As a child, I went back to the place I was born in India, and I felt something profoundly difficult to process â I felt out of place. In the UK I was Indian, in India I was British.
I was born in Bangalore, but I spent much of my childhood and education in the UK.
I was bullied at school, and often felt like an outsider.
But what was truly painful was the realisation that, when I periodically returned to Bangalore, I felt like an outsider there too.
In the place I am from, where my family is from, I felt like I didnât belong.
The result was a very shy, anxious child who took a long time to come out of his shell, only finding my voice with the support of friends, family and teachers.
And thatâs where I found my home, among people who loved me for who I was.
A community doesnât need to be rooted in location, especially in todayâs world.
It can be a shared passion or goal, or just people who love to see you succeed.
For Mental Health Awareness Week, I want to take the opportunity to encourage my network to find their path, their community and actively seek where they feel safe.
After all, itâs the earth in which weâll grow đ±