India- the land of my roots

by Ashley Jacob (Singapore)

Making a local connection India

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October 2011. It was the start of the holiday season, and I had just finished my final-year Secondary one exams in Singapore. It was yet another humid Monday, as my dad returned home from the base clad in his No.4 uniform. He sat all of us down over dinner later that day, and broke the news to us that we would be making a thanksgiving pilgrimage and going on a short holiday to India given my success in clearing primary school the past year, despite having had prior learning difficulties in my earlier years. Immediately, I dreaded and shuddered at the thought of India- all the violent propensities, civil disorderliness, disunited peoples, thefts, murders, gangfights, disturbed neighbourhoods; coupled with the lack of proper sanitation and healthcare, insufficient safety measures and orders in place amongst many other frightening issues. However, given my dad's dominant and commanding nature, and the fact that we were brought up in such a way not to question our parents' decisions and movements, I decided to follow along simply without questioning further. And so after our visas had been approved, tickets purchased, arrangements made and the green light was given, we took off on a Silkair flight in the afternoon of the 11th of December. Our first stop: Chennai, formerly known as Madras. The moment we touched down, night had fallen upon the city. It was gloomy and quiet, and the atmosphere was sombre with a few travellers and airline crew dragging their luggages along the passageways, with only a few customs counters open for operation. As we made our way up to the counters, we noticed several Hindu deity statues lining the walls and walkways. The customs officers were rather unfriendly, snappy and rude, much like the disciplinarian I constantly saw in my dad. It had already killed the suspense and slight excitement I had in me whilst onboard the plane. And so, we managed to successfully clear customs. After which began our journey to the land of the roots. The people of Chennai were rather friendly- from the taxi drivers, to the auto drivers, to the man at the roadside tea vendor, and even the bankers were rather hospitable in their service. We managed to speak to them in English conversationally. A few of them asked us '' Where are you from'' and we proudly replied ''Singapore''. And it was to their delight and amusement as they began choralling praises about our tiny lion city. Though the weather was scorching most of the time and the traffic was anything but orderly, the people of Chennai were always willing to lend a hand, ever ready to assist us in any predicament or difficulty we were facing. We left our hearts in Chennai. And the next stop saw us off into the district of Nagapatinam, where the pilgrimage site was. Thousands of pilgrims from all over came to pay homage. The priests, staff a and fellow pilgrims there were so humble and generous, offering us traditional Indian sweets, drinks and even clothes without cost. One of the places nearby even offered to host us to a full lunch set... How awesome!!! And so we carried on into Kerala, Munnar, Kochin and finally ending off in Madurai. Each city we went to was a whole new experience with lights, colour, scents of spices, busy traffic; some busier than others, and delectable cuisine. But one thing remained constant- the people were the homeliest, friendliest, happiest, kindest, most generous and most wonderful people ever in the history of my life so far. At the end of my two weeks, I realised it was too short and wanted to stay on and make it my home. We left our hearts in God's own country- heavy hearted, sad and downcast at the point of departure. India was, is, and will always be my True Home. India, I love you.