Yasmin Kidwai

Somewhere in India By Choice, Delhi-based filmmaker Yasmin Kidwai’s new documentary, an expatriate, who has chosen India as her home, says: “Everyone has some kind of internal feelings of home and, for some reason, India feels that way to me.”
It does so for a large array of expats who have voluntarily chosen India as their home, hooked on to the Oriental Odyssey, finding joy in the rhythms of the daily life here, deriving some sense of comfort in India’s colossal chaos.
The 29-minute-long documentary captures the experiences of a cluster of expats, from historians to homemakers, writers to real estate agents and choreographers to cafe owners, who have found some connect in the country and are wont to stay here, having reconciled with the realities of the land, warts and all.
It zooms in on around 15 such people, including writers William Dalrymple and Sam Miller, who recount their journeys, enumerating the various ways they keep falling in love with India, which, in turn, seems to have embraced them, made them its own.
Historian Mushirul Hasan, who holds forth on the allure India has always had for foreigners, says the country has, throughout the ages, welcomed foreigners with open arms, making them part of its history, culture and civilization. “There’s always been a degree of receptivity to other cultures,” he expounds.
William Dalrymple — who is fascinated by India’s culture, calligraphy, arts and history — feels that in the 16th century right up until the Colonial period, India was the richest country in the world, with its rich harvests, precious metals, spices and textile. “Now, it’s reverting to its earlier position as a centre of world trade,” he says. Referring to the rapid pace of progress in the country in the wake of liberalisation, he says: “It’s not just about the old giving way to the new. It’s more like a new layer coming up in concentric circles.”
Writer and journalist Sam Miller says that foreigners flocking to India and making it their abode has “built a steam of its own”. The lures are many: From learning about Hinduism (and Sanskrit) to getting to experience its whole range of cultural traditions. While some are drawn to the psyche of its people, still others hold India’s philosophy and spirituality in high esteem, venturing to adopt its customs and traditions.
However, in the changing times, the country has emerged as a hub for world’s best-known companies. Malls have sprung up everywhere and the arrival of luxury brands has redefined people’s shopping experience.
Today, there are many foreigners working with the MNCs who are willing to relocate to India to work.
Jack Leenars, a cycle tour operator who got married in Goa, looks upon India as a colourful country. “If you look around, you will find all the colours of rainbow here,” he says. The colours include those of cultures and mindsets.
Some expats feel that while there is a lot of chaos and noise in its cities, it is only for good. “They keep you company. You feel you’re never alone or isolated,” they opine.
Some of them have lived in India for so long that they rarely feel like foreigners, so rooted is their sense of belonging.
When asked whether he feels Indian dancer and choreographer Gilles Chuyen, who has been living in New Delhi for over two decades, answers in the affirmative. “Yes, I do feel as if I’m an Indian. I do,” he says.
There are some foreigners who keep embarking on a passage to India every now and then, taking back from the country the wealth of experiences and warmth of new relationships, along with artifacts and handicrafts, each time they visit.
For those who choose to stay, India holds a promise “to take them in”.