John - Thanks for sharing, nice piece - liked it.

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a "featured posts" section in Sajha that gets updated daily by the admin with 3 or 4 features threads for the day. I think your stories would definitely qualify for that as would some of the others we get to read on Sajha these days.

Just a thought.

गाल्टे ;),

Excellent write-up aside,

Disparity in luck ("Shanti" vs. you in this particular story) is a matter of fact in life that one would do better by accepting it with an endless degree of magnanimity, than take it in negative strides. Being lucky is not a matter of choice -- "Shanti" may have chosen to apply for the DV, but she sure did not choose to win it.

I felt the particular need to make the comment since you seemed to imply that "Shanti" being less educated than you, should deserve either less than, or equal to, you in terms of acquiring the Green Card. One of the greatness of this country stems from the fact that this country is, after all, a land of opportunity -- for the most part -- for ALL, regardless of, for one thing, their academic achievements.

You would pardon me, of course, if I have misinterpreted your thoughts.

****************************

MazeMyan,

"...the incosiderate pushy bhaiyas...you wont get your chaya...without forcing your way to the cash register"?

"...having to plough your way to the cash counter through the mass of sweating, keo-karpin donning mausijis who won't give a whit about standing in line like any decent perosn would do"?

"...pushed out of way by those for whom buying some 'bengan' before me meant the end of the world"?

"Paan spits all over the street..."?

"...being shoved around on the sidewalks by freshly-arrived proud shoulders and elbows"?

"...having to negotiate my way around the voluptous behinds of desi aunties..."?

I think your description of Jackson Heights has more to do with your stereotyped prejudice than with facts. Some may be an occasional anomaly, like everywhere else, but they hardly are the usual way of life there.

John - Very nice description. Awesome work! :)
:D
but hmm..I am thinking if i should say this cause it might end up like the other thread (with people yelling at me) and i really don't want that to happen!! lol!!
anyways, here it goes: damn those dv people!!! Doesn't it just seem like that they really don't deserve it and the ones that do don't get dv?? Certainly does!!
and talk about them thinking they're better than those who don't have a green card!! geezz!!
okay maybe i shouldn't have said all that but guess what? - it's all TRUE!!!

Poonteji!

I hope I did not protray what I wrote up there as universal facts about the Haat! If I did, then those are MY facts. If they are prejudices, they are MINE. I don't really mind either way, and it does not make an ounce of a difference to anyone, inlcuding me! Guess what, I have lived around Jackson Heights for about 4 years now. JaiKishan Haat is not 'there' for me, it is "here." Despite the aberrations that drive me nuts at times, it has the potential to draw me to it and keep me chained. It just is hard to point to things to appreciate about it other than the desi stuff one can buy here, and yet there is something that keeps people here.

Then there is the line of Nepalis (yes, mostly Nepalis) in front of the movie hall lining up for a fillum! Went in there once to watch "Karma" and some sisters in front of us quietly took out plastic sheets and covered the seats before they sat down. Curious, we asked what that was about. Turns out, it was a shield against 'uduss.' And of course we scratched ourselves throughout the movie, irrespective of whether there were any 'udusses.' However, that did not stop us from giving a second go when "Basain" came around.

Poonte said:

" Disparity in luck ("Shanti" vs. you in this particular story) is a matter of fact in life that one would do better by accepting it with an endless degree of magnanimity, than take it in negative strides."

*Applause*

Very well said.

That said,and this is addressed to the larger audience, I am a bit on the laissez fair side of the house when it comes to writing. This is John's story and it is interesting to see how he chose to tell it. It may or may not provide an insight into his thinking, since he hasn't said whether this is fact or fiction or what inspired the write-up, but it certainly does bring up some of the fault lines in Nepalese or any other immigrant society.

By no means do I always agree with John or see the world the way he does. If I really had to opine on some of the subjects he has brought up, I would prolly be on the opposite end of him on many things.:)

The reason I read and comment on his stories is not because I am expecting a Mark Twain or a Hemingway (or even the real John Galt) type of work as I know John has just started out (although I am sure with hard work he can do well in the field). I read him because he has a story to tell and is nice enough to share it and talented enough to do a decent job putting it together. I am not his English teacher and I will take his occasional grammatical slips (Yeeeesh, how many times do I slip on that account myself) anyday over some of the utter crap I see on Sajha every day.

And he has done something many of us haven't : taken the time to put together his thoughts into a cohesive article. On that account, I have nothing but regards for him and his work.

