Thankful for NRIs.
Everyone here calls the months of November – February “NRI Season” (NRI = Non-Resident Indian). They are right. Already, I’ve been treated to a few nice dinners by my visiting relatives and my friends’ families from the US. Before this trip, I had only come to India with my family during NRI season as well; the weather, a San Diego esque 75 degrees, serves as a great reprieve from the Midwest winters and allows us to visit family without suffering through the heat or the monsoons.
In the next few months, Mihira, my sister, my parents and Shobin are all visiting. Am excited.
Over the past five years, there has also been a steady flow of young American born Indians coming to India at all times of the year, however their motives aren’t the weather, the family, the shopping or vacation. Rather, young NRIs (like me and my fellow fellows) have come to India to work, serve and live. The livelihoods are all vastly different; some are (were) here working with global companies, others for volunteer work, some to be entrepreneurial and a few to pursue religious causes. The following link is to an engaging article that details this “reverse migration” very well:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/weekinreview/23anand.html?_r=3&em
While I agreed with 90% of the article, I thought it 1) discounted America and 2) overlooked the glaring issues of India. If America’s “crisis of confidence” has proved anything, it is that the world is increasingly interconnected and that unfortunately, given the world’s dependence on the US, America’s problems have to be endured by the world (ie India’s stock market has moved in lock-step with the Dow and economic growth is declining).
Additionally, as it stands today, the “brighter future” of India’s youth only includes 50% of India’s children as the rest of of the country lives in inexcusable poverty. The world often criticizes the US and I have too recently, but at the end of the day, the US’s societal problems involve trying to get affordable health care from 85% of the nation to 100%, not trying to get basic services to half of the population.
I love that so many people have come to India, that I’m here, and so many more are interested in coming here to serve, live and even profit. But, it should not be lost on us, that while India has achieved tremendous economic success, it is still very much a developing country that needs to prioritize and reallocate resources to its masses.
Happy Thanksgiving; Go Lions.
finding rickshaw. 