As the day dawns, I rejoice that it’s a holiday. At the same time, the next thought strikes. Why not sit back and reflect on the things I love about this country? What better day to do so than on Singapore’s National Day?

Feeling at home:

I come from a small yet cosmopolitan town of Pondicherry. I have always lived within a community which has a variety of ethnicity and race. Perhaps, that’s why, since my first visit to Singapore in 2001, I have felt, totally at ease in this country. It was small, but big enough for my tastes. Many find it claustrophobic, sterile, boring, I don’t, and perhaps I never will.

Last evening, my mother and I boarded the bus no. 36, on Orchard Road, to come back home. As she looked out of the window, taking in the tall skyscrapers housing offices, and the five-star hotels, she turned back to me and said, “I have become so blasé! I have stopped reminding myself that I am in a foreign country, a popular tourist spot and that I am lucky to be here. It has become just another place, that you call home.”

Sense of security:

During a recent get-together of old friends, someone (she also lives here) mentioned, that Singapore gives a false sense of security. She meant that because everyone claims that Singapore is one of the safest nations in the world, we tend to relax our guard and lose our alertness. In the long run, for Indians, who relocate every few years, it might be detrimental, and psychologically, a little scary.

I see it a little differently, for I rejoice in the fact that it is so safe. For me, that spells, total freedom and independence. Coming from India, it’s a big, big luxury. Even if I do not go out every weekend partying, nor do I enjoy late night walks, runs, or drives, I appreciate the opportunity to choose.

Unlike my friends, I enjoy watching movies alone in cinema theatres, having solitary meals in restaurants, and attending events without company. I love this stress-free “me time”, which is rare, almost non-existent in India. This freedom is at the core of my affection for this country.

Proximity to Pondicherry:

When my parents were looking for a groom, I always insisted that I would like to live in India, since, I am the eldest child, and held myself responsible for my aging parents. But somewhere at the back of my mind, buried deep in my heart, was a prayer, that if I had to live abroad, I would like to live in Singapore. My marriage to an IT professional granted that unspoken desire. It’s an easy distance from Chennai, just a short flight away. My fretful nature was appeased, and my wings were set free to fly.

An Opportunity:

When I first shifted here, I had thought that it would be easy to get a job. Six months later, I was absolutely depressed. I knew no one in the large condominium that I lived in and I had no work. My social life and my career were at a standstill. For a person, who has worked since graduation, has been used to earning and spending her own money, it was a disaster. On top of it all, the marriage between two opposite personalities needed a lot of adjustment. At the darkest hour, it was my husband who encouraged me to start my own venture of making Indian sweets on order for my friends and neighbours. Within two months, I registered the company and a brand name. The entrepreneurial genes from my Bengali father and the business acumen of my Gujarati mother, were well aided by the MBA training. Oh, I cannot express the joy of building something new (however small, rather on a minuscule scale), something you can call your own; a feeling that no one can take away from you. It was all possible because Singapore has a well-established set of guidelines and systems that makes it easy for any newcomer to find her foothold and put down roots.

To conclude…

No country is flawless. No place is totally safe. We live in a world that is constantly changing, be it the climate, the political powers or the religious and social structures. Yet in this boiling cauldron of constant strife, Singapore to me is a calm oasis. A place, seemingly undisturbed by the surrounding warfare, just as the laid-back town of Pondicherry is from the rest of chaotic India.

Often when I travel alone by local buses or metros, I quietly contemplate my decisions and feel grateful for where I am today. In this beautiful country, which gives each person a chance to shape his future just the way he envisaged it!

I salute you, Singapore, for being such a wonderful place! Happy Birthday! Majulah Singapura!