Jai

Jai, an East Indian of Hindu family background, was a close friend to me when I was living in Vancouver, BC. He, his German wife Erika, and two daughters lived in a nice condominium in the Kitsilano beach area of Vancouver, BC. He was initially my coworker in a software company. He liked his job, as it was full of learning. His family followed a European-style of living in North America, as they were unhindered by television, took mass transit, ate German food, and immersed themselves in the EU languages of English, German, and French. Jai and Erika wanted to take Japanese in night school, but thought that it might be too challenging. Jai liked the ideas of Zen Buddhism.

Jai, my East Indian friend, and I preferred to lunch or dine at a Japanese restaurant. Jai was multilingual and knew several East Indian languages. He knew some German, as he tried to speak to his daughters in this language. He met his wife Erika in Germany, when he was working there. Before, he had also a stint in Thailand.

Jai, my East Indian friend, and I had a discussion about writing systems. I told him that Japanese writing was easier on the eyes for reading than rigid Roman letters of Western languages. Indeed, Western printers do not choose a roundish, organic font.

Jai and I had a discussion about religion. He noted that I was being a Buddhist in a principally Christian family. He thinks that my funeral would be Christian, despite me being Buddhist. I said that it did not really matter what others thought. I knew that Jai liked Zen Buddhism, but was affected by his German wife Erika's Lutheran background. Jai's family in India was Hindu. I read that one of the ways a Buddhist monk could attain more enlightenment was if he lived in a cemetery. For me, having moved from Vancouver to Lulu Island was like moving to a cemetery. In fact, I am an Animist-Buddhist.

My East Indian friend Jai, whose family background was Hindu, and I often discussed what belief system would be good for India. We both tended to think that Buddhism or secularism would be best.

My East Indian friend Jai L. is really different from his other countryfolk because he had lived in Europe and became somewhat Europeanized.

Jai, of a Hindu family, liked to drink red wine with his German wife Erika and European friends.

My friend and coworker Jai, of a Hindu family, and I favoured having lunch at a Japanese restaurant.

I believe in intellectuals, especially represented by my intellectual friends, the ufologist Bratislav from a Croatian family, the sci-fi fan Don from Hong Kong, the epicurist Jai from a Hindu family, and the mathematician Lance from the Black Caribbean.

India, or Bhārat, is still a mysterious place for me. I have studied a bit of Sanskrit and Pali, Sanskrit being the liturgical language of Hinduism and Northern Buddhism, whilst Pali being the liturgical language of Southern Buddhism. I am a close friend of Jai, who comes from an East Indian family of Hindu orientation. Jai, a software engineer, is married to a German, Erika. They met in Europe and moved to Canada here. Jai and Erika with two daughters, Charlotte and Johanna, lived in a condo near Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, BC. Jai tries to speak German. His kids learn German, French, and English. Jai and I used to have lunches and dinners at Japanese restaurants. Jai viewed Vancouver as too big a city, and he wanted to move to a smaller town.