Having spent my 24 years in India (as I am born & brought up here) I was really looking for some new things to my life. I got a call from an institute in UK and grabbed the offer coz I was so keen to go and spend some time abroad & what else could have been better than UK.
I was in London for one full year which involved 6 months of studies and then 6 months of job during the training period , after confirmation I had to go to the Leeds & spent one full year, so in total two years of UK experience.
Now I am in Delhi my hometown. But I have seen almost the whole of India (very huge country , so plz don’t take my words literally) during my lifetime , I have my family business which is now well settled in Delhi (with god’s grace). But there was a time when my dad was exploring opportunities and hence me & my family had a good taste of every part of India & then my grad & PG studies that forced me to go out. Being a Punjabi certainly had many connections with Punjab.
Let me share some thing from my experience which can be of some use for those who are planning to go or settle abroad.
Pros of Living in India
-Family
-Bollywood
-Gupshup
-Festivals (too many)
-Food & Beverages
You get a lot of entertainment here , there is always so much happening and from beverages I particularly mean the roadside Chais of thadis which we enjoy most. Well I have not included cricket coz there are plenty more games than this in UK which we Indians can understand and enjoy (e.g. Rugby , Football) that’s why cricket is not a pros.
Cons of Living in India
-stereotype mentality
-sheep walk all the way
-freedom only for name
-no civic sense
-deep-rooted corruption
-self interest at extreme
-hot & humid summers
These are only some of the things which makes this country a pathetic one, though I haven’t included infrastructure which is certainly a point but the progress is being made gradually but the question is again do we have civic sense to use it? We can build roads but can we follow the lane system, we can paint Zebra crossings but can the motorists regard it?
-We are world’s biggest democracy but are we ready to accept our girls having an affair (even if true one) outside the kaum / jaat.
-If the son of sharma uncle is an engineer can I be a Photographer if I have a passion for it (rem. 3 idiots)
-Isn’t it my family first... country/city/environment jaaye bhaad mein… which we carry with us always?
-Are extreme summers without electricity gud or extreme cold with centrally heated home?
-Finally, when will these Baboos stop their under table affair?
But hey that doesn’t mean Living abroad doesn’t have it’s cons…. Let me start with cons first…
Cons of Living in UK
-Racism still exists
-Indians even hopeless
-No cheap domestic help
-Depression sometimes
-Less/No Bla Bla
-high bills
-Less Festivals
I will not discuss the pros coz we already know a lot abt it , but my point is are these cons (the list may be more than what I have made) enough to go back to India.
Blow by Blow:-
-Racism
“ayyo, you North Indians are always like that.” – My University prof. in B’lore
“He got promotion coz he’s a Haryani Jat so is our boss”- My office in Gurgaon
“Main te thwade naal hi kaam karna hai, tussi te apne ho”- Business Dealer in Amritsar
All the above words actually costed me my marks, my promotion, my business deal & if this is a small misdemeanor let me make it clear that rasicm in UK is also not more than this & the law is so strict that even if you complain serious charges can be leveled against someone.
-Indians in UK
So hopeless and “acting to be brits” but day & night talking about India , living on Star, Sony, Zee and Wanting Indian brides & grooms, but if u greet them in Café’s or on streets they won’t even nod. All in all don’t expect anything.
-Cheap Domestic help
That’s the bread & butter of Indian middle class, they get everything so cheap over in India that paying £20 an hour certainly becomes a very very costly thing.
But have you ever thought that if a person living in an office deserves better pay why can’t a bai (maid) cleaning our kitchen , garbage , filthy clothes. As we are from India so as our mentality we assume that it’s our birthright to be superior than them just because we are born in a “good” family hence pay meager amount & enjoy.
-Depression
Practically speaking I never suffered from it & neither I have seen any other Indian suffering from it. After seeing so much sun in India certainly rains all throughout the year is always welcome. But yes people living here from beginning born & brought up here do suffer from it sometimes. But at the same time summers from May to August are beautiful and people rejoice snowfall which happens for few days. Less of interaction with family is also a reason for depression here.
-No Bla bla
People here and as I’ve heard throughout the world except South Asians & Africans are quiet , you won’t find people in public places talking loudly or laughing or abusing friends frequently. Now it’s upto oneself if he takes it as positive or negative , for me I had enough of it in DTC and other public places in India , I simply use to love the peace. And yes, NO HORNS PLEASE the motorists here & if I am not mistaken even in US , East & West Asia , Across Australia even in Brazil don’t use it unless only if it’s an emergency.
-Higher Bills
The usual act of paying bribes to Baboos and getting the work done gets a setback. We the Indians are not in that habit , hence sometime the things get missed. The penalties are high. But yes the cost is more , so get the insurance done , be it health or wealth. It gets irritating at times but ultimately one realizes that it’s for the safety.
-Less Festivals
Festivals are less , mainly Christmas , but you get a interesting scenes on the roads during Football matches , which I presume is not less than festivals. Same happens in US for Basketball , American Football. Cannot compare Cricket to India believe me the passion for football here is very high.