THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN...

Kansas City, Missouri:

It's a beautiful time of the year here in Kansas city, Missouri - the spring. And Easter vigils have begun every where. The weather's chilly, at least for me. When I left Nagpur, the mercury had crossed 40 (and that's O celsius). When I landed here in Kansas, the town modelled after Spanish town of Sevile by an architect about a hundred years ago, it was 40 O Farenheit. Freezing cold for us the Vidarbhites, but enjoyable.

The Tulips (which are new to me) are popping up every where, the illuminated streets are a sight of envy and there are fountains all over the bustling area of plaza. When the Europeans began their journey westwards and into the hinterland, Kansas was the gateway. The fountains that we see today dotting the city line were actually the water-holes created by the explorers for their horses. The transformation of those water holes into fountains is today Kansas city's landmark, and trademark too.

Read more on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Missouri

Meanwhile our programme began Saturday, April 11, with formal introduction of fellows followed by a warm welcome party at the house of one of the AFPF's board members, Mr Patrick Stueve, a leading attorney here in Kansas. We had a peep inside a beautiful American house - a century old structure in the historic society. Each of us was overwhelmed by the welcome extended to us by this close-knit family.

But I could never fathom that introductions could ever get interesting as they did with us Saturday. Especially when you have interesting names around you, and each one has different perceptions and preconceived notions about countries.

Coming back to names though: There are funny ways people draw their names from, or are named in, across the planet. Chinese way of naming a child could differ radically from that of the Vietnamese, or Ugandan, or Indian. Rodrigo, in Brazilian, is actually pronounced as Hodarigu, my co-fellow corrected us smilingly. I guess, he'll have to keep repeating that till the time he's in America. For these guys here have their own ways of pronunciations. Brazilian guy has a task cut out.

I think amongst us, the easiest name to pronounce is that of Marc (won't go into his complete name, for it's as long as a train). Not even my name, Jaideep, I found, was an easy pronunciation for most of the fellows and fellow Americans. "Nam mein kya rakha hai!" one would say. But from whom and what would you inherit depends much on your name, whether it's in India or in China or in Uganda.

The lighter aspects end here. Serious issues beckon me ahead as we move on to the University of Missouri, Columbia - a two-hour drive from Kansas City Missouri, where we'll spend two weeks going back to basics of journalism, understanding the American newsroom and spending some time together understanding each other, in what would be our preparation to take on a five-month practical assigment with the newspapers here (I am going to Sun Sentinel newspaper at Fort Lauderdale, South Florida.

But my discussion with Pat over lunch yesterday gave me the first insights into the nation in transition; economic and to be followed by social.

Farmers and farming, my first and foremost focus, have suffered equally here as in India, with just a handful of few companies ruling the roost. But there are ominous signs of traditional farmers' markets springing up in the US, something that will be worth studying. Pat said young consumers here are becoming more aware of organically grown food and food products from the neighbouring small farm in the counties.

The consumers here are slowly realising that the fresh pasturised milk that you get in the nice packaged plastic glass, may after all not be that fresh. May be, there's a chance for small neighbourhood markets to make a come back in the US.

If we care to learn, there's a lesson for us. After all, the corporate giants have landed with farm fresh there as well, in big numbers, luring both, the producers and end buyers. As is the experience here what you are buying as fresh there may be a prelude to what's happened here through the years: private profits, public peril.