My class mate in school in Bombay after finishing his engineering in bombay got
a job in one of the top industries in bombay. Inschool he was a topper and a
source of intellegence. He joined a top college for science . He was earning
around sixty thousand in seventies when you could get a rice plate for just one
rupee and a cup of tea for four annas. He married his next door neighbour whose
dreams was to go west. While she was for he was against but as theirs was a
love marriage he did not want to cause disturbances and agreed. Paid a huge sum
to an agent and migrated. Result he found his engineering degree in the waste
paper basket. The agent arranged him a job as a waiter in a small resturant.
Worse was the wife was expecting and she could not cope up . They were
literally beggars. she could not complain while he bore all these for her love
sake. He could not afford to learn anything as everything was expenses. They
had got a house on rent and every month the landlord was to be paid. He was
forced to buy a car. Now wife's pregnancy. He would start his work at 6 in the
morning that is washing cars, cleaning the floors etc etc.Then he would go to
real work place at11 am and would leave at 11 pm. All he could afford was a
slice of bread and butter and some water to drink. They did not know if they
could afford the hospital bills during delivery. He thought it best to send his
wife down to Bombay for delivery. The wife agreed . My class mate thought this
is the best time to leave the west and search a nice job in Mumbai and under
the pretext of losing his job and migration he came to India . He managed to
get a nice job with a salary of forty thousand . His wife too realised that it
is better to stay in India and educate your children then to jump to the west
and struggle for just a status sake.
