Paige-Emma Murugan
Image: Supplied
SOUTH Africa is the place I was born into, with a purpose attached to that birth. From the very beginning, my life was shaped here; my paediatrician was a South African male, and my mum’s obstetrician was a white Afrikaans male. Even in those first moments, my identity was already layered, Indian roots, South African soil, and people from different backgrounds guiding me into the world.
That’s why I struggle when people ask me to choose between being Indian first or South African first. My birth itself shows that I’m both. South Africa gave me life, but India gave me heritage. One is the ground I stand on, the other is the history I carry. Together, they make me whole. The other night, my mother and I were discussing it. She asked me what I relate to most. I told her that I am a South African Christian Indian. That’s the truth of it.
My faith shapes how I see the world, my Indian culture gives me depth, and my South African identity grounds me in the place I call home. I don’t have to choose one over the other, as the human race has for generations; they all live inside me at the same time. But even beyond that, I know I am more than just nationality or heritage. I am a child of God, a citizen of heaven, and a passer‑through on this planet.
My ultimate identity isn’t tied to borders or labels, but to eternity. That’s what gives me peace when people try to box me in. I know my worth doesn’t come from choosing one identity over another, but from the One who made me. If I try to separate them, I lose something important. Saying I’m only South African ignores the traditions that shape my family. Saying I’m only Indian denies the country that raised me.
Saying that I’m only a Christian, leaves out the culture and land that make me who I am. So, I don’t choose. I blend. I balance. I carry all of it proudly. Ultimately, wholeness is the determinant. And what makes me whole is the mix of all three in my South African melting-pot life, my Christian faith, and my Indian heritage, living side by side within me. That’s who I am.
Paige-Emma Murugan is a Grade 10 pupil at Crawford International Ruimsig on the West of Johannesburg, South Africa.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.