The Independent Puppet
“There was once a merchant in the famous market at Baghdad. One day he saw a stranger looking at him in surprise, and he knew that the stranger was Death. Pale and trembling, the merchant fled the marketplace and made his way many-many miles to the city of Samarra. For there he was sure that Death could not find him. But when, at last, he came to Samarra, the merchant saw waiting for him the grim figure of Death. “Very well,” said the merchant. “I give in. I am yours. But tell me, why did you look surprised when you saw me this morning in Baghdad?” “Because,” said Death, “I had an appointment with you tonight… in Samarra.”- John O’Harra
New Ark, NJ, Early 2001
I woke abruptly. I was startled by the loud noises outside. I reached up and rubbed my ears; I felt an unfamiliar pain and ringing sound that I couldn’t place. My mother’s arms were wrapped around me. She was asleep, unfazed by the commotion around us. And then suddenly, it stopped. Everything was quiet, except for the faint whoosh of air out of the AC. We had landed. This was my earliest memory. It was of us leaving our home to travel to a new world completely different from ours.
The decisions we make, lock us onto a path that shapes us. Those decisions are based on our values and culture and help us become who we are today. It’s clear to see that those values create similarities between our journey and the journeys of our predecessors, and retracing those steps help us understand who we are and what we can accomplish. How had the journey of my predecessors impacted and reflected the person that I am today?
New Delhi, India, October 22nd, 1970
Across the world and decades earlier, a man and his brother bustled through the scorching New Delhi streets. Late for their flight, the man knew taking a Rikshaw was not an option. The cramped streets would take hours before they made it even halfway. Hurriedly, he hopped on his bicycle, as his brother did the same. Pedaling furiously, they reached the airport just in time. As they ran through the busy airport, the man noticed a stranger sitting quietly on a bench. She was reading a book titled “The Art of Happiness” by Howard Cutler, and had a gentle expression of surprise on her face. The woman seemed genuinely engrossed in the pages with no regard for the busyness of her surrounding environment. Snapping back to reality, the man realized he had wasted too much time. His brother was already far ahead of him and standing in the security line. “Deepak” his brother called “hurry over here, we cannot miss this flight.” Urgently, he scuttered over, quietly sliding into line next to his brother.
As they waited, Deepak pondered the unperturbed state of the woman. In an airport full of unforgiving, impatient, and deafening travelers, she seemed to be the calm at the center of the storm. Deepak wondered how she could so nonchalantly forget the worries around her, and the stress of travel, to simply focus on a book.
Newark, New Jersey, October 24th, 1970
The brothers walked tiredly out of the airport terminal. The flight had landed, and they were finally in the United States. Their journey, however, was far from completed. Immigration had proved to be a hassle, and the two were waiting on yet another stop to finally enter their new home. Deepak was tired. The 36-hour travel experience had left him lacking energy and ready to fall apart. As he sat there, waiting yet again, reflecting about his travel and his experience. Suddenly, he thought back to his experience two days ago. He thought back to the woman and reflected at how her exhausting travels had no impact on her character. He realized her focus on the book she read, and her value for that piece helped her through such a tiring ordeal. He thought about how these values could shape her experience in whatever she does, and, to an extent, may control the perspective and decisions associated with such an experience.
How are our decisions impacted by the values that we share with our predecessors? Does our culture, our beliefs, our home control the experiences we have? Does history simply repeat itself, and our destinies controlled by the experiences of our ancestors? I’ve always wondered the extent of which my choices were my own. Being an Indian American immigrant, my story reflects that of countless others, and my culture has shaped who I’ve become. But as I explored the history of my family’s immigration to the United States, I noticed that my experience and value system matched, almost identically, that of a close relative who had moved here years before me. His experience in the United States, reflected in his writings, research, and other publications, so closely resembled my own, that I quickly began to question whether my choices and experiences as an Indian American immigrant were truly unique and truly my own. Like the merchant in Samarra, it became painfully obvious to me that my path may be locked beforehand. That my belief that my choices were mine to make made me nothing more than an “independent” puppet.
Athens, GA, January 13th, 2018
I want to take you on this journey with me to learn this story. Not only so that you may understand my roots, but so you can learn, alongside me, the importance of family values and the impact that they may have on our development as individuals. As you take this journey with me, you’ll have to open your mind and really reflect and confront the decisions and choices you’ve made in your life. Are they truly yours? Or are we all truly just puppets with no semblance of independence.
To understand this dynamic, I want to focus on those before me. I’ve centered my research on the journey that a close relative of mine, Deepak Chopra, took in his life as an Indian American immigrant. I want to see how his experiences compared to mine and understand how his decisions were shaped by his values. Deepak focuses heavily, in his writings and his life, on the value of Indian spirituality. That belief plays a major role in his experiences as both an Indian American immigrant and a world renown doctor, and stems from our family’s culture. That same belief has played a major role in my life. It’s helped me come to terms with my relationship with the world. Whether that be the nerdy Indian kid playing backyard basketball with the kids in my neighborhood or the hardworking college student focused on succeeding in his career, that spirituality has been an important backdrop in helping me achieve my goals. Exploring Deepak’s roots in this culture and how it’s changed his life will not only will this help me truly understand the impact that my background and culture has had on me, it will also help me realize the extent to which history repeats itself. Is this story truly my own? Or am I just reliving the cultural experiences that those before me have.
Possible Interview Questions
- What do you remember about your childhood in India?
- What was the reason you decided to do medicine?
- You moved around so much within India as a child, how did that impact you?
- What was your favorite hobby as a child?
- Who was the woman in the airport?
- Why did she intrigue you so much?
- Did you ever see her again?
- What was the first thing you noticed that was different about your life in America versus India?
- Why did you choose to come here?
- Do you like reading?
- What got you into writing?
- How important was your culture and spirituality in shaping who you are?
- Did it help you deal with the changes in lifestyle?
- What’s the one thing you miss most about India?
- Why did you agree to this interview?
Working Bibliography
“Self power”- Deepak Chopra
“The Art of Happiness”- Howard Cutler
“Passage from India: Asian Indian Immigrants in North America”- Joan Jensen
“The Healing Self”- Deepak Chopra
