Swami Brahm Bodhi

Travelogue – 1

Three Decades Later: A Return to England

— Brahm Bodhi

It was the year 1996 when I first came to England.
That period, filled with youthful energy, curiosity, and a deep urge to understand an unseen world, remains fresh in my memory even today.

Most of my time was spent in Yorkshire — a place of serene beauty and historic charm that left a lasting impression on my heart. During that stay, I also had the opportunity to visit Northern Ireland, Scotland, and London.

Time turns its wheel ceaselessly.
Nearly thirty years later, destiny once again brought me to England — and I found myself standing at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The same country, the same air, the same names — and yet, the experience felt somehow new.

This time, I realized that India’s airports, especially those in Delhi and Bengaluru, have now surpassed Heathrow in both modernity and efficiency.
The very nation we once looked up to as a model now seemed a little different while India, once called a “developing country,” appeared radiant with self-confidence and vitality.

An Old Memory

A small incident from thirty years ago still lingers vividly in my mind.
I was sitting at a bus station in Birmingham, beside an elderly British gentleman.
With simple curiosity, he asked,

“Which country are you from?”

I replied, “From India.”

He paused for a moment, gazing at the sky, as though trying to locate India on the map of his mind. Then, slowly he said,

“Oh! That poor country… India!”

There was no contempt in his voice, but a subtle tone of pity.
At that moment, a faint sting arose within me — as if someone had called the very soul of my nation impoverished.

India Today — A New Experience

Now, standing on the same soil after so many years, the scene felt different.
Heathrow Airport no longer appeared as grand as before; the shine of its walls had dimmed a little, and even the glow on people’s faces seemed reduced.

In contrast, India’s airports — with their cleanliness, management, and dignity — now stand on par with, those of many developed nations.

The world is changing. Nations are changing.
And India — India has awakened with a new consciousness.

Yet, not all changes are the same.

When I first came here, one British pound was equal to ₹70;
today it is around ₹120.
At that time, one US dollar was about ₹27;
today it is close to ₹100.

Currencies have changed, values have changed —
but the greatest transformation is in India’s mindset.

It is no longer the “poor and helpless India” once pitied by others.
It is now a self-assured India — a nation offering the world new perspectives through its wisdom, culture, and progress.

In the End

Much has changed over these three decades,
yet one thing remains the same —
the eternal human quest:
the search to gain, to know,
and ultimately, to discover the Divine within oneself.

The air of Heathrow still carries the same chill,
but somewhere within me burns a new warmth —
the flame of India’s awakened soul,
ready now to illumine the world.