Physiotherapist, Mano Russaliah has been living in Burns Lake for less than a year but he said he is really enjoying the experience. Born in the Kotticode, Kanyakumari district in India, Russaliah is now working in Burns Lake for Total Physiotherapy.
Since arriving in Canada he has noticed a number of differences in customs and day to day life living experiences. It's also his first Canadian winter and he said he is still adjusting to the snow and sub zero temperatures typical at this time of the year.
Russaliah now has his Canadian drivers license and he said he is also adjusting to the winter road conditions. "I have never lived in a place without public transport before. Burns Lake is a completely new experience for me. I am used to a lot of people in crowded cities," he said.
Russaliah's wife Kavitha Arumugam, also from India, is working as a physiotherapist in Burns Lake and is currently employed at the Lakes District Hospital.
According to Russaliah, his birthplace Kotticode, is naturally beautiful with a lot of forests and rubber plantations. "It is known as the place where the three oceans meet. The Arabian sea meets the Bay of Bengal and the Laccadive Sea. It is a tourist spot right at the very foot of India ... a very beautiful place."
The Kanyakumari district is located at the Southern tip of India and according to a 2011 census it has a population of more than 1.8 million people, which equates to 233 inhabitants per square kilometre. A total of 82 per cent of the district is urbanized.
He said the area has not been Westernized. Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are the three main religions represented in the district. Rice is a staple food and much of the food is typically spicy.
Russaliah said the food in Canada has more salt added than he is used too. "I find some of the food very salty," he said, adding that he also eats a lot more bread and food with sugar now that he lives in Canada.
Much like the Lakes District, Russaliah said the Kanyakumari district has many lakes and rivers.
"We'd get 200 to 300 centimetres of rain every year."
He said unlike Canada, hunting is banned in India. "It was popular many years ago, but now you are not allowed. It was banned in the 1960s due to the population decline of some animals."
He said the native animals in the Kanyakumari district are deer and a type of forest cow called Guars. The district also used to be home to Bengal tigers, however Russaliah said there are no wild tigers in the district now. "There is a tiger sanctuary though," he said.
The Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary has been a Bengal tiger habitat since February 2008. It is also home to Indian bison, elephants and several other threatened native species of India. It is estimated that fewer than 2,500 Bengal tigers still exist in the wild.
Russaliah said that getting an education in India is quite easy. He said the education system is free and open to everyone, rich or poor.
"India has a good education system. Previously everything was free for students including their food and transportation. It is changing now though."
Russaliah earned his first degree in India, completing his bachelor of physiotherapy at PSG college of Physiotherapy. He said attending university in India is also free as long as you get good grades, but to get a second degree or obtain a masters degree or Ph.D. in India is very challenging.
"The first degree is very good. But for a second degree public seats are very limited."
Because of this he went abroad to obtain his masters of science degree in rehabilitation sciences at Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, in Northeast England. He lived there for four and a half years, before moving to Burns Lake.
Russaliah and his wife now plan to stay in Burns Lake. "I am getting used to the snow and weather, but it's pretty tough," he added.