You can’t get that here
Brit Asians living in Bombay have parents annoyed that they’re reversing the family’s migration, like a dissolute scion pissing away family wealth:
There are at least 32,000 Britons now living in India… launching her own shop [in Bombay] did not go down very well with her parents - not least because she was reversing the journey they themselves had made. In the 1960s they had left India for England… “They were really shocked and I’d say probably slightly disappointed as well,” says Dalbir [Bains]. “For their generation England was the land of opportunity.” [Link]
Bains says something interesting about identity, which I find to be true: many Indians have strong feelings about 1st genners in the diaspora (’lucky/traitorous heroes/bastards’), but 2nd gen desi Americans aren’t even on the radar — neither in the U.S. nor in the desh. Except for family, they’re often seen as more American than desi at all.
“… you’re not going back to the Punjab where Mum and Dad were born. You’re going back to Mumbai. I never really felt like an outsider in England as a brown girl. I think people look at me more here and I stand out here even more as a brown girl than I did at home.” [Link]
Some of Bains’ complaints about Bombay are off the mark:
“I miss English food and I really miss going to Sainsbury’s and buying your whole weekly shop in one go. There is nothing really that compares here.” [Link]
Bombay has several new megastores including Hypercity, a high-end version of Costco:
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Hypercity |
There are hordes of specialty importers catering to the upper middle class. You can even get Xbox 360s and Gillette’s new six-bladed razors, though good rioja is hard to come by. I’d kill for a Fry’s Electronics in Bombay (and Manhattan), but maybe it’s just me.
“I miss my family, my friends, the dialogue, the contact, simple things like finishing work and going to a pub for a glass of wine. You can’t do that here.” [Link]
Young professionals in Bombay grab a drink after work all the time. Dalbir, call me, mate. We’ll have a rioja. I can’t promise about the shopping.
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Infiniti — try getting this deal at your local mall |
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Indoor carousel at Infiniti |
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Infiniti food court |
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The Infiniti Coffee Day uses cash register smart cards |
on Tuesday, December 12th, 2006, 8:28 pm in Bombay, Business, Photos › 
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brilliant.
no, really.
Any posts about your own experiences in Bombay as an Indian-American, or do we have a book in the offing?
> I’d kill for a Fry’s Electronics in Bombay (and Manhattan), but maybe it’s just me.
Is Lamington Road near Operahouse still a good source for electronic components? I recall many happy hours back in the 1970s looking for parts for electronic projects that I used to work on (amplifiers, radios etc).
There are loads of cultural differences, but I want to noodle on them for awhile before posting.
Yup, it’s still the electronics mecca, all small shops, but I haven’t seen a superstore.
Great take on the BBC article, and the topic. However, why noodle on cultural differences - isn’t blogging about immediacy rather than rumination?
I hope the reason for mulling over your experiences is to bring forth a richer and more interesting analysis (and not to make your story politically correct).
On identity, I’m trying to get to insight, not just observations. Takes some mulling over.
Another great thing that Manish does is to show you the parts of Mumbai which you know are there, but never see (because it takes over an hour to get anywhere) or notice (because of tunnel vision due to focus on task in hand)!
BTW, did the lunch buffet at Copper Chimney, Worli. Yummm. Lots of choice for R311, but beware of the crowds. Great deal!