Germany (.de)
Rainer Hoerig, 58, Writer/media professional in Pune
In India: 26 years
Settling here was not an easy decision and I took time. I knew if I
confessed my love to Rajashree, I would get married. Everyone would ask
when we would go to Germany, as would have been the usual “foreign boy
takes the girl” way.
India has changed tremendously. I feel at
home. Pune is on top of the pile of globalisation with western culture
spreading to the last corner. Occasionally the thought of leaving India
for Germany comes up, but no decision gets made. We moved to the
outskirts of the city, quite rural, airy and peaceful at that time.
Sadly, that is no longer the case now. The environment is changing
rapidly but we cannot possibly move every five years.
India has
been an open and tolerant society, which has accepted me without any
prejudices. For me as a writer, it is important to live in an atmosphere
which has free speech. Recent trends create some doubts and one needs
to defend this freedom. All democratic forces need to stand together
and counter this in Europe, in the US and in India.