukla: lets catch up soon
[1:19:27 PM] vinu: sure
[1:19:39 PM] Shantanu Shukla: you have a nice day

Back Home to my Second Birth Place

It has been exactly a decade, when I born in this country. As many immigrants before me who come to the shores of this country at different ages, though they have a degree of maturity, coming to US is like being BORN AGAIN. You get a new SSN, which you apply rather than you parents, and you discover the new culture, American Culture. The only difference of new birth of a kid and a new immigrant, the development is much quicker, in a month getting Bank Accounts. In few more months the American Dream Fulfilment via Credit Card (to estabish history just like a new kid) and in few more months the driving license. And soon in few years, which startled many of us Adult immigrant as too much time to get over the cultural shock, the Indian/Chinese or Irish/German before us, become American. But how much American from heart one is able to obliterate the older nationality is debatable but for sure his lifestyle becomes American.

And has had happened with many others, coming to the shores of US, my journey of the above started. I still remember landing at the Syracuse Airport of the late August to the lush green flora all around. And just like then when in a day or two I moved with other friends to the House, I also in a day or two also moved to the Victorian style house. Only this time the room and house is much furnished. The E Gennesse House has electricity (a decade back as I had no other place to stay I moved with no electricity at the place) and is furnished. I Still remeber the outside room that I stayed at, the best taken by folks who had better connections, had nothing except a dresser. And with it being sunny summer it was easy to live at the place without the electricity. But everything about the place seemed strange. It was very dream like. With no friends and not knowing did I do the right decision of coming to US, it was sort of survival.

And this time jsut like last time, and especially when I think about the first week, with stay manily in the two hotels, just like old stay at senior friends place at Gennesse, the first week was rough. No work and lonliness. So well captured in the Google Photo, of two Indian students with early summer crossing E Gennesse street.

And this late at night at Rochester where the night is alive with all the chirpings of the night life of curtianed summer, it certainly makes me retro back to the days a decade ago.

But one thing for sure, things are different. I certainly have much more association with the place, especailly with Rose and her Long Island, NY connection. I though still not sure if coming to Rochester for job will work out but unlike earlier though I am few years older but I would say I am bit more richer both mentally as well as materialistically.

And as has happened with so many jobs and moving the new place will brings some hurdles but a new discovery. Hopefully this time a new way to discover myself. Of how to handle change and as Narendra Sir used to stay, after you made a decision go with it. Do not brood over it. Enjoy it before the fun of newness will metamorphose to the daily humdrum. When the reality of decison made can not be brooded but lived.

And as Amitabh Bachann said in Kaun Banega Crorepatti Season 5 starting about life's poetry. See the writing here of the poem. It tells of how the Haakka Bakka person starts flowing with the flow. And soon in few more days life and job and Indian trip will take the waking moments. And suddenly some other time at some other place, the Syracuse and Rochester days will exhume from the depts of mind.

Why American Pie hits the chords of heart

There was something to the song that is extremely touchy. As one of the interpretations did mention. At the surface it is easy to song with slight melancholic twist. And that is what caught me attention when I first heard during my early days in my early membership to this country.

But as all classic(it is num#7 in List of top 100 songs of the century), it gets even better as you know it better. And as I came more about the song, I not only came to know it even better but also identified with it more. Specially the historical change in Music as interpreted by Don Lean. ( a good interpretation here)

But I suppose the identification with oneself and a person's life is what makes a song cling to you. It could be melancholic as Don remembers his growing year's music ("And the music died") or symbolically going through similar life experiences.

This song in its core is a repentance of sort. Repentance of a bygone era. The loss of an innocent era. The early era which were simple and clean. And as always with everyone somehow they are always connected with events of the childhood. Though on a side note, for me being a GenX, I certainly would say my early childhood was not that bad at all, surely better than the present. Paradoxically this is the generation to which Don refers to "when the music died".

But this melancholic remembering the past events especially the early childhood and how when compared to the present adulthood world around us, makes those events look so much better. 

And this to me is the chord that makes this song rhyme with so many generation, even if they are paradoxical like me. Melancholic yearning the old good old days. When things were simple and life easier. In reality though it might have happened or not might be irrelevant. Don's golden age of 50s was not clean anyway. The American public and I would say the whole world was very optimistic about the future, especially after defeating the Satanic Nazis (UN is an embodiment of it certainly). But then seeds of poising of the future had already began. Be it in the music or Politics. Though Bob Dylan started the revolutionary transition from feel good music to societal challenges, it was a matter of time when the followers of it took to other level, the drugged Rock and Roll of 70s and 80s. And this good intentions going bad also followed in Politics. Trying to advance the "Better" western or more succinctly democratic Political ways, lead to mayhem of the later 70s era. Be it the Korean war or even UN's poverty elevation or the WWII Keynesian economics.

For GenX we also cling to the 70s as our Golden era. When the time was good. It was more simpler compared to today's connected another euphemism of complicated world. Today we are living on the other side of the barrel of things that went wrong in Afghanistan or Kissinger's way of making a "better" world. A boomeranged that got us so much pain such a big pain. Or more at person level where boundaries and changes are happening at such high speed. So though we lacked so many things that we have today, the comfort of simplicity is what many of us miss.

