Oh, that's so touching discussion...π€u all...
Dear Rumi π ππit takes so much courage & spirit to say all that.
I too share your emotions & crazy love for India, I refuse marriage proposals from abroad with plain NO only 'coz I would never want to leave India, call me conservative or outdated, yes, I want to see the world before I die, but never would want to settle abroad, I live in Mumbai & I love it with all its odds & adversities, with its slums ,pollution, riots, overcrowded trains & streets , with its crimes & risks beating in every moment of earning our living here...I love its soul as simple as that.
But I do understand & can feel what BgDesai , Puja & Minnie have said.
my grandparents moved to Mumbai after three consequent years of famine in our native place,I'm sure in that era Mumbai must have been living abroad for them but they had to do it,it doesn't mean they didn't miss their root anytime or never did anything for their native place,my grandfather even tried his best to convince me to serve in my native place ,he said 'I'll pay you more than what you get here;you serve there' but I never listened to him π 'coz was too scared of adversities, lack of resources & could never get over temptations of living here. But at least he succeeded in planting a desire within me to spend a few years of my life there, once I'm 'self sufficient' Even my Dad enjoys there more than here physically & mentally 'coz of low pollution & healthy life style but still he can't think of leaving mumbai only 'coz of bread & butter.
I think similar logic can be applied here,I too fight a lot with my bro. when he says he wants to move abroad after doing MBA than facing frustrations here, but I think instead of grumbling here & trying to copy blindly the western lifestyle ,it's better to let him give an opportunity & let him realise the truth by himself.
Morals,values,culture all this makes part of you then itself, when you are brought up so the 'place' where you live hardly can modify them once you are sure of yourself. I can feel how deeply you all are rooted here inspite of living there which has cleared my fallacies of life style there,which sounds better than metros here trying to copy western culture blindly....
If we compare lifestyles I'm sure it isn't easy there too, if they offer you good job they make sure they extract you fully, here if I 've a sick family member & ask for a leave my boss says 'I understand' without deducting my salary... but it is not so there...but I also admit that this'chalta hai' attitude has given birth to lazy workers in govt offices.
Independent lifestyle gives freedom to do what we want,but at the same time slowly makes way for loneliness ,depressions & secondary diseases like Diabetes & CHD which are called diseases of affluent society & are/have been travelling India now.Interfering neighbours can also be of immense help in emergency...
The greatest advantage of living here is our cultural & spiritual inheritance which is complete in itself if 'Interpreted Correctly',but not to forget disadvantage the society has taken with superstitions & own beliefs. India's spirituality has gifted world with Yoga & Ayurveda;immense strenghth in itself to fight against odds of life which unfortunately is valued more abroad than here.....
Everyone has right to prove their potentials & grab the opportunity to do so,Kalpna Chawla has made all of us proud of her , it's nice that globe is acknowledging India's Brain power,& now ppl sitting in Benglore are modifying world's economy at their fingertips,world is being considered flat 'coz of growing technology & any bright mind has equal opportunity to flourish from any corner of the world ! so I do wish at least we realise our worth instead of getting frustrated & being impatient; work for economic independence in India instead of falling pray to market strategies.yes this is being smothered by selfish leaders living here & not ppl migrating abroad.
so all my friends living there I wish the Best for you allππΌ & π€but pls do come back whenever you can....meanwhile Rumi, I 'll surely help you in your work...π
i ll c wat all those NRIs will say or do thenπ