Hi Mario, Thanks for your response to my post about educating the wider American community about "us". I could have responded to you privately but the following may be of interest to other cyber-Goans.
Our recently released novel was reviewed by an Indian-American physician who said the following: "The novel has made me look at the experience in total and wonder in awe how far we have come from our homeland in India and made a second home in the U.S. The Reddys are good examples of Indians coming to the U.S. and assimilating with the Goras (Whites) here. Most of us stick to our Indian ways and lose out in learning from the Americans or imparting our culture to them. I liked the book. I found it well researched." -Rita Gavankar, M.D. Anesthesiologist, Hendersonville, Tennessee The web link will give you other reviews along a similar vein: http://www.booklocker.com/books/2194.html ISBN 1 - 59113 - 826 - 4 The above reviewer is working on getting a group of individuals from mixed marriage including their in-laws to see if the novel "On Thin Ice" gives them some more insights into other cultures. Please note her cross-cultural name. From what she feels and I agree with her, there is a difference between "knowing something" and "thinking we know it".:=)) If you read "On Thin Ice", I would appreciate your perspectives on this aspect of the story. Perhaps your kid's in-laws may find the book interesting too - to know about the finer points of Indian culture, as other Americans have stated. Perhaps your wife may even have a different take than the man. We frankly never thought of this aspect (mixed marriages) when we wrote our novel of individuals from different ethnic groups working as a successful team and having fun together. But this is a new twist. I am curious to see where Rita's experience goes. We look forward to hearing from you, other cyber-Goans and non-cyber-Goans who may be in a similar situation. If needed, feel free to e-mail me privately. Please do not feel defensive. The goal is to find subtle but important secrets and experiences that one can share with others to make life more successful and fulfilling. We do realize that each situation is different. Yet there may be a common thread. Regards, GL Mario Goveia: By the way, I agree with you that it is the responsibility of immigrant groups to educate those natives around us in the communities in which we live, and way beyond our colleagues, neighbors and friends, who are likely to know us anyway. I believe the Indian community has successfully done so, with very few exceptions, across the US. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
