For Indians living thousands of kilometres away from home, homesickness is not always about missing a country. Sometimes, it is about missing the people, sounds and ordinary routines that made a particular place feel like home.
That is the idea behind a personal Instagram video shared by an Indian woman named Manya, who lives in Canada.
Manya said she eventually realised that she was not actually missing an entire country. What she missed was much more personal: “about six people and one room.”
Her reflection has resonated with other Indians living away from their families, many of whom said they could relate to the feeling of returning home primarily to spend time with loved ones rather than to visit places or recreate familiar experiences.
“I’m homesick for six people and one room”
In her video, Manya explained that she initially struggled to understand why life in Canada could feel familiar while still failing to replace the feeling of home.
She pointed out that many of the things she associated with India could be recreated abroad.
She can prepare parathas herself. She can eat at restaurants serving familiar Indian food. She can celebrate Diwali with diyas, traditional rituals and mithais.
Yet, she said, none of those experiences completely reproduces what she misses.
The reason, she realised, was not the food, festivals or even the country itself.
It was the people who were part of those memories.
The kitchen memories she misses most
Among the memories Manya described was sitting in her mother’s kitchen at around 11 in the morning, waiting for her mother to make parathas.
It was an ordinary routine, but distance has made that ordinary moment precious.
She also remembers her father reading the newspaper and turning its pages while listening to the news.
These are the kinds of details that cannot necessarily be recreated by buying familiar food or following the same traditions abroad.
For Manya, home was attached to the presence of her parents and the small routines they shared.
She even recalled the jhula, or swing, that everyone at home used to fight over.
The memory illustrates how homesickness can sometimes be connected to seemingly insignificant objects and everyday family habits rather than major landmarks.
Why recreating India in Canada wasn’t enough
Manya said she had spent years wondering whether she was being overly picky or simply too attached to nostalgia.
But she eventually concluded that she had been trying to solve the wrong problem.
She did not necessarily need more Indian food, shopping trips or familiar surroundings.
She missed specific people and a particular space where those everyday moments had happened.
That distinction is at the heart of her message.
A person can recreate a meal, decorate a home for Diwali and visit an Indian restaurant, but the emotional meaning of those experiences can remain different when the people who originally shared them are thousands of kilometres away.
“I just want to sit in my mother’s kitchen”
Manya said that on a future visit to India, she would rather spend time differently.
Instead of trying to complete rounds of shopping or visit everyone she knows, she wants to return to the simple routine she remembers.
She said she would prefer to sit in her mother’s kitchen at 11 in the morning for as long as her mother allows.
The comment captures the central idea of her video: after spending time away from home, ordinary moments can become more valuable than elaborate plans.
Manya says the video isn’t about India versus Canada
Manya also made it clear that her message was based on her own experience and was not intended as a comparison between India and Canada.
Her point was about the emotional meaning of home and how living abroad can change the way people understand what they actually miss.
For many expatriates and migrants, the country they left behind can become intertwined with memories of parents, siblings, friends, familiar rooms and daily rituals.
But those things are not always interchangeable.
Social media users relate to her experience
Manya’s reflection prompted other social-media users to share their own experiences of living away from India.
One person wrote:
“When I go to India, I go for my family, my friends and my home.”
Another user said:
“I echo the same feelings.”
A third commenter described becoming emotional at the thought of being away from their parents, even for a relatively short period.
The responses suggest that Manya’s experience is not unique.
Sometimes, home is a handful of people
The emotional appeal of Manya’s story lies in its simplicity.
People who move abroad often spend time trying to recreate the things they associate with home. They look for familiar food, celebrate traditional festivals and stay connected through calls and messages.
But homesickness can persist because what is being missed is not always something that can be purchased, prepared or reproduced.
It may be a mother’s kitchen at a particular hour.
It may be the sound of a father reading the newspaper.
It may be an old swing that siblings once argued over.
Or, as Manya put it, it may simply be six people and one room.
Her story is a reminder that sometimes the place we call home matters because of the people who fill it with memories.
