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DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN?
1. A spokesman of Congressman Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania accused Democratic challenger Manan Trivedi of playing “the race card” by “going to Indian-American groups to raise money.”
2. The organizing committee of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi announced that all events will begin two hours late -- in accordance with Indian Standard Time.
3. India’s outgoing Central Vigilance Commissioner said that one-third of Indians are “utterly corrupt” and half are “borderline.”
4. After hearing that India’s Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq had reached the doubles final at the U.S. Open, Manmohan Singh and Asif Ali Zardari placed a friendly wager on who would win.
5. Indian-American Aarti Sequiera became the “Next Food Network Star” and will host a show called “Aarti Party.”
(1, 3 and 5 really happened)
COMFORTING COW
A visit to India convinced freelance journalist Zachary Stockill to give up red meat. He was exposed to delicious vegetarian food and “almost immediately noticed the improvements in energy level and health,” but it was the cow on the street that had a biggest influence on his decision.
“Walking through the crowded streets, dodging rickshaws and chai wallahs, vendors and Volkswagons, the cow takes it all in stride—pausing to consume some garbage here, be blessed by a holy man there,” Stockill writes in The Huffington Post. “The Indian cow lets nothing faze it, which is at various moments bemusing and bewildering to the foreigner experiencing these same anarchic streets for the first time. The cow's gentle presence became a great comfort to me in moments of exhaustion, peril, or frustration, and for this reason, it shall never end up on the wrong end of my fork again.”
IMPATIENT INDIANS
Preparing for the 2012 Olympics in London, Britain’s national tourism agency has put together a country-specific list of tips, so that workers in the tourism industry take cultural differences into account when providing service.
For visitors from India, it says, “Avoid physical contact when first meeting someone from India. Being touched or approached too closely in initial meetings can be considered offensive, even if the intention is entirely innocent or friendly.
“Be tolerant if Indians at first seem impolite, noisy and impatient. This is partly the result of living in chaotic cities and environments. They usually appreciate orderliness when they see it.” (Source: PTI)
DESI FUN ONLINE
Pole Acrobatics
http://tinyurl.com/2adlont
Amazing feats in the sport of Mallakhamb.
Dance, Kid, Dance
http://tinyurl.com/ydmunhf
An Indian kid performs a tribute to Michael Jackson on the show “Dance, India, Dance.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips and more]
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Desi Fun
October 2010
DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN? 1. A spokesman of Congressman Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania accused Democratic challenger Manan Trivedi of playing “the race card” by “going to Indian-American groups to raise money.”
2. The organizing committee of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi announced that all events will begin two hours late -- in accordance with Indian Standard Time.
3. India’s outgoing Central Vigilance Commissioner said that one-third of Indians are “utterly corrupt” and half are “borderline.”
4. After hearing that India’s Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq had reached the doubles final at the U.S. Open, Manmohan Singh and Asif Ali Zardari placed a friendly wager on who would win.
5. Indian-American Aarti Sequiera became the “Next Food Network Star” and will host a show called “Aarti Party.”
(1, 3 and 5 really happened)
COMFORTING COW
A visit to India convinced freelance journalist Zachary Stockill to give up red meat. He was exposed to delicious vegetarian food and “almost immediately noticed the improvements in energy level and health,” but it was the cow on the street that had a biggest influence on his decision.
“Walking through the crowded streets, dodging rickshaws and chai wallahs, vendors and Volkswagons, the cow takes it all in stride—pausing to consume some garbage here, be blessed by a holy man there,” Stockill writes in The Huffington Post. “The Indian cow lets nothing faze it, which is at various moments bemusing and bewildering to the foreigner experiencing these same anarchic streets for the first time. The cow's gentle presence became a great comfort to me in moments of exhaustion, peril, or frustration, and for this reason, it shall never end up on the wrong end of my fork again.”
IMPATIENT INDIANS
Preparing for the 2012 Olympics in London, Britain’s national tourism agency has put together a country-specific list of tips, so that workers in the tourism industry take cultural differences into account when providing service.
For visitors from India, it says, “Avoid physical contact when first meeting someone from India. Being touched or approached too closely in initial meetings can be considered offensive, even if the intention is entirely innocent or friendly.
“Be tolerant if Indians at first seem impolite, noisy and impatient. This is partly the result of living in chaotic cities and environments. They usually appreciate orderliness when they see it.” (Source: PTI)
DESI FUN ONLINE
Pole Acrobatics
http://tinyurl.com/2adlont
Amazing feats in the sport of Mallakhamb.
Dance, Kid, Dance
http://tinyurl.com/ydmunhf
An Indian kid performs a tribute to Michael Jackson on the show “Dance, India, Dance.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips and more]
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