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Searching for Home: Stories of Indians Living Abroad
A compelling chronicle of what it means to be Indian in a foreign land.
In an age when India is one of the strongest emerging markets and a developing superpower, tens of thousands of Indians leave the country each year to seek new lives on distant shores. What are they looking for and what do they really find?
In a first-of-its-kind narrative, journalist and American expat Simran Chawla documents the contemporary Indian immigrant experience in various corners of the world – from Alaska to the UK, Europe to Africa, the Americas to the Middle East. In this book, she tells the story of families like the Singhs who farm in the heartland of Italy just south of Verona; discovers the lucrative Indian wedding industry in the Gulf or United Arab Emirates; learns about the community of ʻaunties’ in Orlando who have found meaning in their lives once again by organizing sewing get-togethers; watches a cricket match between diamond traders in Antwerp; and explores the heartbreaking price of living illegally in London.
In lucid, affecting prose, Searching for Home tells the stories of people who, though separated by thousands of kilometres, share experiences that continue to bind them to their homeland.
In an age when India is one of the strongest emerging markets and a developing superpower, tens of thousands of Indians leave the country each year to seek new lives on distant shores. What are they looking for and what do they really find?
In a first-of-its-kind narrative, journalist and American expat Simran Chawla documents the contemporary Indian immigrant experience in various corners of the world – from Alaska to the UK, Europe to Africa, the Americas to the Middle East. In this book, she tells the story of families like the Singhs who farm in the heartland of Italy just south of Verona; discovers the lucrative Indian wedding industry in the Gulf or United Arab Emirates; learns about the community of ʻaunties’ in Orlando who have found meaning in their lives once again by organizing sewing get-togethers; watches a cricket match between diamond traders in Antwerp; and explores the heartbreaking price of living illegally in London.
In lucid, affecting prose, Searching for Home tells the stories of people who, though separated by thousands of kilometres, share experiences that continue to bind them to their homeland.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2018
3 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 10, 2018
Hello lovelies! I hope you guys had an Happy weekend
Today we are going to talk about a beautiful book which has some really touching stories of Indians based in foriegn lands.
Book : Searching for Home: stories of Indians living abroad.
Author: Simran Chawla
Publisher: Hachette india
Pages: 214 ; price: rs.399
Review-
This book is a Chronicle of how Indians are spending their lives away from their Homeland.
Home is the place where you find your solace in. It's really difficult to be away from your motherland. It is really hard to pour those complex emotions in a book and making it interesting at the same time. But author's writing style has made it possible here. She has written about the story of well-settled NRIs to illegal immigrants. She has succeeded in retelling the lifestories of indian community based in canada and other parts of this world like middle east, italy, london, and many more. She has aptly depicted that ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD through the stories of her book. There is a craze to migrate in these foreign lands to earn a fortune but that's not the case always. There are many difficulties and thorny roads in this journey of becoming an immigrant. This book is a perfect blend of interesting stories and harsh reality of being an immigrant. This book makes us realize the value of our country india without defaming other countries. I didn't find any glitches or flaws in this book to point out!
The cover, title, writing style, everything is just perfect.
Simran chawla is a journalist and is currently living in UK. This is her second book and it shows her experience in this field! She has done a vast and proper research for this book and it's impressive.
Today we are going to talk about a beautiful book which has some really touching stories of Indians based in foriegn lands.
Book : Searching for Home: stories of Indians living abroad.
Author: Simran Chawla
Publisher: Hachette india
Pages: 214 ; price: rs.399
Review-
This book is a Chronicle of how Indians are spending their lives away from their Homeland.
Home is the place where you find your solace in. It's really difficult to be away from your motherland. It is really hard to pour those complex emotions in a book and making it interesting at the same time. But author's writing style has made it possible here. She has written about the story of well-settled NRIs to illegal immigrants. She has succeeded in retelling the lifestories of indian community based in canada and other parts of this world like middle east, italy, london, and many more. She has aptly depicted that ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD through the stories of her book. There is a craze to migrate in these foreign lands to earn a fortune but that's not the case always. There are many difficulties and thorny roads in this journey of becoming an immigrant. This book is a perfect blend of interesting stories and harsh reality of being an immigrant. This book makes us realize the value of our country india without defaming other countries. I didn't find any glitches or flaws in this book to point out!
