Siam Siam, but different

The reason Indians feel instantly at home in Thailand is because their mix of Hindu and Buddhist traditions so closely mirrors our own, creating a comfort zone abroad

- VIR SANGHVI

Have you ever wondered why there are some countries where Indians feel much more at home than others? Most of us enjoy, say Hong Kong or Manila. But we don't feel particularly at home in either place. In terms of familiarity, we might as well be in Europe or South America.

But I have yet to meet an Indian who doesn't feel at home in Thailand. I have been going there for decades and each time I go, I am more and more convinced that it is because of some ancestral DNA from centuries ago, when our ancestors went to Thailand even more often than we do.

Buddhism, the religion of the vast majority of Thais, came to Thais directly from India. But, and this is less well-known, Hinduism took root so deeply within Thai culture that even today, Buddhist Thais will pray to Hindu gods.

I first noticed this back in 1988. I turned on the TV in my hotel room and one show on one channel seemed familiar even though I could not understand a word the characters were saying. I watched a little longer and realised that it was Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan, dubbed into Thai.

I was a little taken back and asked my Thai hosts if anybody watched it. "Are you kidding?" Thais responded. "This is one of our more popular shows." It turned out that the Ramayan is big in Thailand.