“South Africa is where I was born. My identity is 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. If I try to separate them, I lose something important. So, I don’t choose. I blend. I balance. I carry all of it proudly. And what makes me whole is the mix of all these 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.
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