By Ashish Wagh

The current Marathi population in the USA is just about 1.28 Lakh people. They form a miniscule part of the 5.2 million Indians living across the USA.

With most living there, earning millions of dollars are happy with their 2+2 nuclear families, their parents or relatives here in India are in a state of disarray.

While this is an acceptable part of growth for individuals, they seem to have been shrouded by a fear as to who should be their local lead...the corporator, the MLA or the MP, who can take care of their parents here. Atleast two-three votes lie in the old houses and bungalows of Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, Nagpur and other cities in Maharashtra. These eligible voters are the 70-80 years plus population who can barely move because of weak limbs and other health related issues. There’s nobody to take them to the polling booth. No wonder the concept of old-age homes has turned into a luxurious offering by notorious and opportunities’ seeking real estate developers.

For a Marathi IT professional, the lure of being in the cold is above all. But, he doesn’t spare an opportunity to speak about India, mostly critical. Parents don’t hold any regard for them once they board their flights to the USA.

Kedar Mulay, a techie at a senior position in New Jersey, while being sceptical about the future of India, bares no bones on his decision of not coming back to his parents’ home in Dombivali, in Thane District of Maharashtra, but exercises his franchise to vote for his preference in every election in India. “There is a huge expense coming to India just to vote. Government of India has made it simpler with email voting. Living in the USA has made us more of US citizens than Indians. But I don’t want to lose my voting rights as I was born in India.”

Popular political figures and their glaring extravaganza is tilting the game today. “In Maharashtra, people say the political scenario is very confusing. For me, I will go with the most stable party,” adds Kunal.

Asked about who is available, apart from relatives and first-call neighbours to provide help to your parents here, Pratika Vagal Desai, a travel consultant based out of Manhattan said, “I keep a watch on whatever is happening in my parents’ house on Bhandarkar Road, Pune with the help of CCTV cameras installed in every room. This was prompted by an incident happened two years ago when some builder’s ruffians came knocking on our doors and threatening of dire consequences if my parents didn’t vacate the premises peacefully.”

“We reached out to the local MLA who assured us that my parents would be safe and so my parents, Dad is 74 and Mom is 68, have decided to vote for him in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections. Me and my family will add on to the vote tally from here. After all the safety and security of our kith and kin matters. Political affiliation doesn’t matter to us living here, be it Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray or Rahul Gandhi,” Pratika further stated.

While the above comments might irritate any Maharashtrian, it is evident enough that, though being a minority in the USA, there is hardly any pull towards our home land for the Balloon generation. “My family here is aware of who is contesting elections under which banner and their ideologies. For us what assumes significance is who can protect our loved ones and our property,” says Sunita Karve whose mother lives alone in a three storeyed house in a upmarket locality in South Mumbai.

It is necessary to know that the largest spoken language in the USA is not Marathi among Indians. Telugu, Tamil and Bengali...all after Punjabi which rules above.

Now, the question still remains – who will those showing off their excessive, new and crowned protoplasm, vote for.

As Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had said, “Marathi paaul padte pudhe (in Marathi), the fancy of going West and forgetting the roots is invariably becoming a cause for concern. The wait will be over soon when the US facilitates another reverse brain drain.

God save Maharashtra and the Marathi.