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The Two-Home Paradox: What We Leave Behind in Hyderabad

There is a specific melancholy that settles in during the final 48 hours before an international flight. My bags are open on the floor in Hyderabad. The weighing scale is sitting nearby—the impartial judge of what stays and what goes.

I am going through the rituals of the diaspora. I am packing the pickles that won’t leak. I am wrapping the fragile items in layers of clothes. I am calculating the time difference between here and Potomac, Maryland.

But this trip was different. Usually, I pack souvenirs. This time, I am packing words.

❖

The Creative Revival

We often treat vacations as a "pause" from work. We say we are going to disconnect. But for me, this trip to Hyderabad was a reconnection.

The change of pace—from the grid of the US to the flow of India—unlocked something I had been neglecting: my writing.

I used these weeks to revive my two passion projects:

  • ReadyThoughts.com: Where I look at leadership, culture, and life through the lens of a quiet observer.
  • CarryOnCurry.com: Where I document the travel, the food, and the changing face of the places we call home.

The observations I’ve shared over the last few weeks—about the "Sesame Protocol" boundaries, the changing tea culture, and the efficiency of Indigo airlines—were born from this time. I needed the noise of Hyderabad to hear my own thoughts again.

What Doesn't Fit in the Suitcase

As I look at my luggage, I realize the most valuable things I picked up on this trip have no physical weight.

I am going back to a life of higher efficiency in the US, but I am taking the "Hyderabad Operating System" with me. The ability to pause. The ability to observe without judging immediately. The discipline to write it down.

"The hardest part of travel isn't the jet lag. It's the realization that you fit perfectly in two places, which means you are always slightly missing one of them."

Join Me on the Journey

I am heading back to Potomac, but the writing will continue. I want to keep sharing these observations with you—whether they are from a boardroom in the US or a street corner in India.

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Shashi Bellamkonda

Shashi Bellamkonda

Digital Marketing Strategist & Thought Leader

Advisor · Educator · Early adopter of social & AI marketing

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