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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 6 customer reviews )
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8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 A Worthwhile Read Jun 01, 2007
By M. Advani
I must admit I bought the book because the title piqued my curiosity. I am an "NRI" myself (read the book if you don't know what that means!) and "khichdi" holds some special significance to my ethnic background. Needless to say (if you have already seen the 5 stars I have allotted for this book) the contents of the book far exceeded my expectations. It resonated with me in several ways. Mr. Lala takes his experiences of migrating from India and assimilating into the life here in the United States to a new level. He articulates feelings and sentiments that many of my generation yearn to express but lack the talent to do so.
Having lived in the US for over two decades, I share his nostalgia for the country of our origin and, at the same time, feel a reaffirmation of the choice we've made for the country we live in.
I am charmed by Mr. Lala's linguistic panache (despite his verbosity) and his oft-beguiling oratory on ex-pat Indians leaves me chuckling in agreement. His essays on life in America are filled with incisive observations about how we "NRIs" live our lives in the USA.
Look past the occasionally cynical rhetoric and you will see what makes a Non-Resident Indian tick. Anyone attempting to understand the modern Indian mind ought to pick up their own copy of this book and find out the meaning of "khichdi" for themselves.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Delightful Jun 09, 2007
By dj
I chanced upon this book when I was searching for "The Inscrutable Americans" by Anurag Mathur to add to my order of "Show Business" by Shashi Tharoor -- to save on shipping. The title looked interesting and the reviews were positive so I ordered "American Khichdi" instead. The Tharoor arrived early and I dove into it with expectations as great as "The Great Indian Novel". But frankly, I was disappointed. I had never thought that Mr Tharoor would write a masala book on masala Hindi films and since I have no interest in the personal life of Amitabh Bachchan, it was a huge letdown.
Then "Khichdi" arrived and I started it with some skepticism. I am an NRI myself, and was not looking forward to another jaundiced take on the hollowness of my existence or a glorification of my contribution to India's economy and prestige. However, by the end of the first essay my skepticism had faded considerably. And by the time I finished the "Sholay" piece, I was a diehard fan. It was like reading someone presenting a refreshing viewpoint with complete conviction in a style uniquely, deliciously his own. I read it in one sitting. The book is a programmer's delight -- which most of us NRIs are [programmers, not their delight]. The arguments are so clearly expressed that they don't leave much room for debate. I found myself agreeing with the author so much that fresh from Mr. Tharoor's Bollywood farce I started wondering if he is not my long-lost twin. If you read this review, please check your right shoulder, Mr. Lala, if you don't have a mole there, then we must be twins.
I searched the internet for more works by the author but it appears this is his maiden effort. I hope he will write some more and continue to delight us with his humor and opinions on subjects as diverse as Indian politics and the new fashions in cholis displayed at NRI Diwali parties.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A great Book Jun 08, 2007
By Navneet Gupta
American Khichdi makes great reading. Its hard to put down once you start reading the book. It very truly depicts the lifestyles of Indians living in America, the so called NRI's.
In my opinion its a must buy and must read !!!!
Nice Book! May 10, 2011
By R. G. Kulkarni
"Reader Forever!"
I borrowed this book from my friend and read it in a day. I like the book because of the humor in it. I certainly laughed at myself few times. Very smooth narrative and keeps you with the very core of common average NRIs.
An amazing juxtaposition of tale of two culture after 'Tale of Two Cities' Feb 21, 2011
By Ajay
It's an amazing account of a wonderful journey, I undertook while reading a scintillating exploration of match or mismatch of two different culture-- India & USA, and two set of people, who drive them--Indian & American.
This is very nicely created, has many parts, which made me to stop and think. Sometimes humorous and sometime serious. On a few occasion, it seems to be challenging to our value, ethos, culture, philosophy our definition of patriotism or nationalism, but let me say that the way conundrum in a poser has been dealt in most authentic way can only be worked out by an authentic thinker.
The author took me to a peregrination, where I sat thinking for a long time, as if in meditation, pondering and mulling over---How right the author is and how correctly he was able to assimilate his beautiful thoughts into a wonderful tale.
This is the one book, I recommend everyone to read--Be Indian or anyone interested in knowing the thesis, antithesis or synthesis of two cultures. The author has a flare for new ideas, has a fire to melt the ludicrousness and bring out alchemist kundan, is imaginative to carve out a fiction of this real and concrete world, has knack to tell the cruel reality of our myth & legends.
He has not forgotten to touch the contemporary subject, which he dealt with a very open mind; without any qualms or ideological pressure. He has not hesitated to point out deficiencies, wherever he thought fit; even though sometimes it seems to be preachy. He has dealt with the dilemma of our societies in most authentic way, destruction of political system with master stroke and aspiration of million with a soft cry of heart. He has not only pointed out with a diverse POV narrative in cultrual realm, but has come out with truly pragmatic solutions to deal with assorted stream of thought and then anchoretic way to perpetuate right things.
So, friends, go and grab a copy of this book, read it and proudly tell your friend, friend of friends and their friend to read it too.
Thanks to author for my enlightenment and enriching me with his amazing thoughts. My good wishes and congratulation for coming out with such a nice narrative.
See all 6 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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