The X = X + 1 Syndrome -->> might be interesting

[vijayc]

I came to know some of the online community members didn`t like the article. So, decided to pull it back. I was just curious to know how much true it was through responses.
Thanks for your wonderful thoughts.
Regards
-Vijay

[rameshlakra]

hi vijay
how do u cope up with an alien society ,their customs and traditions different from yours , disagreement with their way of thinking , how it would be like to leave ur near and dear ones behind and then look for happieness out of strangers..!!.......well ..
i have often cought my mind wandering into such thoughts .
dear vijay u have given a vivid account of how life grows of a desi guy in a fast lane one way traffic succumbing to the traffic pressure and then unable to getout of it .
but i guess things have slightly changed . there are good opportunities back home , now . although there is much scope of improvement still , but i guess money is just important and not very important . other day i landed up leaving the movie " kill bill" midway (considering that this is first time i ever left a theatre ..it was significant enough ...haha ) . what i found through this movie is that an average american is turning abnormal . he is getting all things on platter , food , money and may be too much of materialistic fullfilment and normal is boring to him . thats why people are turning psycho's, but they call themselves normal as the movie shows .

if one consider fullfilment and happiness important then one must seriously think about the pro and cons the surrounding offers , and , towards that end india is not bad despite all the depleting corruption and unavoidable hurdles.
dissecting a light comment was not my intention , although i ended up doing that only .however it was very well described by ur efforts hope u would enlighten us with such technicalities from MIT (x+ 1 etc ..hehe ) very well done .

[anilkc]

I heard abt this x+1 syndrom way back in early 90s when in college. I also heard all my friends before moving to US making pledges to not to fall into this trap. Everyone fell into this trap and only a handfull managed to get cured. If u dont like something, change it, if u cant change it avoid it, if u cant avoid it accept it and keep trying for the alternative.
In democracy, its all abt nos. So, I invite as many Indians as possible to move to west. The more Indians in US/UK/Aus etc, the more we need not accept what we do not like.
Even in India, I had to leave my culture. I am more comfortable talking in Bihari than my own language.
I relate more to the punjabi culture in Delhi than to my state. I feel more close to a s/w guy in Bangalore than my relatives back in my village.
So, forget abt loosing identity...as long as I can eat spicy Indian food and watch Indian movies I am happy anywhere.

[shokeen123]

Pardon my audacity Vijay, but where do you fit in the equation? You are one of the select groups of kids who got in to MIT on your own merits. And believe me to be associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is by no means a child’s play. So kudos to you for honoring us all! But sooner or later you will be coming to a similar crossroad, so how are you going to approach this interesting dilemma? It is not a question that can be answered easily unless you can make up your mind before this phenomenon hits you…which can sometimes take a few years to contemplate? Therefore it is a very personal dilemma one that should be left to one’s informed, educated decision and free from the herd mentality bias.

I had read this article long time ago, and as I tried to put myself in the author’s shoes, I found many disparities in the article and the real world here. Nevertheless, to this day this article remains the single most truthful depiction of the “viral affliction” we have come to know as a mutating disease. I think this so-called viral affliction is a genuine one, and in fairness to the author, for those who are swayed by the glitter of gold, material comforts and dreams of corporate ladder this is indeed a haven, with an eternal nostalgia for “all things missed” from home. But for a simple-minded person like me it is a way of life, I have come to accept without any reservations. I personally wasn’t aspiring to be an IItian nor did I consider America be the Holy Grail, but destiny (my marriage) brought me to the promise land, and to this day I am to yet to completely abandon the idea that this disease is an incurable one?

This article has truth, drama, humor, sarcasm, not to forget the touch of nostalgia and much-needed pizzazz of an interesting story, but I don’t buy everything the article says. Yes, it did begin with a sense of financial security, and the benefit of social acceptance without the caste and creed scrutiny of back home. And yes, it wasn’t easy to fight the stereotypes here (Sari, bindi, and even my Indian accent). But there is lot of AIDS in India (indeed in next 5 years India will supercede AIDS cases elsewhere in the world). And in my own childhood home where I grew up washing clothes on the village well there are fancy washing machines, and the latest electronic gadgets to make life much comfortable. My nephew has installed a humongous satellite dish on his rooftop, where as I am content with the channels I get on my TV in the US? I could go on with the list however, the bottomline is that a few years ago, armed with a degree from Yale and zeal of an adventurer (like many proud enthusiasts here on Jatland) I tried getting an ordinary job at the WHO, where I would have been able to utilize my education and training in public health to help serve my country. But I was disappointed to find out that even those entry-level jobs went to the well-connected “Guptas” and “Khannas” of our motherland. My gold medalist scientist husband with all his training and education at Yale couldn’t pull strings to land a suitable job at the TIFR or JNU? Whereas, in the US one can apply for a job and be considered based on one’s qualifications. Now I am not going to contest the marathon on the subtle hiring practices of a handful of the agencies in the US, but overall one can find the well-deserved job satisfaction. Therefore, I don’t find myself being left out of the melting pot; I work with scientists from all over the world. And true to the article we have lived here with two car garages, and two children who have equally imbibed Indian and American values. Ironically, as incongruous the idea may sound we seem to have miraculously developed immunity against the viral disease.

