Manipal to Melaka - One Year Later

 

The beautiful Melaka

One Year in Melaka

On this day, 3rd May, last year, we moved to Melaka.

This was after living for 20 years in Manipal, a place we had made our home.

It was always meant to be a tough call. I have not moved enough in life to make moving cities feel normal. When I was 17, I moved from a small town, Talcher, to Bangalore for graduation. After that, in 2005, it was Manipal for post-graduation.

And it was Manipal since then.

Leaving Manipal

The thought of changing workplace had been in the offing for some time, to be honest. And among the choices, Malaysia seemed the most appropriate one.

Appropriate because it was the parent program we were teaching. Appropriate because Malaysia is relatively closer to India. Also appropriate because there is no drastic cultural change.

But theory and practice are different, of course.

There was a certain ecosystem I had developed in Manipal. Friends cutting across all categories, colleagues, contacts, organizational work, the goodwill of a vast number of people, and the home that we built ourselves.

Our home in Manipal

In 17 years of working, and 3 years as a postgraduate student, there was a lot that Manipal meant.

It was not easy to leave it all behind.

Because moving is never just about changing a city or a workplace. It is also about stepping away from routines, familiar faces, old comforts, and the invisible support system that quietly holds daily life together.

Arriving in Melaka

When we landed after a tiring flight, it was a Saturday. We were lucky to have a few ex-colleagues who made moving in comfortable.

I joined Manipal University College Malaysia on 5th May. The Fourth was with us. :P

The initial few weeks were not easy. There was the usual uncertainty that comes with settling into a new place. New systems, new roads, new routines, new ways of getting things done.

But easing into Malaysia was eventually not that difficult.

Malaysia was welcoming.

The workplace and colleagues have been welcoming. Slowly, I eased into work. Thanks to the top management, I also got into a few organizational activities, something I cherish.

But essentially, I love teaching. That is something I will always find an opportunity to do to the best of my abilities. Student experience is something that, as a teacher, has always been and will always be my focus.

Work & Teaching 

In this one year, I started an innovative biochemistry learning drive in the department. Under it, we will hold a unique theater competition this week.

Our interest in Extended Reality also helped us do interesting things in Malaysia. It also got us invited to Monash University, one of Malaysia’s top universities, as guest speakers at their medical education conference.

These are the kinds of academic and organizational opportunities that make the transition meaningful.

MUCM comes with a 28-year legacy of medical education, and it feels special to become a small part of that continuing journey. To contribute to an institution with such a history, while also being part of its next phase of growth, is something I deeply value.

MUCM campus pic I took on 3rd May 2025

In many ways, work gave me rhythm. Teaching gave me familiarity. Students gave me purpose. And the possibility of building something new gave me the energy to look ahead.

Personal Side of Moving

In this one year, I also did the interesting thing of getting a driving license and a car. The driving license process was a real long and learning process. It warrants a separate blog post.

Car in Nov 2025

On the home front, the cancer diagnosis of my mother-in-law last year made things more complex.

In the past year, we have also connected with a couple of friends from early years, and that has been interesting.

Yes, it has not been easy for me.

As most NRIs will vouch, the big change is doing household chores by yourself. Washing utensils takes a lot of time. Lol.

There are small things that one learns only after moving. That comfort has to be rebuilt. That convenience has to be earned again. That a new place becomes familiar not suddenly, but slowly, through repeated acts of everyday living.

A Year Later

There is a lot more to discover in Melaka. The pace of the city, the quiet, does feel like Manipal sometimes.

There is also a lot to discover in Malaysia, and hopefully we will get to do it more.

One year later, the move still feels significant. But it no longer feels only like a disruption. It feels like a new chapter that has slowly started finding its own rhythm.

There is nostalgia for Manipal, and I think that will remain. It should remain. Twenty years cannot and should not disappear. 

But there is also gratitude now for the people who helped us settle in, for colleagues who made the workplace warm, for students who made teaching meaningful, and for the opportunities that came along the way.

Melaka has been kind in its own quiet way.

A year ago, we arrived with fatigue, uncertainty and many questions. Today, there is still much to figure out, but there is also a sense of beginning again. A sense that one can build, contribute, learn, and belong in a new place too.

Hopefully, the coming years will allow us to understand Melaka better, experience Malaysia more fully, and contribute meaningfully to the institution and community we are now part of.

For now, one year later, I can say this: the move was difficult, but it was worth taking