Digital art print of the original artwork. 
Media: Giclée print on archival paper.
Size: A5
 
Floating in the Indian Ocean, wedged between Mauritius and Madagascar, Réunion Island is a French outpost with a soul shaped by Africa, India, China, and Europe. Indian indentured labourers arrived in the 19th century, losing their names, faith, and homeland—but never their resilience. Over time, they forged a unique identity, blending languages, religions, and cuisines into something truly their own.
 
Mary Theresa Subramaniam: Indian by Blood, French by Identity
At Saint-Pierre market, Mary Theresa Subramaniam has been selling hats for 30 years. Though her South Indian features hint at her roots, she speaks only French and feels no connection to India—a familiar story among Réunion’s Indian-origin community. Her grandfather abandoned his family, leaving her grandmother to raise nine children alone. She survived by selling vegetables, turning hardship into a new beginning.
 
Balaram: The Priest Who Speaks to the Goddess in French
The Mahakali de Bazaar temple in Saint-Pierre is a small but striking presence, its walls peeling but its goddess standing tall. Balaram, the temple priest, traces his roots to Pondicherry but, like most Indians here, speaks only French at home. Unlike many, though, he still connects to India, travelling to Kanchipuram every year to study Sanskrit. Standing outside, eating kesari prashad, it struck me—all prayers here are in French. But faith? Faith needs no language.
 
Jacky Auromougam: The Chef Who Turned Memory into Flavour
Sitting in a beach shack, I enjoyed a picnic with Jacky Auromougam, a celebrity chef whose ancestors came from Bengal and South India. His best dishes? Inspired by his grandmother’s secret recipes. While Réunion’s Indian labourers lost their names and faith, they clung to their food. Curry became cari, and today, it’s the island’s most beloved dish. Garam massale, kaloupile (curry leaves), and achards (pickle)—every bite carries a piece of India, even if its people no longer do.
 
Abdel Kader: The Samoussa Master
At a hole-in-the-wall stall in Saint-Pierre, Abdel Kader and his family serve up the island’s favourite snack—samoussas. Tracing his roots back to Morocco, he carries on a tradition that has evolved over centuries. Réunion’s samoussas are smaller than their Indian counterparts, with fillings as varied as the people—beef, chicken, crab, cheese, and even pineapple. His crab samoussa is legendary, but the stall is just as famous for its bonbons piments, a spicy cousin of the South Indian vada.
 
Identities here are fluid, faiths blend, and history lingers in the food and language. These stories reminded me of one truth—people adapt, but they never truly forget where they come from.