Phoren Maal in a Desi Household

Sleek has been the buzz word at home for the past 2 weeks. The reason, my dear sister who is doing her Graduation at NUS (Singapore) has come back home for her semester vacation. Being the nice kid that she is, has done loads of shopping and now there is a mini Singapore sitting at home. Everybody from my grand dad to the neighbour's dog has been bestowed with those foreign goodies. The Fridge is loaded with chocolates, a few of them stashed away in this secret corner for me.
The person who is really excited about the whole “Return of the wild from far away lands” (a la sis) is mommy dear. My sister has impressed her with a Cordless phone, which in my mom's own words reads, “a sleek phone, not the usual big black one but a lovely grey”. All the goodies, and my guess includes the T-Shirt which was acquired for my dad, Lacoste not Crocodile I can hear my mom and sis sing in unison, have found their way to the Living Room showcase. There is this festival during the Navarthri Season, where dolls are put on display and neighbours and family will be invited to have a look and will be sent back with some tasty snacks. This in all probability resembles the festival, what with neighbours and friends pouring in to pay a visit to the “daughter from abroad”. To add to the creative look and feel, my sis can pretend to be a mannequin and be the prime object on display. Mom will show them around and point
There, there , there you see,
A lamp there, a bag here all for a small fee.
A phone so sleek,
Makes the big black one seem so bleak.
That fundoo Thinkpad,
Carrying it around being the latest fad.
All the foren maal,
Stacked in a Desi Hall.
A trip down memory lane and I can remember those days when I used to get back from Pilani between semesters, huffed, puffed (donning an entire cupboard of winter wear), when the whole home coming ritual used to be a quiet affair. No sis coming all the way from Mangalore to visit, no plethora of endless aunties and second cousins making the “So how is the weather there” enquiries, not even the occasional raise of the neighbour's eyebrows. Umm, so much for (Vi)Desi edgeucation or like those Now and then Returning Indians prefer calling e-du-cation!