Born Restless — On Wanderlust, Ancestry, and a Dream Called India

I can be perfectly comfortable at home and still find myself looking at a map. The next journey is often somewhere in the background of my thoughts, whether or not there is a practical reason to plan one. India has occupied a particularly persistent corner of that map.

Curiosity, food, landscapes and the pleasure of being somewhere unfamiliar all help explain the attraction. I do not need a single grand explanation for it, although an old family story once made me wonder about another possible connection.

There is an unverified family story about possible Romani ancestry. I have not established it through records, so it remains a question rather than part of a proven family history. Nor would it explain a love of travel: reducing Romani people to a romantic idea of wandering would turn other people’s history into a convenient description of my personality.

When strangers hold up a mirror: “Are you Indian?”

On several trips, Indian people have assumed I was Indian too. I remember those conversations because they surprised me and connected with a country I had already wanted to visit.

Those encounters surprised me, but impressions of my appearance are not evidence of ancestry.

The Council of Europe’s Roma history factsheets explain origins in the Indian subcontinent and subsequent migration. That wider history is separate from my unverified family story.

India has lived in my head since I was a kid

My interest in India began with the pictures and place names of my younger years: cities, temples, rivers and railway stations on a scale I had not experienced. The postcards, maps and books behind my travel curiosity gave distant places a place in my imagination long before I could book a flight.

Food is a less mysterious part of the attraction. I love Indian food: the spices, variety and pleasure of a good meal. No genealogy is required to explain why I keep looking forward to the next curry.

You might reasonably ask why I had not already made the trip. I have asked myself the same thing.

A First Stop in India, but Not the Visit I Had Planned

I had been on Indian soil, but had not made a proper sightseeing journey there.

The medical diversion to Hyderabad gave us a hotel stay, road transfers and a glimpse of the city. It was a memorable arrival, but it did not answer the much older wish to travel around the country. Reaching a place unexpectedly and spending time there by choice are quite different experiences.

Why India never materialised: the planning trap

I had tried planning India more than once. Each time, the number of possibilities became the problem. A route that began as a manageable trip kept acquiring another place I thought I should not miss.

North or south? Rajasthan or Kerala? Cities, hills, historic sites and time simply to be somewhere? Then the available time and budget entered the conversation and looked unimpressed.

When every idea becomes essential, the journey can remain permanently in the planning stage. A smaller first visit might make more sense than trying to fit an entire country into one itinerary.

Family History Needs More Than a Feeling

I have considered ancestry testing. MedlinePlus explains that ancestry tests offer clues and have limitations, including the reference groups used to interpret results. Records, names and places would also matter if I chose to investigate the family story.

What I do know is that India still interests me. I would like to arrive with enough time and a realistic route, rather than wait for a perfect plan that keeps expanding beyond the calendar.

Sri Lanka became a favourite in its own right, beginning with my first journey outside Europe. Its place in my life deserves its own story, not simply a supporting role in the India dream.

India, Eventually

I hope so. Preferably with an itinerary that leaves room to eat, look around and change my mind.

Lizz & Andi