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#NoVisa — A life in India 4

Gilles Denizot
3 min readSep 7, 2024

A close-up view of a person’s hand wearing a ring, resting on their lap, pointed shoes and a bag partially visible in the background, evoking memories of travel.

A close-up view of a person’s hand wearing a ring, resting on their lap, pointed shoes and a bag partially visible in the background, evoking memories of travel. #NoVisa — A life in India 4 © 2012 GILLESDENIZOT
#NoVisa — A life in India 4 © March 2012 Gilles Denizot

At that moment, my life was already parting. Was I aware of it? In part, I guess.

March 2012. Three months had passed since my arrival in India. It was the last leg of my contract. My Foundation students would enter the examination phase of their academic year. In April, my work being done, I would be returning to Hamburg:

Somewhere, far ahead, there were rocks and grass and homes.
A harbour, a haven and a halt.
#NoVisa — A life in India 2

The temperature was rising in Chennai. Not a drop of rain since the end of the monsoon.

Meanwhile, I could feel the cold taking hold of Hamburg. That long, dreaded winter I had escaped was relentlessly doing its deconstructing job. The space between both my homes was turning into distance. Not on my side, mind you. So, I decided to take the weekend off, packed a small bag, threw on a coat and flew for 13 hours.

ARRIVE & MEET

Upon landing, the crisp, pure air of the Hanseatic city welcomed me. Then, silence enveloped me. An empty, soundless sea. How quickly I had got used to the noise, the pollution, the smells, the chaotic way of life in India. We…

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Gilles Denizot
Gilles Denizot

Written by Gilles Denizot

When India refused to renew my work visa, I set out on a journey here & there. Then, I began writing stories that nobody reads… https://gillesdenizot.space

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