Just wanted to throw that out there. It is great to see so many people sound off with such diverse opinions.

Have a good day.

:)

Nails,
All I can say to that is "Samaya bhanda pahile ra bhagya bhanda badhi kehi paidaina". I believe in destiny..and also on "Karma gara, fal ko aasha nagara" Guess I'm not very ambitious, hence this might be my excuse only :)

I went to Jackson Heights and ate Paan for the first time in my life. It looks so like India, they had paan stains in the street. Quite a place, I wouldn't want to go there again. I want to go shopping in Devon Street, heard a lot about it.

PS: All I can say after reading the story is, "C'est la vie" !

very nice piece indeed! if it is a real story, just hang in there john! you have more talents than shanti has. i think life is about making the best out of whatever we've got. do not compare yourself with others. to you shanti's stuation is better, and to shanti yours is far better because you know every bit of the US.
if it is your imagination, you have felt the agony of thousands of nepalese student here in the US who wants to reside here permanently.
In both cases, i must say, your writing is very artistic.

WHAT DO YO GUYS EXPECT IN A FOREIGN LAND OTHER THAN DESPAIR....
YOU GUYS MUST BE KIDDING RIGHT... LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES.... YEAH IT IS.. BUT LAND OF HAPPINESS? HELL NO!
SO ZIP IT!!!1!!!!!!1!!!

Haddock,
To establish myself even as a small fraction of those luminaries you mentioned would take light years, I am therefore contented just to be an imitation John Galt. I write for myself, and have been surprised that a second-rate article like such draws more attention than Amber’s post - one of the finest stories I read in recent times. I make mistakes, I am opinionated, I write in a personal paradoxical state and post it without editing, but then it is merely an article, why should anyone take it so personally. Some prefer being good critics some accidentally choose to be a prey; I am one of the latter. Since you never tried to rummage the morale of this article, I shall save myself from answering it. Refer to the other posts if you need a clarification. As always, thanks for visiting.

Mazemyan,
I am extremely thankful that you chose to read my gibberish. On one hand I feel ecstatic that you actually visualized the ambience of Jackson Height(s) through my words but at the same time I am worried I made a desi locale look so stereotypical. I apologize if I accidentally gave anyone my aversion towards Indian people when it does not exist at all.

Sdny, scarlett, Juggy and freak,
Thank you for not seeing past my depiction towards queens, every other things that I had narrated was purely personal as I do not want anyone’s dissent/accord.

Pervertedmind , Flippy and latoboy
Perhaps it is my incomprehensible and flawed choice of words that I often seem to deliver incorrect message to all sajhaites, I am glad you guys deciphered the fact with ease. Thanks for visiting.

Dr. Strangelove,
Excuse my ignorance, I am just a hick from South, I simply cannot compete with geographical experts like you. I had once eaten in rock center café between 5th and 6th avenue, I am too indolent to memorize the street number so I took retreat in the nearest possible road I remember best. I would be glad if you think there were more to read in that post than just few commonplace errors.

Eyefusion,
I marvel your visual acumen that browbeats every letters in my post. Not everyone is a meticulous reader like you and that is perhaps what ordinary writers like me take advantage of. I admit that my knowledge about New York is as limited as a Yankee who believes Mississippi flows across the state its name. So kindly pardon me from the errors I have unknowingly made.
However, picking bones sometimes makes people so critical that they actually read between the lines overlooking simple facts, rather a belittling act. What mentality is that? Please enlighten me here.
The underlying motif here was to criticize immigration policy of United States, nothing else. Shanti was catapulted all the way to New York from Nepal when she expected the least, whereas thousands of students who were subjected to tuition and taxes for eons still look on with ambiguity.
I respect every profession irrespective of their complexity; I am simply appalled by the random selection of DV lottery.

Gq,
If I do not remember the street number between 5th and 6th avenue, asking me a similar question simply would make a mockery out of my aging memory. (Off the record) I believe it was Yak.

Mr Truth,
Thanks for complying, I was merely talking about the uncertain rules of permanent residency that makes deserving candidates struggle to live. Some have failed to understand the fundamental idea behind this story just like the way I often failed to understand the corollaries of immigration.

Samsara,
Blame the US immigration for making it seems so easy for a few and making it impossible for million others, the ulterior motif behind DV lottery is inviting all the "skilled workers" to work diversely in United States. My question is, why initiate a lottery abroad when there are million skilled immigrants looking for work here?

