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Chalta hai, Ho Jaega, Dekh Lenge

ByVarun Bansal July 4, 2023July 13, 2024

What bothered me the most during my four-month stay in India? It was definitely the timeless laid-back “chalta hai”…

Origins
USA
Homecoming

Early Years | Vignette

The Guard, The Girlfriend, and The Good Old Trick

One evening, my girlfriend Sanchita and I were quietly enjoying our usual hideaway in the college campus, doing what lovebirds do best. Out of nowhere,...

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Floppy Disks and Last-Minute Risks: Code Confessions

New brooms sweep clean, they say. That certainly held true for me. With newfound love and finally shedding my dreaded stag status as a perpetually...

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Ashes of Affection: When Love Burns Up in Smoke

It was my third year in college, and I was still stuck with the dreaded “stag” tag, a badge for single folks who hadn’t yet...

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Accidental Dating on My First Business Trip: Starbucks Serendipity

As the clock ticked down on my three-week business trip in the US, I arrived back at my hotel on a Friday evening after work,...

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Mastering Bargaining in Canada: A Pre-Groupon Strategy

Back in the day, getting your hands on a camcorder during an overseas trip was like striking gold. These were quite pricey in India, if...

Early Years | Vignette

Nicotine Nightmare in the USA: A Smoker’s Expensive Dilemma

When it came to spending greenbacks, I was an Uncle Scrooge. After all, a dollar translated to 45 rupees. I had diligently brought enough cigarette...

Barroom Brilliance: When Einstein Fails to Impress

During the President’s Day long weekend, my roommate Akira and I decided to visit Los Angeles for a quick getaway. The journey stretched about 350 miles, roughly a six-hour drive,...

Hello, 911 – My Roommate is Murdered!

My roommate Akira was a fitness enthusiast who often went jogging or for long walks every evening. Typically, I returned home from work around 6 pm, but on this particular...

First Drive-Through Experience: Finger Chips and Beefy Surprises

It was 2006, and I had only been in the US for a few months, still adjusting to the culture and language. One evening, I decided to grab some fast...

When Return Policy Meets Frugality

When I was setting up my new apartment, I had purchased a toolbox from Walmart specifically to assemble furniture from IKEA. Shortly after, Ravish, a colleague who had recently moved...

The Father, The Son, and The Unholy Strip Club

Since strip clubs were banned in India and my dad had never experienced one, I decided it was time to introduce him to this unique world. Yet, approaching the topic...

Fresh-off-the-boat: Sweating the Small Stuff

It’s a common preoccupation for fresh-off-the-boat immigrants. Every dollar translated to fifty rupees or more (it is 83+ now!)—it’s like the exchange rate was playing pinball with our minds! So,...

Smooth Sips and Desi Tips: When Scotch Meets Tharra

One evening, my dad’s friend Santosh joined him for their customary evening liquor session. As they settled into their...

A Dusty Struggle

You might wonder what my first challenge was after relocating to India. Well, it was none other than the...

Peek-a-Boo: The Art of Dodging Prying Eyes and a myth of privacy

In India, curiosity flows through our veins like chai in the morning, deeply woven into the fabric of our...

Shades of Misunderstanding: Myth of the American Glow

My family owned two houses in my hometown. When our old house underwent reconstruction, we temporarily relocated to our...

bureaucracy file folder paperwork 2106924

FSSAI License: Battling Bureaucratic Barriers

Upon returning to India, I immediately noticed the scarcity of organic food options. Being a fan of organic food...

When American English Breaks Hearts

Like any concerned mother, mine was worried about me after my divorce and wanted me to consider getting married...

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