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. . . c r e a t i v e s t o r y t e l l e r, a n d s t r a t e g i c t h i n k e r

I called up and bought my first $100 ticket telling my conscience that it was for a good cause. [By now I’ve learnt to weave my conscience around my little finger!] So the next thoughts were what approach should I take when they called to congratulate me on winning the Early bird prize?’ I decided that I’d appear nonchalant. ‘Thank you for your call. I will definitely think of contributing a portion of my winnings for more good causes.’ Furiously I penned down responses. They announced the first round of winners. The Early Bird flew past my 15th floor window northbound. Migrating to luckier pockets. There were still three one million prizes to be won. And cars to fill a multi-storey parking lot. So we plodded along, past the New Year which I spent in bed conserving energy for the day when we won the one million. I had, by now, specialised in being nonchalant. The date of the big draw arrived. We kept the phone free, the cell phone turned on throughout the night. We even had a lit candle by the bedside when we slept at night, so that we My journey to become Canadian started 20 plus years ago. I was told Canadians are very nice people. The same person told me, in Canada there are people from all over the world. So, before I reached Canada, I decided to find out about the different forms of greeting people. At a young age, I was exposed to the Indian form of greeting, Namaste. As a person of Indian origin, this is how we greet and respect our elders. How did it come about? No one knows. ‘Respect your elders, or else’ was the general policy. But I believe this is how Namaste came about. We have swarms of mosquitoes in India and so one goes about killing them. At the same time we had to respect the elders. So when we see an elder person we go about clapping our hands in front of them and bowing down. Imagine, if the mosquitoes were not there, the population of India may now be double! Let’s shake hands on that Learning to shake hands was an interesting experience. The British introduced the handshake to Indians 400 years ago. This was how communication between the two groups of people started. There was a big crowd of Indians waiting at the docks to welcome the first English boat. A tall Englishman jumped out of the boat and headed straight to the head of the village. The village head was standing there killing mosquitoes. When the Englishman extended 99% Canadian! MUSINGS

don’t have to grope for the phones. [The draw was said to take place at midnight.]

Next morning there was a four page pullout with newspapers listing the winners. The first page did not have my name. Neither did the second, the third or the fourth ... 210,010 people bought the tickets. 210,009 people won something or the other. I told myself that I am the only true contributor towards charity. I felt really great! Among the news pages of the main section, I found something else. Lottery for another worthy cause. The odds here are 1 in 12. Even better! I am reducing the odds. See! * Lungi is a graphic piece of cloth worn below, or under, the belt till it covers the ankles ** I continued to bite into juicy carrots throughout my life. My eyesight is still as bad as ever! *** Beedi is a palm-rolled tobacco in tobacco leaf; an ethnic version of cigarettes but usually just a couple of inches long.

his hand, the village head jumped back and asked, “What are you doing, Sir?” He thought the Englishman was going to grab him below the belt. This was also the first form of miscommunication between the two countries. To gain ‘Canadian experience’ I had to shake many hands. The handshake I shudder to think about is the cold and clammy one. It’s like a sponge. You hold it, squeeze it and out comes the sweat. Then there is the floppy handshake. It flops into your hand and stays there. You can play with it, mould it like clay, and hand it back to its rightful owner. On my way to Canada, I worked in the Middle East for a few years. At one of the parties, I got to meet the local Arabs. Their form of greeting is a combination of a hug and a kiss. They grab you by the shoulder and scratch their cheek on yours making an audible sound, like a kiss. That evening my lips were sealed, but my cheeks were getting blisters. Towards the end of the evening, this man with a full beard grabbed me and proceeded with the greetings. Once. Twice. Thrice. I stopped. I thought the greeting was over, but he came back a fourth time. Thankfully our noses got in the way. I was this close to being kissed by a total stranger! When in Toronto, I realized one will never become a true Canadian if one doesn’t hug. I went on a hugging spree. When I mastered the hug, I thought I’ve become Canadian. 100% maple leaf; but no; I had to get my accent right.

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