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eb. 17, p. 1

It was a cloudy day in January as I passed by the Kota area in West Jakarta. I looked around and thought, “what a change from yesteryear — the shops are now selling items like food and decor openly for Chinese New Year celebrations”.

I suddenly remembered my heyday 30-years-ago in another Asian city, where our celebrations had to be contained. (By Aruna Harjani)

Your comments:

It’s nice to read the writer’s Valentine’s Day wish and appreciation of our welcome. The sports, film, drama and textile industries are almost dominated by Indian Sindis and Punjabis.

As Indonesians welcomed this community with open arms and allowed them to share the wealth of this land, culture and extended respect, it’s fair to say that in practice the Indian community is still far away from offering real thanks and appreciation to their hosts.

I hope Indians and other outsiders take practical steps to appreciate the host country and its people.

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