Shresta goes to Chicago

Sunday Satire: Shresta goes to Chicago

By Amit Srivastava*

One day Shresta announced to his friends with great enthusiasm his decision to spend his summer vacation with his uncle in Chicago. Going to the United States of America (USA) was no big deal but what was special this time was that he would be travelling all alone to Chicago. He might take a trip to New York also. That seemed like a real adventure. 

Without missing any time, his impending trip was announced with fanfare on social media. His friends envied his good luck but they were loyal friends. So they immediately got on to the task of giving him survival tips on his solo trip. Some romance tips also came his way.  

Shresta’s preparations started in full swing. Social media was utilized to the fullest extent to keep his friends updated. His Instagram account was flooded with his pictures in new clothes, a new hairstyling and a cheerful smile. He got his hair styled with the costliest saloon in Ahmedabad.  

He imagined himself making new friends and clicking himself at all the famed spots in the land of dreams – The Statue of Unity, the Broadway theatres in New York, and the Riverwalk in downtown Chicago. 

His joy knew no bounds when one of his friends forwarded to him a website that mentioned a list of  ‘Twenty things to do in Chicago when you are in your Twenties’.  He was blessed to have such true friends. The list boasted of a stroll around the Navy Pier,  Lou Malnati’s pizzeria, the mystery room, Dancing at Tao’s and many more. He was hoping his uncle would be generous enough to perhaps take him on a cocktail cruise also! And if ever he got bored with sightseeing in Chicago, he may even take a solo trip to New York! A young spirited person that he was, there was no end to his dreams. The very thought of going to America fired his imagination. 

The long flight from India to Chicago could not dampen his spirits. As soon as the Chicago skyline started to approach the final descent of the plane, he got busy capturing the glittering city from all possible angles. His heart beat fast. This was the moment he was waiting for. He found his uncle was waiting for him with his Audi at the airport. The big green signboards, fast lanes, the skyscrapers and well-known restaurant chains passing by dazzled him. He forgot his jet lag and the fatigue of travelling in economy class.

His uncle even let me drive his Audi briefly, this was the life he used to dream about very often.  

Things started to change once he reached the big house of his uncle in a suburb. Although he was not greeted so warmly by his aunt, he was happy at the prospect of meeting his two cousins, a sister aged 5 and a brother aged 12. 

The introduction left him a bit confused. He was not sure if he saw any traces of warmth or happiness on their faces upon meeting him. The little girl rather gave a queer exclamation “From India?”  And then she made a strange face as if she had seen an unwanted illegal immigrant in her house. His cousins were so indifferent to him. 

The house had about four rooms. His uncle and Aunt were in the master bedroom, one was occupied by his cousin sister, another by her brother and the last one was an office room. 

Shresta would have been happy if he were asked to share his cousin brother’s room.  Little did he know in the USA kids grow up with a different value system and would never accommodate anyone else in their room let alone vacate. His cousin’s room had a huge king-size bed and Shresta kept wondering why he was not allowed to sleep in that room. He could not understand the fact that the interpersonal distance in the Western world is much more than in a country like India.  In India, he never had problems vacating his room when they had a relative visiting them. 

His hosts deliberated for a while and then he was asked to use the couch in the living room as his bed. His luggage was kept inside a closet under the stairway. His spirits were dampened a bit but he tried his best to keep his thoughts on a positive plane.  He consoled himself saying to himself – “I will spend most of my time visiting the city and come home only for sleeping. It doesn’t matter whether it is a bed or a sofa”.  He looked forward to the city tours with his uncle.

Shresta got the shock of his life when he was asked to do the dish cleaning after dinner that night. His uncle led the way but soon left leaving him to do all the dishes for the entire family.  He was in tears but could not reason with his uncle who tried to impress upon him the need to learn the American way of life. The rules were very clear -If the housewife cooks the meals then it is a must for the males to do the dishes. He also stressed the importance of hard work to him. His uncle was fully convinced that the youngsters from India were fully spoiled and it was his bounden duty to put them on the track for reform starting with teaching them dishwashing. 

Well, he could not refute the solid logic of his wise uncle but something didn’t seem right.  He never had to clean even his own dishes in India. He was the only son of his parents who happened to be affluent marwaris in Ahmedabad. His was a joint family and he was brought up with lots of tenderness and care. He called up his parents a few times at night to discuss his situation. They sympathized with his predicament but advised him to adjust to the circumstances. Any face-off with Tauji (elder uncle) would be embarrassing. 

Shresta started to call his friends back in India to ask for advice. Doing dishes and cursing his uncle in his mind became part of his chores every night. From romantic dreams to being a dishwashing hunk – that seemed like a big arc of transformation! 

Life in the USA was not as rosy as it is shown to be in India. Children of well-to-do families in India are not used to chores like house cleaning, dishwashing and cooking food for themselves. But these things are essential ways of life in the USA. Well, Shresta’s case was a bit different. He was just a short-term visitor who was expecting a dream ride of excitement on his solo trip. 

Shresta would make late-night video calls to his friends. He showed them the sofa that he was given for sleeping. His predicament always resulted in big laughter from his friends. The turn of events looked comical to them. But in their hearts, they were also concerned about him. Very soon his phone calls were often spent scheming against his ‘evil’ uncle. His friends suggested fleeing to New York without telling his uncle.  

His plans of taking a city tour with his uncle never materialized. His uncle and Aunt looked too busy with their work.  All his desires of savouring the romantic air and vibrant life of downtown were brushed aside on the pretext that visiting the downtown was not safe. He was dissuaded from even stepping out of the house alone.

Shresta was holed in his house for the first two weeks waiting for his uncle to get some free time. It was getting difficult to spend the days inside the house. He was reminded of the harsh, lonely COVID-19 period lock-ups in India. 

Finally one day his uncle promised to take him out over the weekend. He was keenly looking for the weekend and had dreamed of visiting the famed Chicago downtown with beautiful restaurants, the riverwalks and the boat trips. But what he finally got was a visit with his uncle’s family to a friend’s house for dinner. The visit to a friend’s house was eventful. He was delighted to find the friend’s son his age. They talked for a while and then he realized that the person he was talking to was a female. The short hair, husky voice and gender-neutral dress had him completely confounded. It was such an embarrassing situation for him. He didn’t know where to hide. Usually calling someone by the wrong gender is considered a grave mistake in the USA. One can be sued for this. But the girl was nice. She was compassionate and seemed to have taken a liking for him. She seemed so different from his cousins who were no more than spoiled brats. The two of them discussed books and movies. They played table tennis and when there was nothing else to do they sat down on the outside patio under the stars and chatted for a long time. This turned out to be the best day on his entire trip. Not only he breathed some fresh air but he found someone whom he could relate to. When he came back to his uncle’s house, he realized that the anger in him had subsided a bit. There was a lightness in his being. 

Only a few weeks were left on his trip back to India. He wished he had met this girl earlier. The next few days glided by smoothly as his heart was absorbed in the tenderness and closeness he felt for his new friend. 

After a couple of weeks, Shresta came back to Ahmedabad safe and sound. His love story didn’t go very far.  

After landing in India Shresta took a vow that he would never go back to the USA again. He was now very clear in his mind that India was the best place to be.  He has retained a childlike smile and an unmistakable innocence on his face.  He is a second-year undergraduate student living in a posh locality of Ahmedabad. He is my son’s friend.

*The writer has worked as an actor in the USA and India. His areas of interest include film, Yoga and literature.

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