‘Everything is the same!': Brit influencer who once lived in India breaks down seeing his childhood home

Time of India

01-05-2025

Raph Leng, a London-based content creator, revisited his childhood home in India. After sixteen years, he shared his emotional journey on Instagram. The video shows Leng's reaction to seeing his old house. Viewers connected with his feelings of nostalgia. Many shared their own stories of leaving their childhood homes. Leng continues to document his time in India, sharing more memories.
Revisiting the place where you grew up, after spending years away, can feel as if you're stepping into a moment frozen in time.
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Revisiting the place where you grew up, after spending years away, can feel as if you're stepping into a moment frozen in time. For one man of Indian descent who has lived in the United Kingdom for over a decade and a half, this return to his roots brought with it a wave of nostalgia, emotion, and reflection.Raph Leng, a content creator currently based in London, recently made an emotional pilgrimage back to the home in India where he spent his formative years. After 16 years abroad, Leng finally walked once again through the doorways of his childhood. He captured the poignant moments on camera and shared them through a heartfelt video on Instagram, which has since deeply resonated with viewers across the world.In the emotional clip, Leng opens up to his audience, revealing that he is en route to see the house that once shaped his earliest memories. As he reaches the property and is graciously allowed to enter, the weight of the moment overwhelms him, and he begins to cry. Overcome with emotion, he stands quietly in front of the building where he once laughed, played, and dreamed. 'This is surreal,' he murmurs, voice trembling. The footage then shifts to personal archives—old video clips—including one where a young Leng can be seen playing joyfully alongside an elephant. 'India will always have my heart,' he wrote as a caption accompanying the post.The video quickly struck an emotional chord with viewers. Thousands of users from various corners of the globe began responding with their own recollections of childhood, family homes, and the pain of leaving behind familiar spaces.One person shared, 'You brought tears to my eyes. I also grew up in my nani's house in Janakpuri, Delhi. Now that I live in Jaipur, not a single day goes by without me thinking of that home. Sometimes, I cry remembering it, though now there's no one left there—I'm not even sure if the house still exists.'Another commenter noted, 'I returned to my old house and school after 50 years. The emotions are overwhelming, especially because everything was still so familiar.' A third, moved by Leng's vulnerability, simply wrote, 'Don't cry, my boy.'Someone else remarked, 'My own children will probably go through this 15 years from now,' underscoring how widespread and timeless this feeling is. Leng's post was quickly flooded with emotional replies and heart emojis, highlighting how deeply his story resonated with others. The reaction made it clear: this wasn't just his journey—it was a mirror for many others' experiences.Now boasting over 781,000 followers, Leng continues to document his time in India. His return to the land of his childhood, filled with memories and moments long tucked away, has emerged as one of the most powerful highlights of his storytelling journey.