NRI Blues

NRIs are flooding the market, and now they are a dime a dozen. Most of them have learnt their spoken English there (having learnt only a bookish-sort of reading English during schooling) and so end up having horribly put-on American twangs that sound as phoney as an ass's singing voice. It'd all appear harmless, as the Hindi-movie caricature of the NRI-bufoon who gets ribbed by the REAL hero, and who always loses in the love-tangle, would suggest, if it were not for a few specimen who really make your blood boil. Most NRIs are enchanted by the land of milk and honey they have seen there, but forget that they can't really expect the same thing here. Most of them probably haven't seen the medical scene there, so they don't realise how difficult it is to walk into a doctor's chamber there, much less start demanding things! They don't realise how defensive they are over there; I have had NRIs praising me for my approachability, for my straight-forwardness, and willingness to explain things.They are simply traits we haven't managed to lose yet!Of course many NRIs are sweet-natured, polite, decent and well-behaved, but of recent one notices that such specimen are few and far in-between!We had an especially obnoxious piece they sent over from the UK (couldn't keep him longer there, I gather); this guy delivers his vicious monologue on sweet-tempered elderly spinsters who believe in turning the other cheek, and makes a quick getaway when he so much as hears a footfall. He should by now be keeping his ears cocked for a heavier footfall or the sound of a club cracking his skull open.