Camoflaged
I appreciate your kind words, and your concern over the immigration issue, all I have to say is there has to be a win-win situation when all immigrants are concerned, I have nothing against Shanti, in fact I am happy for her for I have always believed in "live and let live" hypothesis. Conversely, I am displeased that it is not happening for millions of us who have struggled in this country as modest denizens.

Poontedai/ Republican,
क्या अफ्ट्यारो मा पार्या भन्या, आफूलाई मुख देखाऊन गाह्रो भैसक्यो. Bestowed by your kind comment, and brimming with gratitude, I am in complete loss of words at this moment. However, I never disrespected any profession, we all have to survive one way or another, similarly I never criticized an individual's qualification although waiting a table, in general, somehow seems to be relatively easier than writing a Java Script. All I wanted to outline was the aberration of regulation that suddenly embraces few and alienates others. Moreover, when one has to live one day at a time, magnanimity is a little too much for ask for.

Nails,
I understand your reaction, but it is advisable to subdue it at all other times. Thanks a million for visiting.


Meera,
Those three words actually did wonders, I am suddenly elated. Hakuna Matata!!!

Npl2us and lunatic,
Well, it might have sounded a little prejudiced, but it was certainly not intended to mean so. The reason I had compared Shanti with myself was simply because of an outcry that silently screamed – "I deserve it too" NOT "she does not deserve it". I am glad you found this gibberish worth reading; I am pleased.

Galt -

Thanks for getting back.

"I make mistakes, I am opinionated, I write in a personal paradoxical state and post it without editing, but then it is merely an article, why should anyone take it so personally."

I am with you there completely on that bit about taking it personally. The readers should not do that and neither should the writer when he or she gets feedback. Otherwise what's the point of having a conversation on Kurakani - you could post this in the blog section and get done with it. And you don't do that and instead provide people an opportunity to discuss what is in your stories. Kudos. It requires a certain level of existence to not take such things personally and I am glad to know you feel the way you do about it.

And who doesn't make mistakes? I am quite glad you are opinionated coz I can completely relate to it :P he he We are all human and its good to see you admitting to those flaws instead of running away from it.


"Some prefer being good critics some accidentally choose to be a prey; I am one of the latter."

Confused there - you chose to be prey?

Since you never tried to rummage the morale of this article, I shall save myself from answering it. Refer to the other posts if you need a clarification. As always, thanks for visiting.

Oh actually I did. Or tried to :) I just didn't comment about it coz I dont care much for the moral of a story. One man's moral can be another man's sin. It is the content - the actual narrative - that is of primary interest to me and my commentary is based mostly off that.

But this is not about me - it is your story and it is about you so let me stop my bak-bak :) I too tend to have opinions about too many things so hope you will take this in the right spirit.

Thanks again for getting back.

Good luck for any future pieces in the pipeline.

Best wishes.

गाल्टे,

आफू पनि रिपब्लिकन होईन भने अहिले नै भनि हालम् है, माउबादी लाईदी हाल्छु! :p

Jokes aside, I am pleased that you have taken my critique in a positive stride. When a story is out in the public, the audience gets the liberty of commenting on both the STYLE and the CONTENTS. Especially when it's written in a first person narrative, like yours was, I, for one, tend to believe that at least some, if not all, of the contents reflect the author's personal character and/or beliefs. Furthermore, stories, fiction or otherwise, are hardly an entertainment piece to be read and forgotten about -- more often than not, they convey a message, either intentionally or not. I just thought some of the (perceived) messages in your piece could be misguiding. That's all.

That said, I am not forgetting the fact that what you presented was merely a fiction, and I would not indulge too much on nit-picking on it. As far your style is concerned, once again, they are very captivating, smooth-flowing, and, yes, remarkably entertaining. Hats off to you!

