THE HOMECOMING( article )

I found this article in Femina.. quite interesting. And for several readin this.. it might prove useful for ur futuristic ideas of settling down.

With India opening up her shores and laying out the red carpet for foriegn investors, a lot of Young NRIs seem to be coming back home. Is it an inherent need to be back in your own country, close to your roots? Or is it a cultural feeling -- wanting your children to grow up amidst the Indian culture with strong family ties?

While many are still leaving the country for better prospects abroad, we found a few odd balls--young, NRI-returned couples in Bangalore City and decided to find out what really prompted their return, and how they're coping with it all.

Kranti, who has done her masters in computer science and worked in the US for more than 10 years but chose to came back two years ago, says , "We came back because our long term goal had always been to come back and settle in India. We were very happy there but, from the children's point of view, we felt coming back would be better. Also, we wanted to be close to our parents, they are getting old. We can take care of them better if we are here as any city would be just an hour's journey away."

Says Padmaja Bobba, a financial consultant, who lived in the US for a decade and a half, "we are here for a short time, and we'll be going back. But I think coming back has been good for the kids, they got to know the family better. Earlier they were like aliens, my son Nihar would greet his grandmother with a 'Hi'. Coming back to INdia they can understand our culture and values, and this is certainly good for them."

For Mona Chaddha, an engineer by profession, the driving force to come back was not just to get her children familiar with the culture, but her husband who started missing India. "We came back because my husband was missing being close to his family. For the children, too, we felt it would be good, as they should see what the other side is like, there is poverty here, and life is not easy. Here, they are exposed to less priveleged people and it has been a learning curve for them."

So, just for those living here, what was life like in the US? Says Padmaja,"Suprisingly, we were more religious there than we are here. The temples and the gurudwaras were a hub of social activity and we would make regular visits to these places. But here, religion and culture is all in the open, you dont feel the need to deligently follow anything strictly."

And the flip side of being in India now, Mona explains that, "None of the schools here live up to US standards. The training, creativity, and freedom of free thinkin is all missing in INdia. Even if the kids are attending some of the best schools in town." In terms of friends and a social life, she adds, "People are very friendly there. You interact with people from different nationalities, different cultures and the social life is very good."

And one last crucial question: Would they ever consider going back? Padmaja says candidly, "we plan to go back for the kids' higher school and university education. But first, we would like to build our base here. Once the kids are older, we would like to spend six months here and six months there."

Ah! tryin to get the best of both worlds, wouldnt u say?

-Divster