Building pigeon holes

Where are you from? A constant question that one encounters if one is of a certain classification - ALIEN. There is a thin line between curiousity and being snoopy. And as always the response is always vague. I have learnt a few lessons, most importantly – Never bother explaining anything (especially geographically, for those who cartographically-challenged). However, when the clerk at Walgreens decides to ask the same question, especially sharing the same geographic affinity – the question takes a specific meaning…Can you be Desi, a real Desi with a name like that? Are your parents Desi? Are you an ABCD?

Perhaps we are incapable of seeing anything beyond a dichotomy – Black/White, Good/Evil, Western/Muslim, Conservative/Liberal, Secular/Fundamentalist…Had an interesting discussion with two Israelis this past weekend about the WALL. I guess when you are constantly living in the constant fear of losing life, of the occasional bombs and attacks, or the fear losing family, the WALL looks like a good solution…Sometimes even if we can see shades of grey in between, we are forced to live Black/White lives.

Saw the Battle of Algiers - A Must-See Feature.

Battle of Algiers 

Seemed quite surreal, given the current situation in that certain region of the world called the “Theatre of War”. An interesting article on the parallels - http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0907-07.htm