Some happenings in life are inevitable. And if you are foreign in your country of residence then a brush with racism is something you are due for. It starts with the color of your skin, given through deep-set eyes that have darkened with age, from creases in the forehead that speak of wisdom gone wrong.

Whatever is the government’s stand the racial undercurrents seem to run strong. Sparking in smirks or between twisted lines it’s all so there.

So how does it feel to be on the receiving end? Coming from a country that only offers warmth towards a foreigner it was first quite hard for me to digest. Moreover it came from unexpected quarters. From someone whom I grew to trust and develop respect for.

Needless to say it ruins everything. The mental make-up undergoes a change. Renewed thinking is in the offing. I mulled over it for over two weeks now. Just recently I snapped out of it. But seriously how this one woman had a major impact on my thinking is quite marvelous.

Then, I was so shocked with the conversation that words didn’t come easily. But now they do, in fact they will continue to come. If for one thing it’s reinforced a sense of pride for my roots. It’s but for essential! Just like a rotten tomato the whole experience was all in bad taste. Highly nasty and uncalled for. But hey am Indian, and forgiveness is a large part of our culture.

As I bury the hatchet am reminded of Robert Frosts line from Mending Wall,

Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.

Considering the Prime Ministers words the last people one should thwart are those that come in and contribute to the GDP of a nation.