First Year in India after moving back... Settled Huh???

It has been a year since I said bye-bye to US. So time to write down some thoughts.

When you tell your friends after staying in US for 10 years that their favorite friend is moving back to India, the variance of responses you get is overwhelming. Some say, I wont be able to adjust, some say my career will take a beating, some say they will miss me badly and some say they are happy for me as I am coming back for good.  Of course there are over enthusiastic (we are so so happy for you, wish we had the guts) and extra pessimistic responses (e.g. I am taking the worst decision of life). Hmm...interesting and funny. 

Somehow I always tend to believe that our motherland is our default location. When you are in a different country, it is temporary. So, coming back to my country of birth should not look like a huge adjustment or a out-of-the-box decision. Also, in today's world, there are few one-way roads.

And to answer any pertinent question here or there " why did you move back" I always answered - I do not need a reason to move back to India, my Motherland but always needed reasons to stay in a foreign country (US) be it my career, my learning, my PhD or my love of US national parks.

Yes, most people who never intend to settle in US, find it difficult to come back. That is not only because of the difference between India and US lifestyles or our happiness parameters but it is our state of inertia that tells us not to move too much after reaching an age (that varies person to person). 

Now lets see how I am settled in India. I visited some 20+ national parks in US between April 2012 to April 2013. I continued that streak of travelling as you can see in the map below :-) 

And I so love to travel be it new cities, tourist spots or lonely hills. India has wonderful mountains, lush-green jungles, serene beaches and above all, online information to make your travel easy. Please note, I am yet to travel to Himalayans. I guess Himalayans will make it very difficult to concentrate on anything after I come back :P

Now lets see what are the top 3 challenges in the last 12 months I faced -

a) Paper work - Get your Driving license, open your account, get you Aadhar card, get your voter card etc etc. I get spot fevers from paper-works but thanks to technologies, I got all the necessary things done by now - DL, Bank Accounts, Debit Cards, Aadhar Card and Voter Card (I just voted this week).

b) Road conditions  and driving - Yes, Indian are screw-gauge drivers compared to US driver who measure in feet. I use to wonder how people see the bumps & potholes in the dark or drive with few cm margins from other cars or pedestrians. Now I drive like that after 8 months of driving. I believe all Indian drivers develop sixth senses.

c) Difficult to resist restaurants and eating places specially for someone who love fried foods. Yummy things to eat everywhere. Thank god I am not in Kolkata, then my sugar intake would have surpassed that of a Godzilla.

[Note : Being in Bangalore, the weather was not a challenge at all. I love the weather here]

Top 3 great things that I strongly felt after coming back

1) The positive energy in me has increased multi-fold after coming back as I have so many things to do now (given my non-profit attachments and extra-curricular agenda)

Also, I can spend more time with some of the 150 million under-privileged kids I feel attached to and their education aspects. So wanted to do it since 2006, after I joined Asha for Education!! Finally getting that opportunity.

2) The people - when it is your country you feel more connected to people around you. In US, I used to interact most with a selected group of Indian friends (given my coordinates in big cities). Now, I can talk to anyone and everyone without being too formal.

3) Closer to family -  Of course, you can do more to your closer ones in India. For example, after I moved back,my ma can finally stay with me (and travel a bit) for more than 2 months after almost 14 years!! Even though I left a part of my family (my very close friends) in USA, my friend circle is growing each day. So my family is growing a lot here. Friends are always family!!

Did I mention, rains? I love rains...I love monsoon....I love everything about the rainy seasons that last 3-4 months/more.

So, to conclude, from my perspective, moving to India is not that tough just do not expect your same lifestyle in US. It will be different and your day will pass differently. I see lot of NRIs moving back to Bangalore and they are trying desperately to have same big car, same house, same accents etc. There is nothing wrong in that, just that I find it a bit stupid.

But after being away from India for 10 yrs of USA, I seriously do not want to lead my life in USA here in India. Life is good here with friends, family, children with wonderful smiles, the energy of youth and beautiful nature a little way from congested cities.

Of course, there are many problems in this developing country. But I received my education not only to earn money & solve technical problems but to solve the socio-economic problems as well. So we will solve it as a group in this country of youth, it may take time but we will make it happen :-)

Finally it is your state of mind. I was happy there in USA with my 5-10 close friends, my beloved non-profits and the wonderful national parks. I am happy here with a lot of  friends/family, travels and energy to learn new things.  This picture below describes my state of mind (most of the time) perfectly. India helps you to extend your limits and jump higher. I feel quite lucky to be an Indian!! Of course, you can learn so many things in life and technology outside India too. but India teaches you so many things quietly, you would take all those feelings and learning for granted until you step outside!!