Fingers Crossed!!!

I went to School in New Delhi, the political capital of India. My school crowd was principally composed of north Indians. I didn't bother much about the differences in race or religion until one fine day a student who had joined newly, and was by birth a north Indian, came and asked me after the morning ritual of roll- call, why my name was so strange.

 I was surprised, I had studied in the school for more than a decade, no one - students or teachers, had asked me that question. I asked her "what makes you think my name is strange?" She answered,"I don't know what your name means." I said "Rosa, is Latin for Rose. What else is strange?" She continues "Why do you have a middle name?" I explained to her that Christians, from the part of the country I belonged to, have a name by which they are called when they are baptized (and explained what Baptism is, at the risk of being called a religious fanatic studying in a convent school trying to convert a non-christian). I told her that the middle name was chosen by my parents, and then the last name is my family name. 

She stresses "exactly my point why isn't it less complex, why can't it just be a Shivani or a Neha or a Pooja" (all common names in my class). I said "Ya it would have been a lot more easier if we all looked similar too, like the mongoloids, the uninitiated can't make out who is who?" That was my attempt at humor, which was mistaken for arrogance, and resulted in a lost acquaintance. 

My dear long lost school friend, have you heard the name of the new president of USA who is an African-American for crying out loud, "Barack Obama", It is nowhere to be found in the confines of the English Dictionary, my name is light years away in complexity to that one.

After congratulating Obama on his victorious dash to the Oval Office, McCain said 'The American people have spoken, and they have spoken out loud'. I am filled with jubilation as I see the American people raise their voices to bring in this much awaited change. Now it's the duty of the President elect to make sure this voice for change reverberates throughout the planet. 

And I hope that at least, some twenty years from now when someone who doesn't belong to the creme De la creme of the Indian society, who is educated (not just literate) and is an educator, who has the confidence and the insight to lead the country, asks India for their vote, they forget if he or she is a Shivani, a Jasmeet, a Harish, a Palaniappan, a Yadav, a Sinha, a Trivedi, a Nair, a Tendulkar, a someone from some part of the country, and vote for him/ her with the same enthusiasm that the American people have shown in voting for change and creating history.

And I hope that years from now, everyone wakes up in a world free of terrorism and war. 

And I hope that years from now, everyone wakes up in a world where they do not have to worry about going hungry for another day.

And I hope that years from now, everyone wakes up in a world where people don't have to hope that their jobs are secure each morning, as they set out for work.

Hope is the fuel with which I inject my train of thoughts to the future, I hope we come out with a fuel as clean as hope for actual transportation. I keep my fingers crossed!!

And before I take the fast lane to tomorrow, I have one question I want to ask out loud "Where the hell is George W. Bush?" and when he comes to the forefront I gloat after saying,

"You're Fired".