Let's Explore America. Raj Boone's Gadasalli

      Liberty Bell. Philadelphia. PA

      One of the most prominent symbols of the American Revolutionary War.

      Introduction

      European explorer Christopher Columbus who set sail to discover India lost his way (!) and landed on the wrong side of the globe into uncharted territory inhabited by brown people whom he called Indians. You may call him a genius or an accidental discoverer but he is credited with discovering America. That was the year 1492. America and Americans have come a long way since then. Columbus Day is celebrated in some parts of America, even today.

      Be that as it may, today most peoples of the world have their own views about America ranging from adulation to envy and outright dislike. This is reflected in the saying “Yankee go home, but take me with you”!

      To me, America is the greatest country on earth on par with my motherland India. It’s even better in several respects than contemporary India. I simply love the land, the people and American ideals.

      This book is about America that I know. It is tailored to meet the needs of Students, H1b Visa holders, would be immigrants and visitors to the US for Business or pleasure. As an Indian- American I have tried to see things from Asian and Indian perspectives. A word of caution; Indians refer to persons of British and Indian mixed parentage as Anglo Indians. The term Indian - American does not imply mixed parentage; rather it refers to Indians who are American citizens. As a corollary, green card holders do not qualify to be called Indian – American. Although this book is written with an Indian perspective, I hope that readers in the Indian subcontinent and neighboring countries in the Asia Pacific region would find this book to be informative too.

      True, Indians and other Asians have some knowledge about America and the American way of life. No society in the world is perfect and so I will not indulge in polemics.

      It would take about six months of living in the USA, a lot of reading, observation and interaction with ‘ locals’, to get the lay of the land and feel comfortable in the new environment.

      The Gadasalli clan’s love affair with America dates back to the early 194os when one of its brilliant sons, my first cousin Nagaraja Rao arrived in Chicago to pursue higher studies. After obtaining PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Dr Rao served in both private and public sectors in the US, Brazil, Korea and Indonesia with distinction. He was our hero and family role model.

      Since then, several Gadasallis have made America their home. At last count the Gadasalli clan had a cumulative experience of over 700 years in the USA, including my own 30 years as an Engineer and International Business Executive. Gadasallis continue to enrich America by giving their best as Doctors, Engineers, Educators, Researchers, Financial Consultants and so forth. All of us love America.

      We are especially proud of our Vietnam Veteran Harsha, our Cardiologist- Philanthropist Suresh and our American Peace Corps Volunteer Ajith, who served in a remote region of Africa.

      God bless the United States of America.

      Raj Gadasalli

      Odessa, TX.

      September 2009

      1

      The Land and the People

      The Land

      The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world. It is a varied land of forests, mountains, great lakes, fertile plains, deserts and high flat lands. The country lies mostly in the temperate zone although extreme temperatures are common like the minus 10 degrees F in the north and Midwestern states during winter and 100 degrees plus, during southwestern summers.

      Some of the world’s greatest rivers flow in the USA. Native Americans called the Mississippi river “father of waters”. Water from the source of it’s main branch, the Missouri River flows about 4000 miles from the northern Rocky Mountains to the mouth of the Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico.

      Other important rivers are the 2000 miles long Yukon River in Alaska, the 2100 miles long Rio Grande which forms the US – Mexico border and the 1500 miles long Colorado River which begins in the Rocky Mountains and flows south west. For nearly 200 miles the Colorado flows through the breath taking Grand Canyon carved by the river waters through the ages.

      Spanning the east coast and mid west are five great lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. The great Niagara Falls is on the Erie.

      Lake Tahoe in Northern California covering 193 square miles with its deepest point at 1645 feet is situated an elevation of 6228 feet above sea level. It is unsurpassed for its beauty. And the scenery around it is simply breathtaking.

      The country is rich in mineral wealth. The fertile lands of the Midwest alone can feed the entire world.

      The US comprises of 48 contiguous states called the Continental United States and stretches for 3600 miles from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west. It borders Canada in the north and touches Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, 1500 miles to the south. The states of Alaska and Hawaii make a total of 50 states.

      The country is so vast that from east to west that it spans four different time zones. When it is 9 a.m. in New York it is still 6 a.m. in Los Angeles!

      The City of Washington in the District of Columbia is the US capital. It is referred to as Washington D.C.

      The People

      USA has been called the “melting pot” because most of its’ population consists of descendents of early settlers who moved from England and the Netherlands to make America their home. New waves of immigrants numbering some 60 million also poured in between 1820 and 1990. Even today America has one of the most liberal immigration policies in the world.

      Before the discovery of America by Columbus in the year 1492 Native Indians (Red Indians) Eskimos and Aleuts, with a rich history and Culture inhabited the land for at least 8000 years. It is believed that these people came to America from India, China and Scandinavia. After European arrival their numbers dwindled and today less than 2 million Native Americans are living in the United States. Native American history and culture is detailed in Appendix 7.

      Black people were first brought to America from Africa as slaves. Slavery was abolished in 1865. Although they once lived in the agricultural south they are scattered all over the country and are now referred to as African Americans They constitute roughly twelve percent of the population.

      Hispanics (Spanish race) and Asians are present in large numbers and it is predicted that soon Hispanics would turn out to be the largest minority