It is not at all a surprise to be daily bombarded by a
barrage of exotic photographs from your friend in arms who was supposedly on a
student exchange but was apparently more on a foreign trip.
Green valleys, snow capped mountains, pretty girls,
happening parties etc, you name it and he was having it!!! And the situation
becomes graver when a passing mosquito decides to treat you like a roadside
soda parlour. Yet somewhere at the back of mind I knew that he was just enjoying
his time.
Until one fine day (actually night), a somewhat familiar and
irritating Facebook ping announced the fulfillment of the ultimate Indian dream
for my buddy!!!!He was in the local newspaper!!! Curious, I started reading and
was encountered by something like this:
“Die lange nasskalte Zeit scheint endlich uberwunden…….”
Now how on earth is an Indian, born and brought up in India
on a staple of Bollywood films and Shakespeare supposed to understand this??!!!
Flabbergasted, I tried reasoning with my “Desi baba”, who had insisted upon me
to read it. And what I saw on the messenger window, was it the same language as
that of the newspaper?!! Yes!!! It was!!!
Achtung!!! Ich!!!Danke!!!
Now how “local” the newspaper was and what his achievements
were was of no more interest to me. What interested me more was the meaning of
these new words that my friend had learnt. And why not, a few points of parity
are definitely to be maintained between friends. And hence, the great
achievement of my friend was lost in the quest of a “desi” who was trying hard
to bridge the “German gap”.
And the next time my friend pinged me, I surprised him with
“Guten Morgen”.