My personal motto in life is “live and let live.” We can ponder all we want about future, monetary gains or lack thereof, or about geographical boundaries that separate us, but no one knows what’s in store in the long haul? So until we have crossed that bridge the humble “utterances” about the love for motherland and sarcasm for the “migrant Indian” sound too good to be true!

[ugehlot]

we as humans....use everyday what is known as defense mechanisms to deal with variuos issues.....and we always seem to be in denial about things which are true but our mind says otherwise....and....migrants or anyone for that metter have to cope up with things in order to get a life balance...otherwise it would become to much to handle....so whether we project are thoughts into others or try to use any other defense mechanism...X+1 sysndrome is just that and we all have different mechanisms to deal with it....it can be anything

upender

[mbamal]

Well this syndrome is very personal and does not applies on all the indians...it can happen to anyone from any other different country who comes to us..

[vijayc]

Hi Ramesh,
This article was not written by me. I just happen to read it couple of days back as someone forwarded to me. I believe that few of the things are very well described and are true, but not all. As others said in their response to this article, its an very subjective thing to talk about. For many of us, its same as working in Banglore or working in new york city...because things are actually becoming global these days..i have most of my college friends here...i generally dont feel that I am in total alien world or sth like that...at the same time as you said, things are also changing in backhome...all global companies are moving their R n D and development centers to India...so I feel that after a decade or so there wont be much difference in life standards.....i hope I dont have to go through this X=X+1 Syndrome...haha....but who knows! Through my summer exp on a wall street company, I realized that there is big difference in the coporate enviornment of indian companies and these gloabal companies...

Thanks alot to all of you for your valuable comments on this article....I was just curious how much of it is really true!!
-Vijay


Ramesh Lakra (Dec 13, 2003 02:49 a.m.):
hi vijay
how do u cope up with an alien society ,their customs and traditions different from yours , disagreement with their way of thinking , how it would be like to leave ur near and dear ones behind and then look for happieness out of strangers..!!.......well ..
i have often cought my mind wandering into such thoughts .
dear vijay u have given a vivid account of how life grows of a desi guy in a fast lane one way traffic succumbing to the traffic pressure and then unable to getout of it .
but i guess things have slightly changed . there are good opportunities back home , now . although there is much scope of improvement still , but i guess money is just important and not very important . other day i landed up leaving the movie " kill bill" midway (considering that this is first time i ever left a theatre ..it was significant enough ...haha ) . what i found through this movie is that an average american is turning abnormal . he is getting all things on platter , food , money and may be too much of materialistic fullfilment and normal is boring to him . thats why people are turning psycho's, but they call themselves normal as the movie shows .

if one consider fullfilment and happiness important then one must seriously think about the pro and cons the surrounding offers , and , towards that end india is not bad despite all the depleting corruption and unavoidable hurdles.
dissecting a light comment was not my intention , although i ended up doing that only .however it was very well described by ur efforts hope u would enlighten us with such technicalities from MIT (x+ 1 etc ..hehe ) very well done .

[vijayc]

Hi Sujata,
I really dont know where I am in this chain...but thats for sure that for me it doesn`t make difference wether I work in Banglore or NY...because both are equally different from my hometown....
I am happy to read some of your views..
-Vijay



Sujata (Dec 13, 2003 12:08 p.m.):
Pardon my audacity Vijay, but where do you fit in the equation? You are one of the select groups of kids who got in to MIT on your own merits. And believe me to be associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is by no means a child’s play. So kudos to you for honoring us all! But sooner or later you will be coming to a similar crossroad, so how are you going to approach this interesting dilemma? It is not a question that can be answered easily unless you can make up your mind before this phenomenon hits you…which can sometimes take a few years to contemplate? Therefore it is a very personal dilemma one that should be left to one’s informed, educated decision and free from the herd mentality bias.

