English-Vinglish

If you happen to live in an unheard of city like Pardubice where Indians are as many in population as a small fraction of the lions in the forest of Gir then you would have the experience of a lifetime figuring out how it is that non-Indians go about in the world. Fortunate that I am, owing to the fact that I barely have any Indian friends here, that is exactly what I have been witnessing for the last 15 months and I have learnt and seen things that have opened my mind to things that I thought I would never be able to comprehend. But it can get daunting after a while and you begin missing familiar attitudes that you have been accustomed to all your life. It was at the high point of such a phase that I happened to spend some time in London this October. 

London, ah London! The very thought of the city puts a smile on my face. Ever since early this year when I was told that I should go to the city and spend time in the British Library, I had been looking forward to this trip. Despite months of planning, it did not occur to me that I was actually going to step on its soil until I saw it from the top before landing. Why was I so awed by the idea of going to London you may ask. For so many reasons I would say. Firstly, it was London (duh!), secondly, it was the seat of THE British colonialism that we are so familiar with. Thirdly, we hear so much about British accent and the snootiness of the Brits that I wanted to see for myself what it was all about and most importantly, I wanted to see what this paradise called The British Library was. What I was about to see and feel in over the next four weeks were to make me one very happy person.

The British Library far exceeded my expectations of it. I had heard stories of my European friends and teachers taking many extra jobs for several months only to save up for a two-week stay in London and access the library. After going around the place and seeing the collections it had, it made sense why they did so. Among the many things that I miss about London is the routine that got established with me going to the library everyday. Tube traveling from where I stayed to the library took as long as it takes to travel between Borivali and Churchgate by a slow train, so an hour may be? It was while traveling back from the library that I generally caught up on my sleep and thanks to how well Bombay trained me for it, I could nap even while I was standing in a crowded train. Not to mention the lovely soup and sandwich lunch I had everyday from Pret-a-Manger, okay now I am really sad. Also I just realized that I had been pronouncing the name of the store wrong all this time.

Being in London was very much like being in Bombay. I would say that Bombay is to India what probably London is to Europe. Time is of the essence here and there is none of it to be wasted. Every glimpse of the city would show you people of at least five different nationalities just like in Bombay you would find people from all parts of the country. Traveling by crowded trains, being able to walk and walk for a long time through populated lanes, having streets lined with small shops similar to the ones we see on Colaba Causeway and so much more, London seems to be the most comfortable place for an Indian to live outside India, except of course the money factor because everything is bloody expensive there. Besides all that, I was amazed by the kind of things you could find in the numerous Indian shops. I was most thrilled when I saw frozen puttu and kozhukatta which could be made ready to eat in just 3 minutes. The Malayalee in me had a ball of a time there because I also had my fill of Dosa-sambar and beef roast.

Outside library activities, London is where I have enjoyed being the most in all of Europe. Because of my host, who probably has a lot of experience showing guests around, I got to squeeze in as much sightseeing as I could into three weekends. A Saturday in Brighton also made me imagine that I was part of some world that was mentioned in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. There is a lot to see here if you are a literature buff or an unfortunate student of English Literature. Since I am the latter, there were many things that kept me busy. Need I mention the Harry Potter store in King’s Cross near Platform 9¾ where I managed to go at least twice a week on the way back home? Yes, I own the Elder Wand now.

All the fun apart, being in London taught me many things that probably people learn at some point of time in their lives. In the four weeks I stayed there I managed to meet quite a number of friends from school and college. Meeting them after many years made me realise how easy it can be to slip into being the diffident college girl or the impulsive young teenager you used to be around these people. Only when encountered with such experiences, which are sometimes uncomfortable, do you realise how fragile most of the images you have created about yourself are and you are left hoping that what you are now, probably the best version that you have known of yourself so far, would be pale and poor in comparison to what you will be someday. And the prospect of going through that growth is worth the wait and the unfamiliar experiences that you may have to go through. Also, although I loved my time In London I still cannot help thinking that I was fortunate to move to Czech Republic and live in a place like Pardubice where there is no way Indians can form ghettos and not interact with other people because they are so few in number. I saw many Indians In London who had formed little worlds of their own. Besides London in my eyes hardly remains a place where you can experience Britain in its English glory. Had I lived there I would have never gotten to understand Europe the way I am able to here and learnt what cultural difference is, which is what I came to Europe for in the first place. 

The time I spent in London was beautiful to say the least. I do not know if it had to do with being in a city which pulsated with the kind of energy I am used to or with being with those who knew things that I had quite forgotten about myself or going for those movies in the evenings or having those conversations that ran late into the night or looking at the London Eye almost everyday and making plans to go on it despite being told how lame it is or those weekly jaunts to the street markets. AlI I know is that I hope to be there again. Soon.

Now please excuse me while I go play with my wand.