Returning Echoes: The NRI Struggle for Home and Self
Years have passed, yet a voice echoed in my ears,
as if coming from the far edge of the horizon –
“आ लौट के आजा मेरे मीत, तुझे मेरे गीत बुलाते हैं।”
(“Come back today, my friend; my songs are calling you.”)
For many NRIs, this is not just poetic imagery—it is reality. We live in foreign lands, chasing careers, stability, and recognition, yet our hearts carry a persistent longing for the homeland we left behind.
Between Two Worlds
Living abroad can feel like standing between two worlds:
- At work, we succeed and adapt.
- At home, we feel the distance, the cultural gap, and a quiet emptiness.
- Within ourselves, identity becomes a question: Who am I now?
The streets of our childhood, the festivals, the voices of family—these are not just memories; they are roots that continue to pull, even across oceans.
A Ray of Hope in Spiritual Anchoring
Ancient wisdom reminds us that true satisfaction does not depend solely on geography:
“He who is content within the soul, finds peace anywhere.”
Whether it’s Ram’s name in the Ramcharitmanas or Krishna’s guidance in the Gita, the message is clear: inner grounding transcends borders.
Even those who seem lost, like the Ajamil or the outcasts in mythology, found redemption and peace. Likewise, an NRI can find stability—not by forgetting home, but by reconciling roots with wings.
Roots and Wings: A Poetic Reflection
I left my land for brighter skies,
yet carry rivers in my eyes.
The streets I walked still haunt my dreams,
in foreign nights, their echo gleams.
A passport stamps my borrowed name,
but heartbeats whisper where I came.
Roots still call beneath the ground,
though wings have flown, they circle round.
Can one forget the soil, the song?
Or must we learn to belong?
Perhaps true home is not a place,
but quiet strength the soul can trace.
The Twist
Barason बाद एक धुन कानों में पड़ी,
पर जेहन में न उतरी।
Where is that swades, that swaraj now?
Even it feels like pardes,
a distant, half-forgotten kingdom,
a panauti raj.
Perhaps the heart learns that home is no longer just a place on the map—
it is a memory, a longing, and a rhythm that fades as we grow.
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