It was 60th year of Indian independence celebrations last week. I was not in India at that time; I was away in the UK, a last few days of my stay. It wasn’t the same kind of feeling that anyone would be feeling a week before they go to their home country, to their families (well, to most Indians at least).
I have been thinking about it for weeks, this year’s Independence Day would be a bit different for me as a person, because, staying away from home country for around three years makes you feel overly patriotic. I have seen the country developing, staying away. The amount of happiness you get when you hear the sensex go up, new things are shown about India in any TV channel and all such trivial things is incomparable. Email inboxes will usually have a few forwards about India and a few web links will be off liners. I never missed anything like that and in fact I have forwarded it to many others including a few British. We have travelled miles to be a part of Indian-ness in the west. All this does not seem strange, because everything suddenly becomes “matter-of-fact” overnight and everyone practical in their thoughts and actions. I have been a part of this vogue for last three years now. I was away and staying away has changed me as a person, for the better I believe and what I believe is true.
My experience here in the UK has been immersed with different experiences, well; I would say learning/observations. Almost three years, life was completely different for the life that spent three years ago and now after three years I am returning to the life that I spent three years ago. I am sure things would have changed a lot there. I can guess that it would be no different to the place where I live now. I am happy in a way that I am following my words. I always used to say “Life in the UK is just an experience and not life!” I would say, that the life in the UK has taught me so many things that I would have probably taken a decade to learn if I were to be in India itself. It has accelerated many things in life, from being independent to appreciating and valuing people of different origins. It is amazing how we all are different, yet we all are same.
As I type this, I have a weird feeling; I am growing increasingly cynical about my return home. How I wished that I would go back when I am here, but now when the time has come, I am sceptical about my life back home. It is not that I am here all my life and am going to a completely different country for the first time, but it is still the feeling of going away from something that you unknowingly adapted and started not to dislike (for e.g. when you start craving for burgers and fries of Burger King)
Finally, a grand SALUTE and BOW to Imperial England!! GOOD BYE OLD ENGLAND! I am sure I will miss you.
PS: This again was written a couple of months back, but posting only now. Better late than never! :)
2 comments:
Its true what you have said. You adapt to a situation and grow not to dislike it anymore so that its your second home, and when the time comes to leave, you are actually despondent....
"because, staying away from home country for around three years makes you feel overly patriotic" - i tend to disagree wid this totally. maybe we dont feel alike!
Is it jus a bye or is it a 'GOOD BYE FOREVER'? hope its not the latter.
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