The greatest journeys are the ones that bring you home...

The sun, the sea, the waves that break around the shores of this pearl shaped island. A journey from the southern coast to the far north tip of the country. Discovery of a rich culture long forgotten or lesser known. An attempt to rekindle the warmth of friendships and of loves so profound.

Jaffna, the historic and exotic city cradled in the top most peninsula of Sri Lanka, is home to around 100, 000 people, predominantly Tamil. The nexus of vibrant Tamil art, literature and architecture the city stands out with its uniqueness of culture and we are set off for a journey to explore its resplendence.

Today, after long decades of war, just like any other post-war society, Jaffna is rising again with its majestic identity. With ruins of a long fought war the city seems to fight against the vices of violence with a touch of modernity and sophistication. For us the southerners she seems both strange yet curious. We roam about exploring its architecture, historical ruins that dates back to colonial times, the dilapidated palace complexes, fortresses by colonizers and mansions of the unknown deserted and hidden.

But what would it be like to take a big leap out of your comfort zone? And, what would it be like to get lost in a land alien to your everyday life? What would it be like to lose everything you believed in another man’s land? What would it be like to be alone among a crowd of nameless faceless strangers?

Let me tell you, life is not always a nightmare! Sometimes it is where you feel the most insecure the deepest loves are found. Sometimes, you need to fall in life to realize what you have been cared less for. I lost, I fell which made me confide, seek refuge and solace inside another man’s temple and got actually pacified, answered and rescued by a God whom I never believed in, never knew of.

And my take from this journey was that important wisdom. The wisdom that we are all strands of one colorful tapestry woven by different mothers, different gods, yet the same warmth, same love, same courage runs through all of us. It is only when you take the big stride of transcending your comfort zones, fears and hesitations, the impossible becomes possible and love becomes unconditional.

For me it was not a mere journey to a community different from my own, for me it was a soul search, a journey that cleansed me of emotional baggage, both personal and ethnic. A pilgrimage to the city of love and warmth to rediscover and rekindle the bonds we had long taken for granted.