By Pia

Traversing through narrow European streets, men and women are seen crouching over, picking up trash from parks. Who are these people?  In Lithuania, when public assistance is received, the recipient must perform work duties in return. When a country that is a fraction of the size of the United States can organize such a system, why have we not?

The House passed a spending bill that would cut Health Funds, triggering chaos and an uproar amongst people everywhere. The persuasive power of statistics could not be more apt for such a situation, highlighting the validity behind the noted phrase “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Yes, it is true that the vote came two weeks after the Agriculture Department stated that at some point in 2012, 17.6 million households in the United States did not have enough to eat. Yes, it is also true that the vote came two days after the Census Bureau reported that 15 percent of Americans (46.5 million people) live in poverty. It has been made aware that the passed bill would cut federal food stamps, casting away 3.8 million Americans from the program in 2014.

            The slightest hint of compassion in an individual would spark a feeling of injustice and deem this decision as an “insult to the poor,” where not only starvation and death are inevitable, but so is an increase in crime rates. However, what is actually happening is not the preconceived and misunderstood notion of an attack being sprung upon the poor; it is not the ghost of Marie Antoinette haunting us with her famous “let them eat cake.” It is the House of Republicans reworking the safety net, which simultaneously is unraveling our social and societal threads.

            Tangled in the emotional strings of liberalism, many responses to the decision failed to include the requirements of food stamps recipients. For example, able-bodied adults between 16-60, with some exceptions, must register for work, accept suitable employment, and take part in an employment-training program. Furthermore, recipients must pass a drug test. According to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, this encourages healthier and more proactive decisions. In 1996, a Republican Congress worked with Bill Clinton to overhaul the workfare program in this country and institute a workfare requirement, which is what this current pass seeks. It does not demand having a job, but a willingness to work or give back to the community.

            The amount spent on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) drastically increased to $85b in 2012 from $50b in 2008, a 75-80% increase in spending for the program in a 5-year. At the same time, however, this administration noted that there was an incredible improvement in the economy, with a decrease in unemployment from 10% to 7.3% and no inflation. While it never seems justifiable to deny basic human rights and sustenance, perhaps a $38b cut will go back to how it functioned in the 1990s, when there was no strong argument for an increase in the program. What we should be more concerned about is where this money is going rather than agreeing that preventing food is cruel, inhumane, and all an attack upon the poor.

Albeit this post does not deal with the Dutch-born Punjabi artist, who I also went through great pains to see, my journey and hustle to see the actor is definitely worth commemorating.

My dance team NYU Dillagi was requested by UTV Motion Pictures to hold Imran Khan’s promotional event for his upcoming film “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu” on January 29^th. It was a big decision not to go abroad, this event being one of the reasons. However, getting to Skype with the whole team, the event, and even Imran Khan was totally worth it - the best of both worlds.

In short, the New York event was, without bias, extremely well coordinated and handled. The event did not start on IST. Everyone was seated. Food was arranged. Valentine decorations illuminated the romantic aura of the hall.  Though I was over 3,000 miles away, the pulse, energy, and excitement that rushed through all the fans in the hall of E&L translated through Skype. Dances were cleanly transitioned, Imran Khan was beyond eloquent and down to earth, the flash mob was beyond a success, and the meet and greet commotion left from Kimmel to Facebook for hours and days. Great job NYU Dillagi and sponsors J

If only my London experience was a fraction of what I just described…

At the NYU event, Mr. Heartthrob mentioned that he would be going to London the following day. No matter how far or unreasonable it would be to go on a school night to a Bollywood promo event, I made my mind that I would go. As aptly said by Polonius in Hamlet, “Give thy thoughts no tongue, nor any unproportioned thought his act.” Last minute, all my friends that wanted to go backed out. I didn’t realize why until I stepped out of the dorm and Google Mapped the directions. The shortest and most convenient option to get there took over an hour and a cab would have cost 59 pounds PER way. Whatever subconscious intentions and goals were by going to this event did not matter to anyone but myself. I’ll only get to live in London once; why not explore and get lost! As a result, I set forth on what seemed a long, confusing journey with a friend of mine.

More or less the route we had to take

Saw this in the subway; couldn't be more fitting!

Finally, my friend and I reached. Scurrying to reach the venue safely through the deserted alleyways Google Maps suggested, to our dismay, we had to end up waiting 2 hours for Imran Khan and co-star Kareena Kapoor to arrive.

The luxury of sitting with friends in a collegiate atmosphere was totally absent, as the crowd of Desi’s, mainly aggressive parents and their toddlers who bore the smell of Indian lentils and oil, hyper teenagers, and tall boyfriends accompanying their Imran Khan-obsessed girlfriends. Since the event was in Cineworld in Feltham, all of us had to wait in the entrance behind a barricade, uncomfortably being pushed and shoved as if we were in a mosh pit. The lack of humor and wit in the MCs after the first hour turned from remotely entertaining to painful. I expected the entrance to be filled with people, but it was not the case. Then again, hoards of people squished themselves against the barricades, condensing the volume of people. Compared to UTV’s NYU event, I was not very impressed. The stars arrived a little after 8pm and barely spoke/showcased themselves/promoted their film for 20 minutes before getting attacked by the mob of people screaming for their fliers to be autographed. It could have been much more organized with a proper meet and greet, which would have gone much smoother, even if the actors were on a tight time-budget. The crowd was a big factor of the aggravation for many people too…While I didn’t get an autograph, I got my 2 seconds of fame by reminding Imran Khan that I was on Skype during the NYU event, whether or not that actually struck a bell in the moment. Kareena, on the other hand, pretty much just ignored all her fans and proceeded to her car. Guess it's the jet lag? ....

Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan

After the event, we stopped by Burger King and got ourselves veggie burgers, then proceeded to make our hour+ long way home.

All in all, I’m glad I went. I not only got much closer to the girl I went with, but I also did exactly what I came here to do: test my limits and not control what’s ahead of me. An opportunity presented itself and I didn’t think twice. I just did it. I didn't treat London like a foreign ground, but rather myself as a foreigner who set forth to conquer and explore the adventures ahead. My feet were most definitely not on the ground.