નમસ્તે from India! 13/12/2025 @4:15PM IST

નમસ્તે (Namaste, that means Hello 👋🏻)!

On Tuesday, 02/12, we landed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, which is where I completed my bachelor’s degree (you would laugh if you heard my pronunciation of “bachelor’s”).

My father drove four hours to the airport to pick up my brother and me. Then we continued to our drive to Bhavnagar, where I lived for almost 22 years of my life—My lovely hometown.

I was welcomed with a lovely Indian tradition: a diya (a small oil lamp), a red tilak (a traditional Hindu mark), and small rice placed on top of tilak.

It was a deeply emotional experience for me. I loved how I was welcomed home after 603 days. It was a proper Welcome! Love you mummy Papa 💗.

It has been 2 weeks since I returned to my hometown. Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on my experiences and decided to write a heartfelt letter to my home and hometown. Here it is:

To,

20/B Ishavasya,

Saibaba Society, Tilaknagar,

Bhavnagar, 364001.

It’s been a long 603 days since I left you to chase our dreams. I came back, and everything feels different, accompanied by this overwhelming feeling of returning home. I never imagined you would have matured so much since I last saw you that I almost forget you are the same hometown I once lived in. I am so happy to see you this much developed and mature into such a beautiful city that I cannot imagine. I am happy to be here and see your progress. I will be forever a Bhavnagari (a local person who is from Bhavnagar).

Ouufff, where to start about you Ishavasya (we have a name for our home, which translates into “enveloped by the Lord”). I mean I missed you so much, I cannot put into words (I know this sounds a little bit of a dialogue). From sitting in Germany looking at CCTV Camera so that I can remember my times in Bhavnagar. I used to watch Hichko (a traditional Gujarati swing) so many times that it was so nostalgic for me. My plants like Zamiya and Snake Plants have grown so much. But I still listen to music in the swings and remember my old times.

From the last 2 weeks, everyday I am swinging atleast 2 hours a day. Eating outside and lovely homecooked very much and also collecting and buying so many things from my hometown.

So, I am still enjoying my personal time here in Bhavnagar.

Best Regards, Dheirya Bhatt.