(Please read the message below and then continue here).My children grew up speaking American and in course of time we also got adjusted to speak to them in that language as we did not wish to impose our baggage on them.(It was also impacting on their ability of eloquence and acceptability in peer group.)By the time they were in the 4th grade I was 40 and my wife was 35 while half of our parents died back in India. We told them that we will be back in another three years, first it was green card, then citizenship and then the boys decided that Chicago is their home for the Vada,Iddly,pongal was foreign to their tongue and the mosquitoes back in India was a great problem. Now the remaining folks in India are too old to speak and are safely lodged in Old age homes with their funeral expenses pre-paid.We remember India when some marriage in the family takes place or some close relative dies. An earth quake or a bomb blast does receive a mention if it is any where near our former homes. All religious rites are remembered and functions celebrated the next available week-end while the children are amused at the abracadbra. Am I not a great NRI?
