© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Journalism of Courage
Premium
‘India has everything except freedom, cleanliness and higher pay’: Woman returns home after 5 years of ‘dream life’ in London
The woman shared how leaving home as a teenager left her barely knowing who she was, and how she has now come back “as a woman with fire in her soul.”
She opened up about the highs and lows of her time abroad in her post
Content creator Jigeesha Gupta has touched hearts online with a heartfelt reflection on her return to India, five years after moving to London. In an emotional Instagram post, she shared how leaving home as a teenager left her “barely knowing who I was,” and how she has now come back “as a woman with fire in her soul.”
“After 5 years in London, I’m home. Five years. 1,825 days. A lifetime of growth compressed into what feels like both forever and a blink of an eye. I left India at 19, barely knowing who I was, carrying dreams bigger than my suitcase. London didn’t just welcome me, it raised me,” Gupta wrote.
She opened up about the highs and lows of her time abroad. “Through the loneliness of those first winter nights, the joy of finding my tribe, the heartbreak that taught me resilience, and the victories that felt impossible just years ago. I’ve cried on the tube, danced in tiny flats, worked jobs that broke me and others that built me. I’ve been homesick and home-found all at once.”
Gupta said London gave her invaluable gifts: confidence she hadn’t realised she had, new perspectives, friendships that spanned continents, and a renewed sense of identity. “The version of me that could dream fearlessly, love deeply, and stand tall through any storm,” she wrote, “was born there.”
Yet returning to India has been a complex, emotional experience. “Now as I step back onto Indian soil, I’m not the same person who left. I’m carrying pieces of two worlds, two cultures, two versions of home,” she reflected.
Take a look at the post:\
View this post on Instagram
She also added that posting about her homecoming took time, as she needed a month to process the emotional shift. “This isn’t goodbye to London—it’s hello to the next chapter,” Gupta wrote.
Her words struck a chord with many followers who shared similar experiences. “Hey! Have same story as yours.. left India when I was 17, lived in UK for 5 years moved back home. I feel each work of yours.. lots of love, growth and happiness,” wrote a user.
Story continues below this ad
Another user commented, “Sailing the same boat except for freedom, cleanliness and higher pay…. I think India has everything that we missed in the UK.”
A third person said, “It’s been 3 months, I’m still can’t accept the reality , but yeh you took the words right out of my mouth.”
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
Live Blog