It is funny and strange how a kid like me from a small village in India ended up living in Switzerland for more than three years.
Where I am from, we didn't get electricity for half a day every day. Even in summer, we slept without a fan or cooler (forget ACs), fanning a handmade fan. Our parents would do that to make us sleep.
As kids, my brother and I didn't complain about sleeping on a single bed with our parents. It was fun.
Now, I live in a three-bedroom house with every amenity. But I still can’t sleep without popping a pill.
Where I am from, we knew everyone in our small village. If someone was getting married or having a baby, we were the first to know. We’d help them and they’d help us.
Now, apart from the neighbor next door, I don't even know the names of the tenants on our floor.
Village life is vastly different from city life.
I never imagined a kid from humble origins would get a chance to represent my country in Switzerland. It’s advanced, orderly, systematic, and well-maintained. Every human life and virtue is valued. It feels surreal.
Regardless, I missed my mother, family, motherland, food, and spiritual ambiance badly. As they say, you can’t have the best of both worlds.
Not exaggerating, but listening to 'Swades' movie songs still brings tears to my eyes. And at the same time, I am so grateful to live in a country like Switzerland. It is undoubtedly a complex emotion to navigate, given we have to leave this heavenly place in a fortnight.
Two countries with unique superpowers.
What I have come to figure out regarding India and Switzerland that both are on different rungs of a ladder. While Switzerland meets all material needs (and even wants) for all its citizens, developed countries look to India and other Eastern countries for spiritual needs.
When all your wants are fulfilled, you look to India to fill that inner void. They still need India to be whole.
Experiencing the Contrast: India vs. Switzerland
Swiss feels like a whole man and India feels like a whole explorer.
One has clear blue skies, free purest water, and cleanest air but lacks spiritual charge. The other is well-known for its spiritualism superiority but lacks basic necessities in some parts.
I value people’s sensibility over beauty and bounty. India too has unparalleled beauty (Dharamshala, Spiti, Meghalaya, Goa, Jaisalmer, etc.) but people lack sensibility and emotional maturity.
Some days, we wanted to stay here forever. Other days, we wanted to go home and hug my mother and motherland.
All levels of satisfaction exist in Switzerland except for spiritual or soul satisfaction found only in India.
Conclusion
It’s like I love my mother and wife both. It’s like I love the root and fruit of a tree.
They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Challenging Maslow's theory hierarchy and Osho's theory of rich man's transcendence comparing India and Switzerland below:
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