The Missing Part

Aarav got back to his rented apartment after a hectic day at college. It had been 5 months since he had enrolled for a MSc in Computer Science at a prestigious university in the US. Aarav had always been a bright student and so, it was expected of him naturally to have a glorious academic career. After being the valedictorian of his class in his bachelor's degree, he immediately sought for admission in the US which he secured with his good scores. 

It was a routine for him - wake up, go to college, complete his tasks at a part-time job on the concerned days, get back home. 'Home', not really, his rented apartment for now. The initial days had been full of enthusiasm for him, he blended so well with the new culture, inhaling with excitement all the new things which came his way - academics and all that was America. 

However, since the past few days he was not well. Physically, yes, but mentally, he was simply unable to pinpoint what was wrong with him. It was as though he had been missing a part of himself, which part, that was unknown to him. He lacked the enthusiasm of the initial days, the fervor with which he used to embrace a new day, the vigor of going through it. 

Yes, he was missing his parents. Having been close to his parents all his life, leaving them behind was an endeavour, but what were video calls for? They spoke each day without fail. The duration would vary, but they spoke and that's what mattered. Yet, he felt as though some part of him is lost somewhere and he was simply unable to retrieve it. 

The next day, his senior Kabir who was also from India greeted him. They had become really good friends since the past few months. 

"Hey man, how are you?", Kabir asked enthusiastically.

"I am fine bhai. How about you?", Aarav replied with a faint smile. (bhai - brother)

"Aarav, do not misunderstand me man, but I sense something's wrong with you since the past few days. You are not the same Aarav I met a few months back. What is it? You know you can share with me.", Kabir stated with concern. 

"Bhai, its, umm, ..., how do I say? Even I am unable to pinpoint what's wrong. Honestly, I feel like a part of me is missing somewhere and it has made me really restless. I don't know what to do of this?", Aarav replied with tears brimming in his eyes. 

Kabir felt for the poor guy. He glanced at his face for a good two minutes or more. He understood now what had went wrong with his happy Aarav. 

"Dude, you free today? If you are, will you accompany me somewhere? Won't really take a lot of time.", Kabir offered having found the perfect solution to Aarav's problem. 

"Sure bhai, let's go.", Aarav replied forcing a smile on his face. He simply did not want to let his bad mood affect Kabir and so he agreed reluctantly. 

Kabir took Aarav to an Indian restaurant. It wasn't really an upscale one, but the ambience simply caught Aarav's attention. He gawked at the cozy interior. Each wall of the restaurant had a section allocated to an Indian state. As his vision skimmed through the interior, he could see Maharashtrian Puran Poli somewhere and Gujarati Dhokla elsewhere, Rajasthani Ghevar somewhere and Bengali Macher Jhol elsewhere. It was as though; the culture of entire India had been displayed on those walls. Aarav could feel his throat tightening with a familiar nostalgia. It was as though he could once again breathe in the intoxicating aroma of his country within those walls, his beloved India. 

"Aarav, I want you to meet my friends. Come.", Kabir took Aarav's hand thus breaking his trail of thoughts which had for a few moments taken him back to India. 

"Sure bhai. I would love to meet your friends.", Aarav smiled, a genuine smile this time. Kabir grinned internally seeing Aarav returning bits by bits to his original self. 

"These are Vishal, Tina, Niharika, Rajeev. They are also students, just from a different university. Guys, here is Aarav. Let's welcome him to our group.", Kabir introduced Aarav to his friends. 

They all cheered and clapped. Rajeev patted Aarav's back and said with a smile, "Welcome bro."

"Thank you guys, means a lot.", Aarav grinned shyly overwhelmed with their welcoming nature. 

"But bhai, which group are y'all speaking about?", Aarav questioned, confused.

"Okay, let me tell you. Aarav, the last year when I came to the US, I was the same as you, enthusiastic initially and then, as you said, something was missing. Something deep within. I could not just feel good. That's when I met these guys, by the way, that's an even interesting story, but it's for some other day, and then we found this restaurant.", Kabir explained patiently. 

"You know what I had been missing? Our India, our country, our culture, the people, the food, the aroma, basically all of what we had been used to once and had to leave behind. I think now you must have gotten it.", Kabir looked at Aarav expectantly. 

It was then that all started making sense to Aarav. It was his Indianness that he had been missing from within. The culture that he had been born and brought up in, that he had been missing. He had been missing his beloved nation, his India. 

He glanced towards Kabir gratefully and said, "Thanks bhai."

"Dude, you do not need to thank me at all. After all, aren't we brothers? You know, we cannot bring India here, but we can connect ourselves with what we had left behind by just basking in whatever we have here. This group, we meet up once or twice a month here and just celebrate our Indianness. It makes up for a lot.", Kabir said with a wide grin on his face and nostalgia seeping through his eyes. 

"Okay guys, enough of your emotional stuff. Let's celebrate Aarav's entry in our group with some wonderful Punjabi cuisine. What say?", Niharika exclaimed happily to which everyone nodded and cheered in affirmation. 

Yes, Aarav had left behind a part of himself while coming here but he was glad to have met his Kabir bhai who helped him cope up with that.