If I try to explain my Indian experience in words then I guess I will be doing injustice to that experience :)
In short, it was wonderful. Meeting relatives and then trying to digest the bombardment of delicious food from them, Roaming around, partying, talking and making fun of friends, having fun with friends, 2 Indian weddings of my 2 best friends, Driving around the country Indian style :p, Partying with my father and uncles, time spent with my cousins and brother, Spending time at my home..sweet home..solapur, Living in the house I grew up in with the family I grew up with, My grand-mother's and mother's food, Solapur morning walks followed by Sudha's breakfast and India tea's boost ... the list goes on and on and on.. :) :) I love India..It feels home..It is home.
Hmmmm...fun is over..I am back to US and work is back on track...Now WHAT??? Well, after my visit to India, wheels in my brain have started spinning...The BIG question about which I had never thought so seriously...WHERE AM I GOING TO SETTLE DOWN?
During the time I was in India and even after coming back I was constantly comparing things in India and US and unknowingly was trying to answer the big question. I am not close to that decision at all. But I can say that with time sooner than later I will have choose between the Economical superpower and Cultural superpower...
In an effort to gradually move towards the decision, let me start by putting forth some thoughts that I have in my mind right now...
Let's start with the United States.
This is one great nation. I will always remember United States for living up to its stated principles of equality for all and freedom for all. President of United States Barak Obama said in his 2012 victory speech "I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. (Cheers, applause.) You can make it here in America if you're willing to try." .... A boy who grew up in a very small town from a third world country completed his education in India, came to US to study further, satisfactorily completed studies in US and now working very happily in his field of choice is a living example of those very words. If anyone wants to see what wealth creation is then he/she should come to US. This country is a result of almost 247 years of nation building. What are our modern basic needs? Food, Shelter, Clothing, Water and Electricity right! Hardly any citizen of this country is deprived from these basic needs. Everything is in abundance here and everything is affordable. Infrastructure in terms of roads is strong and cheap (No hundreds of toll plazas). People are very good and helpful. For some reason US society seems educated and matured society. Day to day life like, commuting to work, paying your bills, bank transactions, grocery shopping, general shopping, access to internet etc ... is so easy and convenient that makes you believe that standard of living in this country is truly high. It is a $16,000,000,000,000 economy for a reason :) There is always a flip side to the coin though. There are downsides to this nation also. Food is available in abundance but it might not always be healthy (Genetically modified vs organic). Debt issue of the country is a serious one. Family fabric of the society is not very strong (Based on my observation, I may be wrong). Social life is not very alive (again, based on my experience, I may be wrong). Rising gun violence within civilians. Lackluster economic growth. Savings and investment concerns for US citizens etc. But the silver lining is that US being a democratic setup, these people can openly talk about the problems that exists and criticize the government. Finally the first step towards correcting a problem is admitting there is a problem right! So, this can be a very attractive place to settle down, right!!
Well, not so fast, let's see what India has to offer...
To start off with, it's home :) I have lived first 20 years of my life in India, so I obviously have an emotional attachment and a bias towards India. But I will try to be objective. India is a democratic setup, very stable and largest democracy. Nation with bright prospects, clocking 9% growth continuously for almost 2 decades. Growth has slowed down but still in the time of global slowdown the economy has achieved 5.5% growth. Some rulers at the top are very brilliant and capable people. Nation has abundance of talent. India is the most religiously diverse nation on the planet earth and thus the most stable nation. India has a very rich history which dates back almost 5000 years. Strong history demonstrates the resilience of people of India. Governance is improving, road infrastructure is improving, power infrastructure is improving, Indian identity is growing in the international arena and so on. Family fabric of Indian society is very strong. Social life is remarkable. Indian agriculture, food and cuisine is second to none. Being close to family and friends is a comforting feeling always. BUT there is a flip side as well...Growth is there but is happening at frustratingly slow pace. Inflation is making daily life extremely difficult. Banking transactions, shopping experience, daily commuting needs much improvement. Public transport needs improvement. I understand I cannot compare India to US and cannot expect India to make what US did happen in 66 years. But India is capable of making these changes. India as a society needs to become more civil and matured which I guess will happen with time only. Job related freedom and avenues are much more in India than in US. But then US has much higher quality of jobs being a research and development driven economy. So, India have issues as well, but good thing is we are also a democratic setup and can talk about these issues.
Really I am not at all close to making a decision. I have a slight tilt towards India though. The reason is when I was in India in December 2012. I used to take morning walks in my home town Solapur. A nice morning walk at 6 in the morning, small jog in my school playground and then Palm Nectar (neera) near my home was my daily schedule. The peace of mind I felt doing that I do not feel it anywhere else. For now that peace of mind is driving my decision... :)
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