Preface to the book

 It is always interesting when we look at past events in retrospect. What was the most unanticipated moment in life that surprised us? Was it getting the dream job? Or was it receiving our first expression of love? Or was it getting a sudden fortune? Or was it seeing an innovative gadget? Any or none of these can be true for different people. But one thing is certain: nobody can escape the waves of surprise and change in life. Unless one was to lead a life of splendid isolation, events beyond individual control can change the lives of people in a society. In a society full of different people and different ideas, it is unlikely that one can have a stagnant life. With the passage of time, the forces of change become too strong to resist and life starts generating one surprise after another, like the lustrous streams of lava spewed by a newly awakened volcano.

For the people living in India, the recent past has been an eventful journey. India has witnessed tremendous change in the recent past. I am sure that living in such a dynamic environment must be a fantastic and insightful experience. I have been a passive observer of this change ever since my work brought me from India to the United States a decade ago. I have visited India periodically on my vacations, and on every visit I was surprised to see the progress and change. The new jobs, roads, malls, luxury cars, super specialty hospitals, and common use of mobile phones were all changes from the India I had grown up in; but more significant than the material changes were the social and lifestyle changes I witnessed. Economic prosperity amplified by technological innovations has set social change into motion at a scorching pace. Changes in lifestyle that once took generations to come into effect are now happening in a space of a few years.

New Crossroads is a collection of short stories set in India that reflect the observations of a new emerging consciousness shaped by these rapid and fascinating social changes. The book deals with different themes through tales about everyday life. While the stories are fictional, the themes are based on the real changes occurring in different areas of people’s lives. I have tried to create characters who are strongly rooted in their present society, one of the fastest changing societies in today’s world. Since I have been an observer from a distance, it is possible that my perspective is different from that of the participants, the same way that the audience that witnesses an event from a distance in the theater or a stadium has a different view than the performers.

The pace of social change in today’s world is constantly increasing due to economic reasons and the many technologies that connect people. The future pace of change may be even faster. Social networking and the Internet are revolutionizing lives. It does not take long for ideas and news to travel and to shape lives in today’s environment. The stories in the book illustrate how things can change in the lives of individuals under different circumstances of a changing society. I hope readers will enjoy reading them.