Return to India: One Family's Journey to America and Back!!

Shobha Narayan, a well known columnist with international magazines, has written an honest account of her return to India after 20 odd years in the US.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4236

This is what I wrote to her:

Shobha,

I just finished reading your long article in Knowledge@Wharton's November 2007 issue.

I congratulate you for writing an honest account rather that trying to defend your decision to return back.

I am writing this based on my own experiences in the US. I spent a year at Harvard and lived near Cambridge with my cousin.

As you have described, your decision to come back to India was greatly influenced by the 'insurance' provided by US citizenship coupled by the economic boom in India - 2 key reasons for a majority of reverse brain drain happening in India. (I too have quite a few friends who would like to return back. Some are even trying for their second babies in a hurry to ensure the default citizenship status for their kids!!)

Of all the Indians I met in the US, I found them to be so naive and hollow about their perspectives on life in the US, that it was impossible to strike a decent conversation about India. Your list of pros and cons exactly matches with the list that they used to put forward to me during my various debates and arguments about their return. However, I told them that coming back to India cannot be a decision about 'lifestyle changes', 'medical emergencies', 'pollution', 'corruption', and definitely not about insurance provided by 'citizenship'. How can coming back to your own country be a logical choice?

It would like to use the definition of Free Software to explain my point: Free software is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of free as in free speech, not as in free beer.

I think ones decision to return has more to do with urge, rather than logic. It probably needs a great leap of faith.

I feel that if parameters, as described in your article, are used to make a decision to return to your own country, one could end up becoming an economic immigrant in India too.

This is what she wrote back:

Ninad:

Thank you for your nuanced email (correct English?) which critiqued my piece without being critical.

I totally agree with the last paragraph of your letter.

Best wishes

Shoba

Kabir Again!!

I was waiting for the second set of Kabir's pics to see how he has changed in the last one month.

Its amazing, how much he resembles Mani.

Unbelievable!!!