When I looked at the calendar today, I was taken back 13 years to the day to that Sunday evening when I moved out of India to pursue a career abroad. There was a brief stopover in Singapore on my way to Manila; as destiny would have it, I am posting this from Singapore which has been my home for almost the past 8 years.
Thirteen years have whizzed by and as is to be expected, life has changed a lot since then. I am grateful for the opportunity to experience the many worlds I have been fortunate enough to do so!
I am often asked if I’ll be returning to India permanently; my truthful answer has always been: “I don’t know!”. The urge has been there but it is yet to reach tipping point perhaps; or may be, it is the fact that I am not far away from home anyway as I keep visiting Mumbai every 2-3 months on work.
As I reflect today, a strange thought comes to mind. In the Ramayana, Ram was exiled for 14 years; in the Mahabharata, the Pandavas were exiled for 13 years (12 years plus one year to be spent incognito). My period away from home – the voluntary “exile”- is in that ballpark.
Is it time for a homecoming?