The cover, title, writing style, everything is just perfect.
Simran chawla is a journalist and is currently living in UK. This is her second book and it shows her experience in this field! She has done a vast and proper research for this book and it's impressive.
May 20, 2025
‘Searching for Home’ offers an exploration of the Indian diaspora’s complex relationship with identity, belonging and displacement. Through intimate narratives of immigrants scattered across the globe, the book captures the bittersweet duality of building lives abroad while clinging to roots left behind.
The book opens in London’s Southall where Kamaljeet, an undocumented labourer embodies the harsh realities of illegal migration amid economic decline and vanishing opportunities. His yearning for home contrasts sharply with Onkar’s story in Cremona, Italy. Though Onkar fulfills his dream of constructing a lavish house in Punjab, his children’s Italian upbringing renders his return futile.
In Montreal , Mohamad navigates linguistic barriers and pragmatic choices, studying in French speaking Canada for affordability, yet already eyeing Vancouver’s promise. Meanwhile, Antwerp’s diamond trade reveals Ahalya’s Gujarati Jain family whose multigenerational global network thrives on strategic kinship ties, balancing Belgian success with annual pilgrimages to India.
The author’s lens extends further, weaving in tales of Indians in Washington DC (her former home), Florida’s sun-soaked enclaves, Alaska’s icy frontiers as well as Dubai. These stories too reflect the diaspora’s diversity, each navigating cultural assimilation and the quiet ache of nostalgia.
Whether depicting silent mansions in Punjab or bustling immigrant corridors like Montréal’s Park Extension, Chawla underscores a universal truth- “home” is both a memory and a mirage. A heartfelt tribute to resilience and the enduring pull of heritage, this book resonates with anyone who has ever straddled two worlds.
The book opens in London’s Southall where Kamaljeet, an undocumented labourer embodies the harsh realities of illegal migration amid economic decline and vanishing opportunities. His yearning for home contrasts sharply with Onkar’s story in Cremona, Italy. Though Onkar fulfills his dream of constructing a lavish house in Punjab, his children’s Italian upbringing renders his return futile.
In Montreal , Mohamad navigates linguistic barriers and pragmatic choices, studying in French speaking Canada for affordability, yet already eyeing Vancouver’s promise. Meanwhile, Antwerp’s diamond trade reveals Ahalya’s Gujarati Jain family whose multigenerational global network thrives on strategic kinship ties, balancing Belgian success with annual pilgrimages to India.
The author’s lens extends further, weaving in tales of Indians in Washington DC (her former home), Florida’s sun-soaked enclaves, Alaska’s icy frontiers as well as Dubai. These stories too reflect the diaspora’s diversity, each navigating cultural assimilation and the quiet ache of nostalgia.
Whether depicting silent mansions in Punjab or bustling immigrant corridors like Montréal’s Park Extension, Chawla underscores a universal truth- “home” is both a memory and a mirage. A heartfelt tribute to resilience and the enduring pull of heritage, this book resonates with anyone who has ever straddled two worlds.
December 15, 2018
Searching for Home by Simran Chawla is a novel that carries with itself the emotions of the Indians living abroad yet yearning to return to the homeland India.
People migrate to abroad in search of better financial opportunities, better lifestyle status and to send monies back to India to their families residing in. Some people settle there after achieveing a proper lifestyle status but yet maintain the Indian traditions and cultures even in the foreign lands because they miss the authentic tastes of Indian food, they miss the busy streets hovering with the paddlers, they miss the colourful festivals and most importantly they miss spending time with their families and friends. Author has perfectly stated the difficulties faced by the migrants when they first arrived abroad and how they went from the rags to the riches. Author has even stated the stastical researches that have been conducted regarding the migrants going abroad.
The book has been written beautifully and the cover has taken away my heart . The cover of the book is beautiful just like the stories within are.
Mostly, what captures the reader's attention is the way the author has described the emotions of the migrants relating to how they miss their homeland India and how they still cherish and nurture the time they had spent in their homeland.
Truely a compelling chronicle of what it means to be Indian in a foreign land.
