USA
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Independence versus Interdependence
As I mentioned, we moved to the San Francisco area a little over two months ago, and we are currently living with our son, Amit, and his partner, Brett. When we first started planning the move, I assumed that living with them would be temporary. We would settle in, find our own place, and eventually establish our own household. It seemed like the natural thing to do. After all, that is what many of us in America have been brought up to believe. Parents raise their children, children grow up, go to college or find a job, and eventually establish a home of their own. Parents continue living independently, and…
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How I Ended Up in the US
I was living in Bombay, quite content with my life in that vibrant city. I had the good fortune to hold an enviable position at a multinational company, Hindustan Lever, and my career there was flourishing. And yet, beneath that contentment, there was a restlessness stirring somewhere at a subconscious level. That restlessness was fed, in part, by my then-wife Geeta’s growing fascination with the “American dream.” Her cousin lived in Delaware and had filled her ears with stories of the wonderful life to be had in the US, and Geeta wanted that for us. I resisted at first. Having absorbed a very British disdain for American life, I dismissed…