Shipra Chaudhury
I believe in a whole lot of things – the serenity of the rising sun, the scorching rays of the mid-day sun, and finally the soothing hues of the sinking sun.
I believe in the hassle-free simper of a new-born baby, the naughty and boisterous laughter of a young teenager, and finally the tooth-less grin of an old man.
I believe in the strength of the mighty Himalayas, the roaring waves of the Indian Ocean and the vast expanse of the tropical rain forest.
I believe in the teeming Indian population, the numerous political problems of the country and its various solutions provided!
In other words, I believe in my roots!
Roots are actually the anchor of our life, the culture, tradition, inheritance of our entire being. No matter how far we are from our roots, how assimilated we are in a different cultural world, how engrossed we are in our surrounding foreign ambiance—we can never be broken free from the shackles of our roots.
Having lived in Toronto, Canada for the past decade has really changed me a lot. I have led a happy and fulfilling life here, seen my children grow up into positive personalities and got amazed at what the country has to offer. The smell of pani-puri at a road-side snack-bar at Gerrard Street, also known as ‘Little India,’ the many Indian channels keeping us abreast of recent news and developments, the video and cinema halls housing an immense collection of Bollywood movies, the multicultural ethnicity of a community where people of all caste, creed or rank can grow equally, schools and universities that boasts of producing capable and competent individualities — all have never made me feel away from my basic nature.
In other words, Toronto, an immigrant magnet that attracts tens of thousands from around the globe has been “a home, away from home.” It has not uprooted me, but implanted in me the feelings of a true citizen, of an Indian citizen rooted in the Canadian soil.