I had read this article long time ago, and as I tried to put myself in the author’s shoes, I found many disparities in the article and the real world here. Nevertheless, to this day this article remains the single most truthful depiction of the “viral affliction” we have come to know as a mutating disease. I think this so-called viral affliction is a genuine one, and in fairness to the author, for those who are swayed by the glitter of gold, material comforts and dreams of corporate ladder this is indeed a haven, with an eternal nostalgia for “all things missed” from home. But for a simple-minded person like me it is a way of life, I have come to accept without any reservations. I personally wasn’t aspiring to be an IItian nor did I consider America be the Holy Grail, but destiny (my marriage) brought me to the promise land, and to this day I am to yet to completely abandon the idea that this disease is an incurable one?

This article has truth, drama, humor, sarcasm, not to forget the touch of nostalgia and much-needed pizzazz of an interesting story, but I don’t buy everything the article says. Yes, it did begin with a sense of financial security, and the benefit of social acceptance without the caste and creed scrutiny of back home. And yes, it wasn’t easy to fight the stereotypes here (Sari, bindi, and even my Indian accent). But there is lot of AIDS in India (indeed in next 5 years India will supercede AIDS cases elsewhere in the world). And in my own childhood home where I grew up washing clothes on the village well there are fancy washing machines, and the latest electronic gadgets to make life much comfortable. My nephew has installed a humongous satellite dish on his rooftop, where as I am content with the channels I get on my TV in the US? I could go on with the list however, the bottomline is that a few years ago, armed with a degree from Yale and zeal of an adventurer (like many proud enthusiasts here on Jatland) I tried getting an ordinary job at the WHO, where I would have been able to utilize my education and training in public health to help serve my country. But I was disappointed to find out that even those entry-level jobs went to the well-connected “Guptas” and “Khannas” of our motherland. My gold medalist scientist husband with all his training and education at Yale couldn’t pull strings to land a suitable job at the TIFR or JNU? Whereas, in the US one can apply for a job and be considered based on one’s qualifications. Now I am not going to contest the marathon on the subtle hiring practices of a handful of the agencies in the US, but overall one can find the well-deserved job satisfaction. Therefore, I don’t find myself being left out of the melting pot; I work with scientists from all over the world. And true to the article we have lived here with two car garages, and two children who have equally imbibed Indian and American values. Ironically, as incongruous the idea may sound we seem to have miraculously developed immunity against the viral disease.

My personal motto in life is “live and let live.” We can ponder all we want about future, monetary gains or lack thereof, or about geographical boundaries that separate us, but no one knows what’s in store in the long haul? So until we have crossed that bridge the humble “utterances” about the love for motherland and sarcasm for the “migrant Indian” sound too good to be true!

[palsaniya]

Hello Vijay,

Do u know this topic had put by me "American Dream(part 2) must read.
but someone didn't like it .......he was feeling.. bad...


whats going on in ur MIT...nice to know that apne jat bhai bhi MIT main hai..great..
rest is fine...
see ya
ram






