A difficult decision

A difficult decision…Whether to stay in US for a short time or for long

Most of NRI’s staying in USA has this burning question at one point of time. It was an easy choice for those who came here in early 70’s/80’s or 90’s as there was a big difference in terms of opportunities, infrastructure and money but now in 2000 era it’s a difficult equation as lot of metro cities in India have seen growth like never before in the last decade. All the luxuries of the world one can enjoy their. The infrastructure is improving with each passing day. The salaries have increased in leaps and bounds. People’s spending habits have changed dramatically. The earlier thinking of keep saving for a rainy day doesn’t apply anymore. Now people want to enjoy their present. With the help of various credit loans it has become very easy to get a car, buy a house and go for vacation to foreign destinations.

So what exactly are the reasons people still want to stay abroad… I believe it’s not just the infra and luxuries but the overall atmosphere. Most of the people who haven’t stayed outside India; they are of the opinion that India is rich in culture and heritage and you won’t get those values anywhere else in the world. The great Indian joint family system ensures family stays close together. Lot of people in India says that there are no family values in USA. After 18 years of age children stay on their own, people don’t believe in marriages or they don’t think twice before going for a divorce. Children don’t take care of their parents when they are old.

But I think that’s not entirely true… until and unless you stay and experience other side of the world, it’s very difficult to comment.

I have been living outside India from last 10 years and I think most of the values especially in middle income class families are same wherever you go. Families like to stay close to each other… may not be the same house but close enough so that they are able to celebrate together or if the need arises they are able to help out each other. Kids staying outside of their homes after 18 years of age; I think it’s more of a cultural thing. American people believe in self independence and they want their children to be self sustaining, mature early in life so that they are able to take on the harsh realities of life later on in a much better way. Many People in India say that parents at abroad don’t spend on their kids’ higher studies which is true but not applicable to all instead I have seen lot of families paying very high tuition fees for their kids out of their retirement savings or they pay a part of the tuition fees and rest the kid needs to take an education loan. I think that ensures that the kid understands the value of their higher education and they complete their studies responsibly to get a better job.

There are special days to celebrate Mother’s Day or Fathers day. Most people in India have issues with that but I don’t see any issue in fact it reminds us out of very busy schedules that we should look back and thank our parents for what they did for us. In fact there is a special day to celebrate for brothers as Bhaiya Dooj and for sisters as Rakhi in India. 

From my experience I have observed that American families are very close to each other and they take care of each other just like the way people care in India.

Obviously there are pros and cons

More to come...