My USA visit. ......continued leg 11

“Saarikaa, my daughter, has two free passes to spare for Bronx Zoo. Would you like to come with us?” Mr Garg asked me on the phone. I immediately jumped at the offer. Yuvraj & Vidushi being away on White Water Rafting to Poconos in Leigh River, we could not have had a better way to spend Saturday and save $60.00 too. Mr & Mrs Garg are from Jaipur and met us a month back while doing grocery in Grove Street. “What is this Bronx?” I asked Sarika. She informed me that Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island are five boroughs of NYC. I realised, except Staten Island we have been to all of these. At about 10.30 AM or so, we detrained at West Farm Square to walk up the Zoo, 2 minutes away. Apart from seeing some rare wild life we had a nice picnic with our packed lunch in a joyous green environment. Saarikaa, very conscientiously follows Buddhism and found time to give me a crahed discourse over a glass of Budweiser. “NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO” is the mantra that they chant to get wisdom and thus an ability to speak right words at right time, meet right people at right time and be at the right place at the right time. This would allow the chanters of the mantra to get rid of (–)ve karmas of money, health and relationships. The young lady spoke with an honest conviction in her eyes. I got quite impressed. She is a Business Analyst in Morgan & Stanley in Jersey City. Saturday was well spent.

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American News just does not talk of India. In fact, generally of no other country except where US Forces are deployed. I do not think a common citizen here is keen to know of world affairs. The issues discussed are more socio-economic than political. Neither, the ruling Govt is made to look like a nincompoop nor there is stream of sensational stories, scams and scandals. The news channels that way are quite drab and I prefer surfing net for e-papers. What I like about TV here are lot of Golf lessons and free movies on demand. I saw some old hits, John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Clint Eastwood, Richard Burton, and Gregory Pack starrers. 

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Common  Americans are quite food-centric,  it seems. They eat and eat.  The abundance and varieties of foods and drinks in market is mind blowing and so are the eating joints. Obviously, obesity comes as no surprise. The blacks and Mexicans, in particular are obese to an alarming and obnoxious level and even scary. Yet, they are not shy of glutting steaks and guzzling Coke. In fact, even the pets have such variety of food that I feel sad for children in Somalia, Sudan and some other African countries, fighting starvation and malnutrition.