Vijay S. Choudhary (Dec 13, 2003 01:06 a.m.):
When an Indian professional becomes a 'Non-Resident Indian' in the United States, he
soon
starts suffering from a strange disease. The symptoms are a fixture of
restlessness, anxiety, hope and nostalgia. The virus is a deep inner
need
to
get back home. Like Shakespeare said, "The spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak." The medical world has not coined a word for this malady.
Strange as it is, it could go by a stranger name, the "X + 1" syndrome.
To understand this disease better, consider the background. Typically
middle-class, the would be migrant's sole ambition through school is to
secure admission into one of those heavily government subsidised
institutions - the IITs. With the full backing of a doting family and a
good
deal of effort, he acheives his goal. Looking for fresh worlds to
conquer, his sights rest on the new world. Like lemmings to the sea,
hordes
of IIT graduates descend on the four US consulates to seek the holiest
of holy grails - the F-1 (student) stamp on the passport. After
crossing the visa hurdle and tearful farewell, our hero departs for the
Mecca
of higher learning, promising himself and his family that he will
return some day - soon! The family proudly informs their relatives of
each
milestone - his G.P.A., his first car (twenty years old), his trip to
Niagara Falls (photographs), his first winter (parkas,gloves). The two
years roll by and he graduates at the top of his class. Now begins the
'great hunt' for a company that will not only give him a job but also
sponsor him for that 3" X 3" grey plastic, otherwise known as the Green
Card. A US company sensing a good bargain offers him a job. Naturally,
with all the excitement of seeing his first pay check in four digit
dollars, thoughts of returning to India are far away. His immediate
objective of getting the Green Card is reached within a year. Meanwhile,
his
family back home worry about the strange American influences (and more
particularly, AIDS). Through contacts they line up a list of eligble
girls from eligible families and wait for the great one's first trip
home.
Return he does, at the first available oppurtunity, with gifts for the
family and mouth-watering tales of prosperity beyond imagination. After
interviewing the girls, he picks the most likely (lucky) one to be
Americanised. Since the major reason for the alliance is his long-term
stay
abroad, the question of his immediate return does not arise. Any doubts
are set aside by the 'backwardnes' of working life, long train travel,
lack of phones, inadequate oppurtunities for someone with hi-tech
qualifications, and so on. The newly-weds return to America with the
groom
having to explain the system of arranged marriages to the Americans.
Most of them regard it as barbaric and on the same lines as communism.
The
tongue-tied bride is cajoled into explaining the bindi and saree.
Looking for something homely, the couple plunges into the frenetic
expatriate week-end social scene compromising dinners, videos of
Hindi/regional
films, shopping at Indian stores, and bhajans. Initially, the wife
misses the warmth of her family, but the presence of washing machines,
vacuum cleaners, daytime soap operas and the absence of a domineering
mother-in-law helps. Bits of news filtering through from India, mostly
from
returning Indians, is eagerly lapped up. In discussions with freinds,
the topic of returning to India arises frequently but is brushed aside
by the lord and master who is now rising in the corporate world and has
fast moved into a two garage home - thus fulfilling the great American
Dream. The impending arrival of the first born fulfills the great
Indian Dream. The mother-in-law arrives in time: after all, no right
thinking parent would want their off-spring to be born in India if
offered
the
American alternative. With all material comforts that money can bring,
begins the first signs of un- easiness - a feeling that somehow things
are not what they should be. The craze for exotic electronic goods,
cars and vacations have been satiated. The week-end gatherings are
becoming routine. Faced with a mid-life crisis, the upwardly mobile
Indian's
career graph plateu's out. Younger and more aggressive Americans are
promoted. With one of the periodic mini recessions in the economy and
the
threat of a hostile take-over, the job itself seems far from secure.
Unable or unwilling to socialize with the Americans, the Indian retreats
into a cocoon. At the home front,the children have grown up and along
with American accents have imbibed American habits (cartoons,hamburgers)
and values(dating). They respond to their parents' exhortation of
leading a clean Indian way of life by asking endless questions. The
generation gap combines with the cultural chasm. Not surprisingly, the
first
serious thoughts of returning to India occur at this stage. Taking
advantage of his vacation time, the Indian returns home to 'explore'
possibilities. Ignoring the underpaid and beaurocratic government
sector,
he

is
bewildered by the 'primitive' state of the private sector. Clearly
overqualified even to be a managing director/chairman he stumbles upon
the
idea of being an entrepreneur. In the seventies, his search for an
arena to display his buisness skills normally ended in poultry farming.
In
the eighties, electronics is the name of the game. Undaunted by horror
stories about government red tape and corruption he is determined to
overcome the odds - with one catch. He has a few things to settle in the
United States. After all, you can't just throw away a lifetime's work.
And there are things like taxation and customs regulations to be taken
note of. Pressed for a firm date, he says confidently 'next year' and
therein lies our story. The next years come and go but there is no sign
of our McCarthian freind. About 40 years later our, by now, a old
friend dies of a scheduled heart-attack and it so happens that his last
wish
was that he be laid to rest in the city he was born in India. So our
friend at last returns to India for good. But by now the people who were
so looking forward to see him return to his homeland are no more. In
other words if 'X' is the current year, then the objective is to return
in the 'X + 1' year. Since 'X' is a changing variable, the objective is
never reached. Unable to truly melt in the 'Great Melting Pot', chained
to his cultural moorings and haunted by an abject fear of giving up an
accustomed standard of living, the Non-Resident Indian vacillates and
oscillates between two worlds in a twilight zone. Strangely, this malady
appears to affect only the Indians - all of our Asian brethren from
Japan, Korea and even Pakistan - seem immune to it.

[biotechs2001]

very interesting and realistic...

[rameshlakra]

thanks vijay
also sujata ji ..i am very impressed by the way u put up ur argument . the very flow of the language is like treat to the eyes and the soul . we at the jatland have a lot to learn from ur way of putting across a point . cheers and may be i shall read a book authored by u .
well life decisions are very personal and one must go by the proirity but a truth shall a remain ultimate deicding factor . so we as member can bring the truth by way of discussing (the socrates method ......!!)
regards to all elders here