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Sometime ago my son Sharath said that he was applying for a Permanent Resident status also called, ‘Green Card’, for me so that my stay in USA won’t be restricted to six months, as permissible in the normal course. Only condition is, I should stay here for a minimum period of 181 days every time I visit this country.

The documents needed for applying for the Green Card included my birth certificate and marriage certificate. I had neither.

It was a fact that I was born but why should the Federal Government believe that it happened, when my own office doesn’t release my pension, unless someone certifies once a year, that I’m alive ? Governments work on papers.

For every problem there is a solution. The rule says: If no birth certificate, procure a certificate from the Municipal Office of birthplace that they had searched and found that the birth was not registered in their records. For that, a relative born prior to me, had to certify that I was born in a particular place in my case, Kalpathy. In my known circle of relatives or close friends, none senior to me could be located and those available were All born after I was born!

‘Appu anna, Ponnai akkal’, jumped from his seat my cousin Prasad as if he was sanctioned an increment in pay, ten years after retirement! Ponnai akkal, by her own good acts and also by the praiseworthy acts of her father and husband who were teachers at Alathur and Koduvayoor High Schools respectively, touch wood, is doing well at 85. Thanks to her grand daughter who is my FB friend, I could talk to her last month.

Once that letter was obtained, it was child’s play for Siddappa, my friend for whom the Municipal office was ‘ammayeeda adukkala- mother in law’s kitchen’

‘Appu, poi oru idiaapavum chaayayayum kazitcho – you can relax and have some tea and snacks’, he said.

I got the green card within one year.

During the first three years, I could not strictly follow the rule with regard to the minimum stay in USA. Once, I stayed for less than six months in USA and once I returned after seven months’ stay in India. The immigration officer on my entry, made a note of it in my passport. Third year onwards, however, my stay was continuous.

When the minimum five years period with green card was over,
Whether to apply for citizenship or not, was a big question, as I mentioned earlier.

‘Ninnilthannae pirakkaavu jnAn oru
Pullaienkilum en MalanAdae!’

My dear land of hills, I should be reborn only in your lap, at least as a grass blade!

Those lines are from my poem in the college magazine. So deep was my love for my country from my early days, How will I forsake my janbhoomi and karmabhoomi and opt to a country in the fag end of my life? But, my children and grand children live here! That settled the issue. ‘No more discussion on this issue dad’, said my children.

I learned the one hundred questions and answers related to the country’s history as prescribed and available in the web, as required for the ‘Naturalization’ or citizenship.

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Sharath, who took me to the USCIS office for the interview enquired the officer whether he could be with me inside, as I might have problem to follow her pronunciation.

‘Don’t worry,’ assured the charming lady smiling, ‘your dad will be fine’.

Here, all officials smile and speak sweetly. Even a doctor conveying to the cancer patient that his days are limited will
flash a sweet smile and tell him, ‘oh, lucky you are! You have three more months to enjoy your life!’.
A techie with twenty years of service was shown the door one fine evening unceremoniously. His CEO came out of her chamber to bid him farewell, hugged him and lamented, ‘we will miss you from tomorrow. Enjoy life’

Enjoyment indeed! That poor man has three school going children and commitments of monthly loans-repayments for house, two cars, three sofa sets, four kitchen garden, five garden tools etc with no saving in the bank!

Here, the youngsters don’t worry about ‘tomorrow’.
They don’t save a cent for the future. Why should they? The banks don’t pay even 1% interest!

The immigration officer led me to her chamber and after making me comfortable in a seat, showed me a piece of paper and asked whether I could read and copy down the one sentence, typed on it.

It was like asking BakAsura whether he would like to have a lamb leg for lunch!

‘One sentence?’, I almost got up from my seat and told her,
‘Madam, I’m a writer. I have a blog with hundreds of followers. I write amazing poetry. Shall I recite a poem applauded by half of the world?’

Without waiting for her approval, I got up from my seat and raising my right hand, as if I was on a stage before a big audience, started;

‘Moon, your music flows in my inner stream, what a melody!’

That was the least response she expected from an old man who
wanted a guide in the interview chamber!

‘Incredible!’ She applauded, convinced of my English proficiency but still asked me to read and write that single sentence. Rule is rule and here everyone follows it, except the mad guys who shoots down people for no reason!

The question session was a child’s play, rather an old man’s play.
I answered all the five questions she asked, accurately, interspersed with interesting jokes.

The next job was to ask me questions related to my personal behavior, family relationship etc, for which I had already given replies, but she had to verify whether my oral answers tallied with my written replies.

Two sample questions :

1-How many times have you been married (including annulled marriages, marriages to other people, and marriages to the same person)?
2- How many times has your current spouse been married (including annulled marriages, marriages to other people, and marriages to the same person)? If your current spouse has been married before, provide the following information about your current spouse’s prior spouse.

Irrelevant for me but it was her duty to ask. I had to reply ‘no’ and she had to ‘tick’ those entries having verified! That is the rule and everybody follows the rule here, except—!

My son who was waiting outside was worried. ‘Is she grilling dad and is he struggling to answer?’, was his worry, whereas inside, we both were happily discussing about general issues like Indian family bond and English literature!

After full forty five minutes, the charming lady, came out with me holding my hand and handing over me to my son said, ‘your dad did a good job. Congrats ‘

After a couple of days, Megh took me for the ‘oath taking’.

She was keenly watching my facial expression worrying weather I would be able to withstand the mental strain while
uttering the oath dictated.

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”

I did take the oath, with choked throat.

‘Are you OK, dad?’, enquired Megh while coming out of hall, though she knew that I was not all that ‘OK’.

‘Compromise in life, at times becomes a necessity,’ I told her.
And told myself: ‘you didn’t do a favour to your children but only ensured that you don’t land in a vrudhasramam, old age home’

To continue

More than three years ago when I landed in America, I had no plan to stay for more than 6/7 months, as was my earlier practice, but various developments made me to stay, so long. But for the necessity of taking care of my sick brother, I will not be going even now, as my health is like a post -war battle field. My children have no confidence in my fitness to travel alone and hence Megh is escorting me.

Many good and bad things happened- some really good, some, really bad, during my present visit. Our family strength increased, new houses were bought and I could witness the celebrations like Grehapravesam, Seemantham, graduation ceremonies etc. Could also make a trip to Vancouver to be with my sister and her son’s family for more than a month.

On the minus side, the sudden death of my nephew was the biggest blow. The passing away of my mother in law was sad, but a good thing to have happened. Had she lived longer, she would have suffered more.

I became a US citizen. It was not an easy decision to take.
All my children are here and they don’t want me to stay alone in India. With a OCI card, I can come and go anytime. Stay as long as I want here or in India. Emotionally, I was not prepared to forego my indian citizenship but my deteriorating health during the past one year told me, to push my sentiments to a corner and go by the naked practicality. The practical thing is to be with my children!.

I’m lucky indeed to have an amazingly helping family, for whom my comforts are the top priority. They affection is not a ‘stage show’ as someone said uncharitably in a different context, pushing horses and donkeys into the same stable.
When I count the blessings, the ‘kanishtikAdishtitham’ ( the one to start with counting by my little finger), is the sincere support, love and affection of not only my children and their spouses but that of my siblings their children and spouses and my sambandhies and other close relatives too.

Nothing more I can ask for,  from my creator.

(To continue )