Take off with Natarajan

SOURCE:::::AN ARTICLE BY Divakar in silicon india net….makes an interesting read and a good tip for Indians working abroad…

Natarajan

Cool things about living in India (for Desis)

Logically thinking, western world has so much more to offer than India. Living in India is simply painful. Or is it? Is there anything cool about living in India? I just wanted to compile a few cool things of living in India. I am very well aware of down side of things. But for these who never lived overseas, for those who returned already and for those who will return soon, here are a few points.

1. Freedom:

You are no longer restricted by H1s, i94s and Green Card restrictions etc. When you are living in own country you have a great sense of freedom to do what you always wanted to do.

2. For-ever Vacation

Best thing I liked living in India is like it’s a continuous vacation. No need to save all leaves, pack your bags and travel 36hours for a vacation. It’s like a permanent vacation. Every week-end is a vacation.

3. Driving is optional

With easy availability of drivers, auto-walas, cabs, trains, buses etc., when you don’t feel like driving there are other options available.

4. Your spouse is no longer dependent on you

He/She can have their own life and not depending on you. If your spouse is home maker, she can have her own friend circle and go out on her own and have a life for herself.

5. Help from Parents and in-laws

When kids are sick, when you have too much work or travel, when you are not in great shape to take care of kids, you have the luxury to call-in help from parents or in-laws.

6. Raising kids

You can raise kids the way you want them to raise. In general you have more control on their activities when you are in India.

7. Festivals

This is cool. Do you miss Diwali, Krishnastami, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi? Well you don’t if you live in India.

8. Medical help

Developed countries have great medical facilities and advanced technologies but for all small ailments, I felt India has availability of doctors better. Easy to get appointments, easy to get medicines, you get treatment customized to Indian kind of bodies. J

Another great help is easy availability of homeopathy and ayurvedic doctors/medicines.

9. Domestic help

Good or bad, but when you need, there is better availability of domestic help like maids, general labor etc., Very useful during parties, functions/events and house renovations etc.

10. Food

I felt the variety of food availability is great in India. Vegetarian restaurants, South Indian restaurants, north-Indian restaurants, along with all major international food chains. You don’t miss international style food and you don’t miss Indian style either.

I miss good Mexican and Thai food in India though.

11. Weather

This one is my favorite. Do you like going out with jacket on, gloves, covering your ears and face and wearing inners? Or just wear light clothing and dash out? Warm throughout the year is one big asset India can offer.

12. Friend circle for kids

Indian Kids in general have more fun in India than elsewhere. Many kids to play with, they freely play outside and parents need not be too much worries about who they are playing with etc. No question of Kids getting discriminated against.

13. Career

In general, (in a broad sense), not many opportunities to move to senior management in US while being an Indian programmer. In India you can choose a clear career path and not stuck up in technical coding roles for ever.

14. Stability in Marriage

Several of my friends and I felt more stability in marriage and more completeness in family life while living in India.

15. Spiritual help

With access to unlimited Indian TV and media, there is lot of spiritual guidance you can obtain (for Hindu culture) easily. You have access to vedic pundits, vedic literature, pooja help and wide wide variety of temples to visit while you live in India.

16. Friends Circle and Social Life

In western world most of the friend circle is about other desis at work. If you grew up in India, when you live here, you are in touch with school friends, you have neighbors, friends from your home town, in addition to work friends. So the “friends and acquaintance” part of life is more fulfilling.

17. Involvement Political system

Getting involved in local issues, voting, taking a stand in building the home country are some gifts that you miss when you live overseas. Living overseas has an effect in life that you live a detached life from social-political issues, which is okay, but for those desis who like getting involved, nothing like living in India and be active in political and social causes.

18. Living in minority vs living in majority

In India you are part of majority. There is a bit of insecurity when you live in minority. Your color is odd, your religion is strange and in general you don’t fit-in.

19. Don’t need to act (like fake)

Living natural is so much stress free. I observed may desis trying to force fit themselves into a different environment. Faking accent, faking newly learnt styles, generally struggling to fit-in.

20. Work related stress

Work related stress is so much easy to handle when you have an entire support system behind you and work is not only thing in your life that’s going-on. Stress gets spread out and its affects are minimized when you live in home country.

21. Career switching

I have seen several IT people coming back and getting into entertainment industry, start their businesses, take over their family businesses etc. I guess, for IT guys career switching is easier here in India into completely new fields only when you live here and pursue your dream.

22. Helping others and contributing to society

Are you the kind of guy who takes pleasure helping others? There is immense pleasure in helping the fellow county-men come up the curve than donating money to some charity in US/Europe. If you grew up in India, its more fulfilling to help your villagers, old friends etc. It’s not always about money, it’s about time you spend with them and help.

Well, that said, if you are happy where you are, whatever part of world, Don’t change.