Yours sincerely,

Poonte Gana Bahadur Tantra! : ;)

hi JG bro :oD...

well there been too many a time (not like i count anyways ;oP hehe)where wat u write has stuck a nerve so yeah not a big surprise about the feelns im currently experiencing right now i guess ;oP hehe..

guess we nepalis (and ppl who hail from lesser developed countries) sure are 'born' to be nomads eh?more than others whom are a bit ..errr is luckier the right word?(bad with vocabs and yeah i def shud try to improve on that!enuf of being lazy!!:oS hehe..) but then again werent we humans born as nomads from the time of our existence?(not like i know but cant we didnt have ready made homes built for us when we started existing did we?cant stop thinkin that way ;oP hehe) always lookn for greener pastures.. a perfect place..if not perfect..an ideal compromissary place.

seriously tho how often do we think of the ppl who have it more unfortunate than us when we are filled with frustrations?(u know wat this life does seem to bring in abundance?;oP hehe) and even if we did think about them, how many times does that make us feel more lucky?more often than not does it not just makes us think how miserable this world is?and at that point of time..how many of us can get out of that 'darkness/numbness' and really feel happy for someone else happiness?smtimes just tryn aint enuf?

anyways before i divagate (yeah im "tryn" ;oP) more...keep them comin JG bro..:oD...and was it a blissful moment when lil devil urvi was "restrained"?hehe and oh always hear about this DV thingy..maybe i shud give it a try too..tho not really a believer in uck..well i guess if u never try u never know?yeah right as tho lazy me would do that ;oP..but then again never say never?;oP hehe..

hope alls well..good day :oD..

------------------
and oh flippu!...kaha thousands!shudnt it be millions?not that im counting ;oP hehe..jiskeyko hai..in case u thot i was being serious ;oP hehe..

Galt, don't get miffed! I just wanted to taunt you a bit! Anyway, your easy-flowing narrative is quite refreshing.

Keep it up!

John in one of your replies to the comments you said: "The underlying motif here was to criticize immigration policy of United States, nothing else. Shanti was catapulted all the way to New York from Nepal when she expected the least, whereas thousands of students who were subjected to tuition and taxes for eons still look on with ambiguity."
I personally do not think you and me (who came here as a student) should be criticizing immigration policies comparing ourselves to DV winners. We were the one who submitted all those financial documents at the American embassy telling them we could support ourselves during our stay in the US and would come back to Nepal after finishing studies. Whereas, people like Shanti never did make those commitments to the US government, those people are invited by US government. On the other hand, we are here fooling them with false documents to get visa in the first place, fooling them working at the desis business to get degrees under our belt, and now should we be criticizing immigration policy after done all these? I guess not, at least.Therefore we do not deserve what shanti does.
"Shanti, although lacking academic qualification, beats me in every other aspect as long as living in America is concerned." - very true. And i am happy about it. Not because she lacks academic qualification, because she has not deceived US government any kind of way, unlike me and many other students. However, I do keep my spirit high the way Camoflaged said.
Having said all these, i must say again, you are a good writer. above comments i made were just my thoughts on immigration policies and not on your story. Waiting to read some more.

To Be honest! why do you think they issue DV's?

Plain and Simple-> they want people who are less qualified than people here to come and do the low paying mechanical job. Do you think someone like Mr John who has 2 graduate degrees or Millions on work visas are interested to do a 7$/hour job like flipping burger in Mcdees?
It is a very sad comment to see that says people who had DV have easy life. It is so not true. they struggle evry day ... for everyone US is a land of oppurtunity provided you are willing to work for it. And Success and happiness is a very RELATIVE term..it depends on how you define it.

FYI, not all DV holders are flipping burgers.I met a couple of them in a small town of Ohio who were very hard working gas station owners .They had even managed to hire half a dozen or so US citizens ( Caucasians to be specific) and had give local economy a boost.
Way you go , people from the villages of Nepal.

Tisa

My point is not that everyone does it but the aim of DV Visa is just for that..get cheap legit labor for most part of it. Why do you think otherwise most of the countries that qualify for DV are underdeveloped or developing countries?

Galt,

I am sure that Shanti would think that life has given you more than it has given to her. She sure had wished that she had a life like yours.
Rewards in life are not the outcome of your efforts. As Sndy does, I believe in fatalism. Fatalism gives a reason to satisfy when you trail behind your ambition. Fatalism is an excuse for my insufficient effort and huge dreams.

Sure you are opinionated.Everyone who writes should be. Isn't it a good thing as long as you hurt your image which you haven't? It is always great to read how events, people and environment evokes your thought process.

oho jonnnyyyyyy
reading yer story i miss those chicken samosas
tyo indian stall right beside the jackson height subway
i can vividly imagine wot u were talking about
yer words were the best sketch of jackson height ive come across so far
painting bhanda ni clear k:D:D:D
Juggy was definitely eyeing on JOhn Abrahim :D:D
you were so right :D:D