New Delhi: It's unfortunate that author Atulya Mahajan's 'The Masters of America' will always be compared with writer Anurag Mathur's quirky guide to surviving in the US - 'The Inscrutable Americans' - mostly because Mathur got it out first.
If you have read 'The Inscrutable Americans', you will appreciate the struggle that Fresh off the Boat (FOB) Indian immigrants face in the mythical land of opportunities and Mahajan takes the campus story forward, weaving in some real characters into a narration that is breezy, informal and unpretentious.
The story is split between two Indian students who are from vastly different economic backgrounds and share equally dissimilar career aspirations. Akhil Arora and Jaspreet Singh aka Jassi aka Jazz aka Jazzminator share an apartment as they pursue Master of Science degrees at the Florida State University.
Mahajan, himself a Computer Science graduate from the University, wistfully records through his protagonists the cultural clash that is a part of the lives of immigrants who land up in America hoping to fit in....
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Actor Joaquin Phoenix, currently gaining Hollywood buzz for his role in 'The Master,' says he wants no part in the movie industry awards season, calling the awards 'stupid' and 'subjective.' In a lengthy interview in the November edition of Interview magazine, the 37-year-old actor said he was dreading the possibility of having to take part in the media circuit for Hollywood's awards season, which culminates with the Oscars in February....
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