The soul of a Kannadiga but the heart of a Sheikh
My exciting and transformative adventure across life starts from the time that I was raised in the Gulf. Yes, the land of immeasurable stocks in astronomical oil rates and an even better addition to the mix -Malayalees(Keralites). Yes, the Gulf is teeming with them(pardon my tone).
So, I lived in this archipelago called Bahrain for 11 whole years.Most of my formative education took place there and in retrospect, nostalgia has enveloped me as I begin to pen this very article.
So many memories come flooding past and my teary eyed school reunions are something. that I will always cherish. In this cut throat day and age of technology, I was a very cocooned individual who was extremely hesitant to break forth from his shell, but the friends that I found there were for life.
My mixed feelings towards my stay in the Gulf was primarily because of the lack of availability of good amenities catering to a larger demographic, in this case the influx of Indians there.Me and my conservative, tight knit family found it rather easy to go about our lives, thanks to the holistic well being offered by the Kannada Sangha(a confederacy of all the Kannada speaking population who would gather every weekend). My love for authentic Indian food was heightened with the number of restaurants there.
Bahrain is ruled by a monarch or a king and me being very young and naive, would pay obeisances to him with my hands folded in supplication as I genuinely believed that he was the Almighty. I can laugh about it now, but the world of Bahrain was such an untapped place that it imprinted itself onto my growing mind.With its royal sheiks in their thawbs and abayas to the burkha-clad women and also to the high point of our weekends, shopping for supplies at the Lulu supermarket and having ready-made parathas for lunch, I would give my right arm to be back in the serenity and the quiet warmth of Bahrain.With its many entertainment centers, there was something to partake in for everybody.
From the widely clustered Iskcon temples for the hard core religious fanatics to the Awal Cinema, the only theater in all of Bahrain. Of course, you don't generally observe cows and dogs and litter on the well maintained streets, a sharp variance or a contrast to that of Indian roads.
My school called the Indian school did befit its name,in the sense it was home to around 20,000 Indian students and even boasted of a large campus. My time there was fantastic as there was a large and an equally active student body there to mesh with. From their sprawling campus to their infinite canteens, it just makes you feel like a tiny insignificant speck in a momentary universe.And you are the only thing that's constant. I could literally feel the overwhelming joys of beauty and sanctity when Bahrain was home to us, it was indeed home to us all. Then we were taken from our natural habitat and put in an environment like Bangalore where one had to brave many odds like weather, roads, people etc:. It was just a huge culture shock for me.
We really felt at home here due to the fact that it was a small albeit proactive community and you could get things done here in a jiffy, once again just to put things in perspective it differs when compared to India at light speed. Here, the pros outweigh the cons and not many negatives come to mind, which is perplexing to me.
11 years of cultural growth and vitality made us see the world from a different lens altogether. Bahrain was bursting at the seams for recognition and hence grew by leaps and bounds. I will always remember my first home with a hint of sadness as well as happiness.
Dasvidanya Bahrain.I bid you farewell.
And now as I am jolted back to reality as I sit in my home in Bengaluru, a pinching feeling in my gut wants to take Bahrain by its collars but alas, that is only the stuff of dreams.
So, I lived in this archipelago called Bahrain for 11 whole years.Most of my formative education took place there and in retrospect, nostalgia has enveloped me as I begin to pen this very article.
So many memories come flooding past and my teary eyed school reunions are something. that I will always cherish. In this cut throat day and age of technology, I was a very cocooned individual who was extremely hesitant to break forth from his shell, but the friends that I found there were for life.
My mixed feelings towards my stay in the Gulf was primarily because of the lack of availability of good amenities catering to a larger demographic, in this case the influx of Indians there.Me and my conservative, tight knit family found it rather easy to go about our lives, thanks to the holistic well being offered by the Kannada Sangha(a confederacy of all the Kannada speaking population who would gather every weekend). My love for authentic Indian food was heightened with the number of restaurants there.
Bahrain is ruled by a monarch or a king and me being very young and naive, would pay obeisances to him with my hands folded in supplication as I genuinely believed that he was the Almighty. I can laugh about it now, but the world of Bahrain was such an untapped place that it imprinted itself onto my growing mind.With its royal sheiks in their thawbs and abayas to the burkha-clad women and also to the high point of our weekends, shopping for supplies at the Lulu supermarket and having ready-made parathas for lunch, I would give my right arm to be back in the serenity and the quiet warmth of Bahrain.With its many entertainment centers, there was something to partake in for everybody.
From the widely clustered Iskcon temples for the hard core religious fanatics to the Awal Cinema, the only theater in all of Bahrain. Of course, you don't generally observe cows and dogs and litter on the well maintained streets, a sharp variance or a contrast to that of Indian roads.
My school called the Indian school did befit its name,in the sense it was home to around 20,000 Indian students and even boasted of a large campus. My time there was fantastic as there was a large and an equally active student body there to mesh with. From their sprawling campus to their infinite canteens, it just makes you feel like a tiny insignificant speck in a momentary universe.And you are the only thing that's constant. I could literally feel the overwhelming joys of beauty and sanctity when Bahrain was home to us, it was indeed home to us all. Then we were taken from our natural habitat and put in an environment like Bangalore where one had to brave many odds like weather, roads, people etc:. It was just a huge culture shock for me.
We really felt at home here due to the fact that it was a small albeit proactive community and you could get things done here in a jiffy, once again just to put things in perspective it differs when compared to India at light speed. Here, the pros outweigh the cons and not many negatives come to mind, which is perplexing to me.
11 years of cultural growth and vitality made us see the world from a different lens altogether. Bahrain was bursting at the seams for recognition and hence grew by leaps and bounds. I will always remember my first home with a hint of sadness as well as happiness.
Dasvidanya Bahrain.I bid you farewell.
And now as I am jolted back to reality as I sit in my home in Bengaluru, a pinching feeling in my gut wants to take Bahrain by its collars but alas, that is only the stuff of dreams.
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