People migrate to abroad in search of better financial opportunities, better lifestyle status and to send monies back to India to their families residing in. Some people settle there after achieveing a proper lifestyle status but yet maintain the Indian traditions and cultures even in the foreign lands because they miss the authentic tastes of Indian food, they miss the busy streets hovering with the paddlers, they miss the colourful festivals and most importantly they miss spending time with their families and friends. Author has perfectly stated the difficulties faced by the migrants when they first arrived abroad and how they went from the rags to the riches. Author has even stated the stastical researches that have been conducted regarding the migrants going abroad.
The book has been written beautifully and the cover has taken away my heart . The cover of the book is beautiful just like the stories within are.
Mostly, what captures the reader's attention is the way the author has described the emotions of the migrants relating to how they miss their homeland India and how they still cherish and nurture the time they had spent in their homeland.
Truely a compelling chronicle of what it means to be Indian in a foreign land.
June 17, 2020
Beautifully written. Highly recommend for those interested in learning more about the Indian diaspora or those looking to better understand the immigrant experience. Powerful stories of family, love, and the universal understanding of what it means to feel at “home.”
April 11, 2023
While the book may feel stereotypical from the cover, it is quite honest and eloquently written. It reads like first-account journalism/stories of expats. Sometimes the stories do tend to go overlong, but overall it was a nice read.
December 7, 2022
Extremely gripping! Definitely expresses the raw truth, the two sides to it, and also takes care of the illusion that the best life lies abroad for Indians. Beautiful, daring story!!!!
March 3, 2019
Book Review-
📖Hola amigos,
❤️This book really touched my heart, as the feelings attached to this book cannot be told just in a few words. I myself from the age of 14 living away from my home, from boarding schools to college, from places like Indore, Bhopal, Hyderabad to Mumbai,the journey has been a roller Coaster ride.
❤️In an age when India is one of the strongest emerging markets and a developing superpower, tens of thousands of Indians leave the country each year to seek new lives on distant shores. What are they looking for and what do they really find?
❤️Its been known fact that 60% of Canada's population is Indian. USA has another 15% Indians living. Everyone is searching for their home. But whatever country they visit, the ultimate home is India.
📖Here in the book, The Author has described her feelings by exploring the journey of 8 major cities of World. She herself is born and brought up at Virginia, so she could relate it easily.
❤️The Book has been divided into 8 Cities like London, Cremona, Montreal, Belgium, Dubai, Alaska, Florida and Washington.
📖The Book describes the families of singhs in Italy who farms, Indian wedding industry in UAE, communities of aunties in Orlando, experiences of living illegally in London etc.
❤️Its a compelling chronicle of what it means to be Indian in a foreign land. It recounts the experiences of people who, though separated by thousands of kilometres, Share their experiences that continue to bind them to their homeland.
📖Highly recommended book.
📖My Rating for this book is 4.5/5
Book Cover is beautifully designed 4.5/5
❤️
📖Hola amigos,
❤️This book really touched my heart, as the feelings attached to this book cannot be told just in a few words. I myself from the age of 14 living away from my home, from boarding schools to college, from places like Indore, Bhopal, Hyderabad to Mumbai,the journey has been a roller Coaster ride.
❤️In an age when India is one of the strongest emerging markets and a developing superpower, tens of thousands of Indians leave the country each year to seek new lives on distant shores. What are they looking for and what do they really find?
❤️Its been known fact that 60% of Canada's population is Indian. USA has another 15% Indians living. Everyone is searching for their home. But whatever country they visit, the ultimate home is India.
📖Here in the book, The Author has described her feelings by exploring the journey of 8 major cities of World. She herself is born and brought up at Virginia, so she could relate it easily.
❤️The Book has been divided into 8 Cities like London, Cremona, Montreal, Belgium, Dubai, Alaska, Florida and Washington.
📖The Book describes the families of singhs in Italy who farms, Indian wedding industry in UAE, communities of aunties in Orlando, experiences of living illegally in London etc.
❤️Its a compelling chronicle of what it means to be Indian in a foreign land. It recounts the experiences of people who, though separated by thousands of kilometres, Share their experiences that continue to bind them to their homeland.
📖Highly recommended book.
📖My Rating for this book is 4.5/5
Book Cover is beautifully designed 4.5/5
❤️
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews