In an hour or so we were out of the clutter of JFK driven through I80 and little towns that spend much of their winters draped in snow. Scranton? Binghamton? Lengendary towns for someone who waited for that one snow fall in Raleigh NC. The rest stop had a genial cashier who loved it when I went for a second round of junk food; I welcomed myself to USA. We were soon in Cornell. There were hugs and tears with our daughter. Who had milestone events just ahead. A thesis defense, some interviews, graduation events et al.
Cornell University is situated in Ithaca a boutique town. Fast food chains and Ithaca had an exclusion pact. Little cubby holes ready to slap a five star bill to Indian wallets. But the friendliness of the staff, and the little treats that were in store, the cheesecakes and the wraps, left us with smiles. Cornell is perched on top of a hill. The slopes are wooded to the hilt. There are little streams that radiate out through the green wooded gorges to the Finger lake below. And cross crossing the stream are roads that meander through with old quaint houses with little parking lots. The houses themselves have rooms partitioned into small rooms, kitchen counters and toilets. A house that could typically house four had a dozen students emanate from little rooms, walk to the university and come back home for the night. Each home probably made $100k a year from student rents. Surely. Aesthetics and zoning kept large apartment complexes at bay preserving that boutique town feel. The rentals are clearly 6x higher than the 1990s while the pay check 50% more at best. But yes, in the evening a walk through the gorges and woods can in still a sense of peace that’s hard to beat.
I typically rise early.. the black coffee is something i savour for half an hour while reading the newspapers. The Indian newspapers typically have a loud screamer from the war in Middle East And another from Ukraine Did they bomb a nuclear reactor? Along with that we have news on NEET leaks, CBSE scams, Mamta’s antics, Vijay’s jacket Except for the New York Times which has a similar pecking order of news from global wars and local scams, the rest of the media including evening news, 24x7 news channels seem to live in a new Orwellian world of no speak… the war is item number 7 with no visuals for 30 seconds in a banter toned voice before news on the weather or sports or some entertainer pipes in. And so Ithaca and other small towns live in that idyllic cocoon, shielded from upsetting stuff from their own media.
And so with all the smiles and cheers did the other look n feel change? Except for checking into one hotel i did not have fish out my passport I innocently asked are we expected to take our passports in manhattan in case we get asked. Oh no please don’t do that said the lady at the reception Please please keep them in the safe in your rooms. Times Square as diverse as ever The temple in Queens took us past burroughs and one could see that streets were completely ceded to those who came from the far east who made no effort to assimilate There are others from other parts of the world who have done the same Devon Street Chicago? Xxx Detroit? The last 18 months has not changed everything on the ground I am thankful but also wished that some induction melting actually took place.
But coming back to the core business of running a world that is prosperous and at peace, it is time to strum the guitar and sing to the lyrics of the answer is blowing in the wind And as more lay down for a cause they had nothing to do with, the guitars shall gently weep. That’s what i can do. It is also time to applaud those societies where they wages and prices are better matched. I have not clapped so far
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