ONE BEDROOM FLAT... AN INDIAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER'S
LIFE... - A Bitter Reality

As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree
in Software Engineer
and joined a company based in USA, the land of
braves and
opportunity. When I arrived in the USA, it was as
if a dream had come true.

Here at last I was in the place where I want to be.
I decided I would be
staying in this country for about Five years in
which time I would
have earned enough money to settle down in India.

My father was a government employee and after his
retirement, the only asset
he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.

I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started
feeling homesick and
lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and
speak to my
parents every week using cheap international phone
cards. Two years passed,
two years of Burgers at McDonald's and pizzas and
discos and 2
years watching the foreign exchange rate getting
happy whenever the Rupee
value went down.

Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents
that I have only 10 days
of holidays and everything must be done within these
10 days. I
got my ticket booked in the cheapest flight. Was
jubilant and was actually
enjoying hopping for gifts for all my friends back
home. If I
miss anyone then there will be talks. After reaching
home I spent home one
week going through all the photographs of girls and
as the time
was getting shorter I was forced to select one
candidate.

In-laws told me, to my surprise, that I would have to
get married in 2-3
days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After the
marriage, it
was time to return to USA, after giving some money
to my parents and telling
the neighbors to look after them, we returned to
USA.

My wife enjoyed this country for about two months
and then she started
feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India
increased to twice in a
week sometimes 3 times a week. Our savings started
diminishing. After two
more years we started to have kids. Two lovely kids,
a boy and a
girl, were gifted to us by the almighty. Every time
I spoke to my parents,
they asked me to come to India so that they can see
their
grand-children.

Every year I decide to go to India. But part work
part monetary conditions
prevented it. Years went by and visiting India was a

distant dream. Then suddenly one day I got a message
that my parents were
seriously sick. I tried but I couldn't get any
holidays and thus
could not go to India. The next message I got was my
parents had passed away
and as there was no one to do the last rights the
society
members had done whatever they could. I was
depressed. My parents had passed
away without seeing their grand children.

After couple more years passed away, much to my
children's dislike and my
wife's joy we returned to India to settle down. I
started to look
for a suitable property, but to my dismay my savings
were short and the
property prices had gone up during all these years.
I had to
return to the USA.

My wife refused to come back with me and my children
refused to stay in
India. My 2 children and I returned to USA after
promising my wife
I would be back for good after two years.

Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married
to an American and my son
was happy living in USA. I decided that had enough
and wound-up every thing
and returned to India. I had just enough money to
buy a decent 02 bedroom
flat in a well-developed locality.

Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of
the flat is for the
routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife
has also left
me and gone to the holy abode.

Sometimes I wondered was it worth all this? My
father, even after staying in
India, had a house to his name and I too have the
same
nothing more.

I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA
BEDROOM.

Looking out from the window I see a lot of children
dancing. This damned
cable TV has spoiled our new generation and these
children are
losing their values and culture because of it. I get
occasional cards from
my children asking I am alright. Well at least they
remember me.

Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbors
again who will be
performing my last rights, God Bless them. But the
question still
remains 'was all this worth it?'

I am still searching for an
answer...... ......... .!!!!

--- By an Indian SE who was in US.