by Lori » Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:52 am
(OK, gonna try my 'fun' community building question thread again. 'i' thought the last one was very informative),
WHAT IS THE BEST HOLIDAY GIFT YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
WHAT IS THE WORST HOLIDAY GIFT YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
and from whom did you receive this beaut of a gift ?
Christmas if you celebrate that, or another tradition this time of year, or birthday, anniversary etc...this ought to be funny...
:lol:
WHAT IS THE BEST HOLIDAY GIFT YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
WHAT IS THE WORST HOLIDAY GIFT YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
and from whom did you receive this beaut of a gift ?
Christmas if you celebrate that, or another tradition this time of year, or birthday, anniversary etc...this ought to be funny...
:lol:
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 05:58 am Post Subject:
I am amazed to see this thread hasn't got a response yet :( well, at the same time I'm glad to make the opening post :wink:
My greatest and the best gift came from my kid sister on my last birthday. She gave me a hand made b'day card (glass painting on cellophane paper) it was awesome. I think the value of the gift comes from the feelings associated with it and not from the value. And to me her gift was priceless :)
~jeremy
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 09:53 am Post Subject:
oh jeremy that's just awesome!! and equally so is your appreciation of it ...
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:29 pm Post Subject: gift
The very best gift I received was from my son. When he was in Kindergarden, his class made Reindeer...made them out of a piece of wood ( the body) and some sticks ( the legs and antlers). TO THIS DAY, I STILL put 'Reiny' ( that's his name..LOL) on our Christmas Tree. :lol:
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 01:11 pm Post Subject:
Hi...I'd still remember a childhood day when we were in the eastern Indian village of Jhalang...n I didn't know how to fly a kite. After spending sometime (perhaps a fortnight) with our relatives we were on our way to the airport to catch a connecting flight back to the U.S. It was then that my cousin (who'd spent quite sometime teaching me the tricks of kite-flying) was at last convinced that I'd learned it to perfection and was happy to hand over to me one of his precious collections. Amongst all the precious gifts...the kite was truly flying higher in my mind...and the colors never really faded till date :)
I'd rather consider all gifts to be meaningful under different circumstances...but it brings tears to my eyes whenever I think of the wedding card (I received it by airmail)...and all it stated was that my childhood sweetheart would be getting married at my native place..
ArindamSenIndies
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 01:35 pm Post Subject:
...but it brings tears to my eyes whenever I think of the wedding card (I received it by airmail)...and all it stated was that my childhood sweetheart would be getting married at my native place..
Ah Ari, that's sad...i suppose it was an arranged marriage? did she send it to you or was it an invite to the wedding? have you ever married, or gotten over her? and why did you not marry her Ari?Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 06:41 am Post Subject:
..and why did you not marry her Ari?
She was a childhood friend...cared very much about me..but it was then that I had to shift from India to live with my parents..
Ever since..I'd been to India for short stints..mostly on religious occasions...over there people may choose their life partners at their own free will...but its not a common practice...an arranged marriage is the 'default option'. She used to be the daughter of a family friend...her parents were not prepared to get their daughter married off so far away!
did she send it to you or was it an invite to the wedding?
It was her family that sent it to my family as an invitation to attend the wedding..
have you ever married, or gotten over her?
She stays in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta...though I've come across her a couple of times...its not that easy to sit-n-talk with a married woman in India though we smiled past each other saying 'hi'..
ArindamSenIndies
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:19 am Post Subject:
Gosh Ari, it sounds like a movie..kind of a sad love story.....I'm always intrigued by your culture, my doctor (who is also more than a doc and a good friend)...she's young probably 37 her's was an arranged marriage, her husband though was raised since three years old in america...
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:41 am Post Subject:
Yes Lori, whenever I'd look back, I'd always read through this sad story..
If you'd ever go to India on a short visit..you'd be surprised to see the difference between man n woman...but then again every concept thrives upon its own reasoning! Had it not been for their huge population...people wouldn't have cared to carry on relationships long after they were dead...the social conditions seem quite different than many other parts of the world where people would simply file for divorces in order to end a dead connection. To tell you the truth..I've freed my self from many of the social norms which don't mean much to me, but I'm sure I'm 32 and would need to see more of life :) That's why I'd always look forward to people like you, who'd guide me and add more to my knowledge through their invaluable experiences :)
ArindamSenIndies
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:15 pm Post Subject:
If you'd ever go to India on a short visit..you'd be surprised to see the difference between man n woman...
I know I'm sure of that, my doctor and i talk about it alot, because I'm so facinated by it, as you know it is SO different from this country.. Does everyone in India still subscribe to arranged marriages? or are some of the young folks fighting this arrangement? What would you guess is the percentage of arranged marriages that still occur in India? What was the hardest thing for you to get used to when you moved here? (i hope you don't mind the questions i find it very interesting)Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 06:46 am Post Subject:
Does everyone in India still subscribe to arranged marriages? or are some of the young folks fighting this arrangement?
I've observed several changes emerging out of social interactions between a variety of castes and creeds over there. People who give priority to their own value-system are struggling...the legal books are not primitive, rather they are quite supportive towards the betterment of social values...so in the end its all about one's own conscience..
10 years back, I would think about 95% of the population would resort to this arranged marriage system...now it must have gone down to around 75% (its all about my own perception though..)
One good thing about the Indian subcontinent is- people are immensely talented...one bad thing is- they would often need to hold back each other from moving ahead in order to survive their population pressure..this population pressure would again be the outcome of a number of factors e.g. illiteracy.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to study in one of the best schools in eastern India (an institution that once appeared in the Guinness book for its order and capacity and was quite frequented with visits from the British Royal family.). The culture that I inherited was naturally different from the vast majority...and so you understand!
But today when I run between Long island and places in NJ..it doesn't seem different to that of the more developed cities in India (like Mumbai n Bangalore..) Its good to see a new India emerging from within its problems!! :)
ArindamSenIndies
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