Happy Birthday, Little Red Dot

I have been in Singapore celebrating the nation’s birthday since 2007, but this year it is extra special for me. As our little island turns 56 years old on August 9, it is the first year I am celebrating as a Singaporean. Here is my ode to how Singapore transitioned with me through the years and became my forever home

I grew up in Kobe, Japan and then in New Delhi, India and as a child, I had a confused and slightly vague concept of home.

My father was born and raised in Japan, and my mother was raised in India, but both of them believed in showing my sister and me the world—and that fundamentally, home is where your family is. It was easy for me to adapt to the different countries I lived in; picking up and moving became second nature as I lived across Canada, Spain, Hong Kong, India, Japan and eventually Singapore.

In 2006, I received a job opportunity to work in Singapore and to inch a little closer to my long-distance boyfriend (now husband). My husband Ashish Manchharam is a second-generation Singaporean and somehow, morphing into his world, country and culture was a piece of cake for me. Singapore, from day one, was the most beautiful, most accepting nation I had lived in. There is a strong sense of all-rounded "Asian-ness" that I hadn’t experienced in any other country. Even though my paternal side of the family lived in Japan for over 50 years, we were never Japanese, and that void was always prevalent.

But Singapore was this melting pot of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, and sprinkled with expatriates from so many countries adding to this dynamic mix. It was the perfect spot of east meets west, and I was deeply grateful to be living and working here.

Singaporean Kiddos

A year after getting married, Ashish and I moved to Hong Kong for three years as his company relocated him. Hong Kong was another one of my homes, as I had family there, and again, the perfect balance of east and west. I loved the hectic, wild, bustling lifestyle the city offered. Lara, our first child was born there, and when she turned one, I could sense Ashish’s pull towards returning home stronger than ever. To me, home was where my family was. To Ashish, Singapore was always and only ever going to be home. He craved the food, his childhood friends, the strong sense of community and the magnetic pull towards a country that he was so proud to be from. In 2011, we moved back with little Lara and then in 2013, our chubby baby boy, Arian was born.

As the kids grew up in Singapore, it was natural for them to be proudly Singaporean. In some moments, I felt a little left out being the only non-Singaporean in the family. As a permanent resident, I still held deep feelings of gratitude towards the country, but it just didn’t feel the same. Every national day, the kids and Ashish would wildly wave their flags (as did I) but this year when I do, it will be with as much pride as they have.

Singapore didn’t question how Singaporean I was, or if I looked Singaporean. This was important to me—being an Indian woman, it is easy to be racially profiled or singled out and I have experienced this all over the world. But Singapore didn’t do that, it opened its arms to me and I fell right in.

Thank You, Singapore

I think it is easy to identify flaws; in people, in ourselves, and especially with Covid-19, within the country that you live in. There are times when I feel as frustrated as anyone else, but I try to realign my thinking.

This year I became a Singapore citizen, and I am so overjoyed to call this country my forever home. I miss my parents and family living in India, but I know that being here is a blessing. I know of so many people aching to return to their native country, and my heart yearns for them. Missing a place, the people, food and culture are in line with who we are, and what we stand for. I have only one reference, and that is to this country which has provided me with safety, security, and the environment for me to cultivate a happy home.

This country has proven to be one built on the foundation of strong, resilient fighters who had the vision and foresight to build and create this island for our current generation to thrive in. It may not be perfect, but truly, nowhere on earth is perfect. I am proud to be a Parsi-Zoroastrian, Indian Singaporean.

Happy birthday Singapore, you have been so good to us.