Till we meet again!

India – I met a lot of people who became friends and few of them now mean a lot more and are family to me. You leave a city or a country where you studied or worked with a purpose or sometimes to explore the options just to come back to your hometown with lots of memories; some good and some bad. You recall them for a couple of days and then get back to your regular routine where you belong.

But, there are some cities which leave a bigger impression and influence on your life; they teach you something which you’d never experience anywhere else and it’s going to be very difficult to bid goodbye to Mumbai. I have had my share of goodbyes with Bangalore but Mumbai: I have experienced the local trains, the heat and the uninvited rains, the rush and of course the calmness of the sea – I am going to effing miss all of this.

It’s not like I’ve left old apartments behind before, and while I was sad to leave certain aspects, this home was the best! Whoever has visited my place will agree that it looks big and of course my room mates – Preshita Shivani, Apoorva I love you and, I am going to miss the craziness.  I know that a part of me will always be in this house and will be even long after we are gone from this world. Thank you, House! I will treasure all the memories for the years to come.

Life has come full circle but the center has shifted. I didn’t come to India to find a home, but I did find it; I now know where I belong and that is always going to be Kathmandu. At this point, it really doesn’t matter the state of my nation, no matter how good or bad it may be, I have come to realize that I am always going to be Nepali. I am nowhere close to what I want to achieve in my life and this probably looks like a mistake on my part to suddenly move back but starting with baby steps in this country, I have come to realize that moving to Mumbai from Bangalore has humbled me a lot. This city has taught me to look at things from a broader perspective, not be judgmental about people or events and accept each with all that it brings. It has been difficult but has been a growing experience.

Sure, I have visited other cities and traveled a lot within India and I am thankful for each one of you who met me on this journey. I don’t want to list out the names because there are just a lot of them. Each one of you has touched my soul and inspired me, helped me get through my fears and stood by me thick and thin.

I never thought I’d ever say this, but as I write this post I am crying my heart out because there are just too many memories in this country. From being a college student to a working professional, I have come across so many beautiful personalities who have knowingly or unknowingly helped or been there for me at some point.

Maybe, sometimes the journey of a single step starts with a thousand miles in the opposite direction.

Thank you, India and of course, Indians.