Sunday 17 May 2015

Perspectives - After Two Years in India -p1

I lived all my childhood and got my B.Tech in India but most of my twenties are spent in US. After 10 years in USA, I came back to India in April 2013 (there is no specific reason for coming back and who needs one to come back to mother land anyway!!). I got used to the lifestyle and I went back for seven weeks in March 2015. The full loop of observation and expectations forced me to write down this post in two parts. Sorry for the length but given many of my friends are either planning to move to USA or planning to move back, I think it is important to document individual experiences.

Please note, my experience is mostly based on the cities I lived (and some observations through friend circle) - Atlanta, Burlington, Irvine (USA) & Bangalore, Kolkata (India).

The Comparison :


I think we decide on our city of work/residence based on these components below, lets compare them first.

(1) Family (read Parents):

Of course, we know we will be closer to our parents in India and we will be surrounded by our relatives.
Whereas , living in USA can give regrets in family front if you can not visit India in the times of their need or your parents are not fit enough to come to USA and stay over. 

However, direct family members and your definition of their well-being is dependent on the factors below. Sometimes, the theory of being a good provider may mean to take them away from the country seeking for better opportunities. Most families living in USA have to live with that conflict in their mind and when given a choice, we are bound to choose well-being of our next generation.

(2) Scope of Work and Education for Kids:

Scope of high-tech work and cutting edge research in MNCs or universities is less in India as we all know. However, some fields that cater to masses are already booming or have the potential to grow a lot in India. 

There are many jobs apart from Engineers like Doctors, Teachers & I think if you are in such fields, you may get more satisfaction in India. 

As far as education of kids are concerned, there are many institution of international standards but competition is a big bottleneck for a country of 1.3 Billion. Also, graduate research scope is still an issue due to the big gaps between industry and academics in India. Alternative scopes like Art and others are still limited compared to western countries.

(3) Daily Struggles (Transport, convenience etc):

It clearly depends where you live in USA or India. For big cities, traffic is a big struggle everywhere. However, the problem with Indian economy is that there are not many jobs in smaller cities where you can skip traffic. So whether it is Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore, you have to face the traffic to an extent it may take all your daily energy in those 2-3 hours of commute. (Kolkata, Hyd and Chennai are a little less notorious in terms of traffic) 

But one thing to note - you can outsource every non-tech work to someone in India without loosing all your money - there are house-helps, there are drivers & there are courier guys. In Todays E-commerce sites, everything from grocery, electronics, clothes to diapers can be delivered at your doorstep thanks to BigBasket, Flipkart or Amazon.

Internet data and google maps are everywhere, so you will be able to reach your destination booking a cab using GPS and check the ratings in zomato before entering a restaurant!!


(4) Activities in the Weekend:

Again, you can live an active life style in new-age cities of India be it running, cycling, trekking, potluck or rock-show. It may get a little more hectic in India sometimes if you plan like USA. But if you plan early, you can have an enjoyable weekend. 

I am spoilt by the weather of Bangalore, so no idea how Delhites manage but again, if you ask a Seattle resident, a Texas resident and an upstate NY resident, their activities are also very much dependent on weather. An exception can be California residents who enjoy nice weather all throughout the year and so far, I lived my most active lifestyle during my 3 yrs in CA.

After I came to India, I did not stop travelling either, specially with Bus, trains and other ways to travel, it is less hectic for me sometimes (compared to USA). Natural beauty is abundant in India too. 

(5) Quality and Value of Life:

This is something I want to focus more on. There is a big difference between USA and India in terms of Quality of life or the willingness to acknowledge the value of life in General. 

Many NRIs come back and try to recreate mini USAs in their apartment complexes but that do not change India. The competition drives the concept of quality and value of life out of the mind for most people. It becomes a rat race from office, to the roads, to the education of your children or going to the front end of the line in a ticket booth. 

Being a country of less population, better infrastructure and overall consciousness about the value of life, USA does not suffer from it that much. Hope, this changes as more people are educated in India, there are more job opportunities, better civic sense and better culture of self-respect and self-value. We are still a crisis-driven country of insecure citizens, a country that  heavily depends on role-models and politics. 

Also, the respect for natural resources is a primary concern in India where trees are cut without any thoughts, parks are turned into apartments without any consequence and over time, that will endanger the whole ecosystem. 

< I have not compared the costs. Since it is similar in USA and India.  Main cost is real estate. House prices are pretty variant everywhere in the world, so that should not come in comparison so much- specially for the people reading this post>

Love & Hate Relationships

Five things I loved the most in USA  that are missing in India:


National park and state park system preserving nature that is beautiful and accessible
Vast expanse of Freeways (beyond 5-6 expressway between important cities like in India) 
Clean Roads and planned infrastructure
Research Environment in universities (in my experience)
Freedom and the individual rights while living in a society


Five things I love the most in India that were missing in USA:


The feeling at home (since I am born here)
Access to family and friends
Being an Indian, immense confidence while trying something new
The feelings when you can volunteer in NGOs and get immense satisfaction on ground
Numerous connections you make every day with so many people (and the bonds/ripples you make in a personal way in this ocean of humanity)

Five things I hated the most in USA:


Too much formality
The difficulties I faced in initial years (specially as a student with less money since USA is planned for people with money)
Safety issues in many pockets of USA
Too much dependence on cars
Hidden social issues (poverty, racism etc)


Five things I hate the most in India:


The traffic specially the fear of pedestrians/2-wheeler jumping in front of your car
The feelings of helplessness when I see educated people throwing garbage on streets
The missing importance of an individual's life in a society
Too much importance on leaders and celebrities
The "chalta hei" attitude leading to habituated in-sensitiveness




Be it USA or India, someone willing to settle, can always find 10 good things to be there and someone who wants to leave, can complain about 10 bad things. 

It is more important to understand what is high priority in your life and the things you miss, are they ok to miss or you should do something about it. 


It is not one-way street, still an important decision in your life if you have kids. I will try to focus more on my personal viewpoints on who should come and who may not in my next post. Also, I can share some secrets I learnt in my two years.