This is even more pertinent for us Indians. As for the India of the 70s was certainly in may ways the USs 50s. Be it how the society was at that time. See my Mona Lisa Smile and Walmart Blog. For us with the new connected world we certainly have come to a world with more growth avenues and prosperity but is it a better world of the simple 70s or 80s Indian past is debatable. Though we had one channel and the world used to stop becos Mahabharat was being shown. And unlike today's DVR and YouTubed Internet where we can watch it at our convenience, there still is something to the one TV-ed family and one channel TV network. And though for many of us have gone to places and done things which were just not possible for our parent's generation. But for this development we certainly have paid with breaking of the old extended family structure. So beautifully captured in the article "". And though the resistance to change is inherent to humans, we still feel the old days were simpler and better. Even though for the earlier generation the same time period was the complicated one. Case in point, when Erie Canal was built in the late 1800s old timers lamented of the "Slow" old days when things were moved by horse only. "What Erie Canal days were complicated?" would certainly aghast us.

This remembering the old Golden age that is now past. Which now only lives only in our memory is so well captured by this interpretative songs.

It is where this song hits the chords of the heart. The chords of a person's yearning for the old gone days. Were they correct would always be our interpretation of reality. I suppose that is what Don's meant when he was asked about the meaning of his lyrics in "but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on".

Links
A societal and historical interpretation of the song
Interpretation of the song Interpretation 1

Radio Sound drifting from Past

It is a warm cloudy day in Dallas. Off course warm from Dallas late Feb winter standards. As usual when I opened my Radio, and with a bit of search I ended up listening and was drifted sounds from past. The pastness, letreally was only 12 hours. But when I started listening it took me and my mind certainly too to a window that was looking much behind. Growing up in lower income calcutta and at a busy intersection on top of Haridevpur post office. From the time I got up, when the sound of traffic was low, to noon and afternoon when again the traffic died down, you could listen to the lower pan shop echoing the osunds of All India Radio. Most often though Vividh Baharati. The anathemic sound, which hs universality all over the nation. It captured and played popular music picked by letters ( the 15 paisa mail postcards).

But what Vividh Bharati was capturing the songs as demanded by majority of Indians, i.e. Rural and mostly Norht and Maharastrain folks.

Kolkatta once capital of India in population

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-20/delhi/30302491_1_cities-population-kolkata 2001 http://geography.about.com/od/indiamaps/a/india-largest-cities.htm Kolkatta 1981 9,194,??? 1991 4,399,819 11,021,918 2001 4,572,876 13,205,697 2011 4,486,679 14,112,536 Mumbai http://www.citypopulation.de/India-Maharashtra.html 1991 9,925,891 12,596,243 2001 11,978,450 16,434,386 2011 12,478,447 18,414,288 Delhi The fastest growth in history of world 1991 7,206,704 ????? 2001 9,879,172 12,877,470 2011 11,007,835 16,314,838 A really good introducution to Growth of Kolkata A intereting aspect Kolkata population Hyper-Densities: Nonetheless, Kolkata continues to have some of the highest densities in the world. In 2001, one third of the central city population (1.49 million) live in slums and shantytowns (photo). They are crammed into just 2 square miles (5 square miles). This would be like all the population of the San Fernando Valley living within a radius 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) of Los Angeles City Hall or all the population of the city of Dallas in the space covered by the passenger terminals at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This is more than 725,000 people per square mile (280,000 per square kilometer), and would nearly equal the "efficient density" definition that the Sierra Club wisely discarded. It can only be hoped that when the 2011 Census slum data is available, it will show that all of the city of Kolkata's population loss will have been from the slums. Interresting Aspect of Delhi Delhi has experienced some of the quickest and most substantial urban growth in the history of the world. Since the 1951 census, Delhi has grown from under 1.5 million people to a population of 22.6 million in 2011 (Figure 1). Delhi has been one of the fastest growing urban areas in history and (along with Jakarta, Seoul and Manila) has added approximately 20 million people over the past 60 years. Only Tokyo has added more new residents than these four urban areas, (25 million population). tcpomud.gov.in/Divisions/...%20Kolkata/chapter%20II%20Kol.doc Table 2.2: Total Population and Growth of Mega Cities in India No Cities Population (lakh) Annual Exponential Growth Rate 1981 1991 2001 1981-91 1991-01 1. Greater Mumbai 82.43 125.96 163.68 4.22 2.62 2. Kolkata 91.94 110.22 132.17 1.72 1.82 3. Delhi 57.29 84.19 127.91 3.80 4.18 4. Chennai 42.89 54.21 64.25 2.23 1.70 5. Bangalore 29.22 41.30 56.86 3.36 3.20 6. Hyderabad 25.46 43.44 55.33 5.20 2.42 7. Ahmedabad 25.48 33.12 45.19 2.58 3.11 Table 2.1: Population of India & West Bengal (Urban) & Kolkata UA: 1961-2001 (Million) No Years Urban Kolkata (UA) India West Bengal 1 1961 78.16 8.54 (10.93) 5.98 (70.02) 2 1971 107.82 10.97(10.17) 7.42 (67.64) 3 1981 159.46 14.45(9.06) 9.19 (63.60) 4 1991 217.61 18.71(8.60) 11.03(58.95) 5 2001 285.36 22.43(7.86) 13.21(58.89) Population of Mumbai http://cidcoindia.com/cidco/Population.aspx