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Rooted in traditional soil
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While there are thousands migrating abroad in search of greener pastures, there are many who are not bitten by the foreign bug. RAMYA RAMANAN explores why the desire to crossover does not appeal to many today.
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WALK DOWN the roads at The Big Apple or Oxford Street and Southall in London and you will find `deshis-turned-videshis' (Indians) in hundreds. Take a look at any of the Universities in the United States and you will find them teeming with such students. This craze for going abroad, which set in some years ago, continues abated. If it is not the West, the winds blow eastwards to Australia and New Zealand. It is a dream of many to make it big and rich in the land of plenty. Never mind the treatment meted out to Indians or the perils of living alone in a different world encountering hazards, it is the world to be in. A career abroad was always sought after. Today education abroad is the dictum. But this upbeat mood has dimmed slightly in course of time. The flip side of the `gold rush' story is dollar dreams are no longer dollar dreams. A shift in mindset is seen. The motherland is no longer being seen as the `land of nothing'. There are numerous Indians who are not swayed by the life in the West and stand rooted in reality - in their country.
Experience has taught people many things and even put them on the right track.
There are many who harbour a feeling of isolation in not being totally Indian or being accepted as Americans. Their saga is recited as being born in India, partly brought up in a foreign land, with parents trying to instil Indian values though peer pressure demands American culture. This has nurtured a new, confused breed of `American desis'.
Although Indians have been in the forefront in many areas, recognition fails to come their way.
"No matter what an Indian does, an Indian is still a second class citizen in the U.S.," emphasises Ritwik. There has always been a misconception of everything being handed out in a silver platter abroad. Life is hard out there as Shaina, a student pursuing her M.S. in the States says, "the dollar land may beckon, but all is not rosy out there. The work pressure is high and Asians face racial discrimination. Apart from this, many times one feels isolated or left out, nothing can be the same as it is here at home", says Shaina, who has no plans to stay back after completing her course for, as she says, home is sweet home.
Hefty pay packs, a comfortable working atmosphere, luxurious lifestyle, advanced technology and so goes the list that has lured people to cross the seven seas. Along with this package comes long hours of tedious work, homesickness and other such difficulties. Suddenly, the grass is no longer green. For those who have not had a taste of foreign lifestyle and work culture, Shantanu, a software engineer working in Hi-tec City says "globalisation has seen the foray of MNCs into our country and youngsters have many avenues thrown open to them. The remuneration and work culture is very much modelled on those of foreign countries and is on par with them.So why leave your home land?" "Going abroad holds no particular charm for me. We get everything here - it would help if basic necessities were taken care of in a systematic way though! Work wise, with privatisation, working in India is as lucrative and as comfortable as working abroad," concurs Sandeep, a software engineer.
Previously one was enamoured of the West. One had to go there to make a life. Now it is not so.
Education perhaps is an attracting factor to go abroad. But some universities and institutions offer top-class facilities for study and research. "When there are good professors and libraries in the country why can't one utilise these? Moreover, with Internet accessible to everyone what is the necessity in going abroad to study?" asks Rachita, a student. " Life is not all that rosy. A student has to struggle in fending for himself/herself in an alien country. Doing part-time jobs and studying can be hectic and nerve-wracking as well. At least one has the support of the family in India and one can concentrate and study peacefully without being bothered about the hassles of day-to-day life," she adds. "Even if one pursues a degree abroad why can't he/she come back to serve the country of his/her birth? There is a need for educated qualified professionals in India. Why should one slog for someone else in a foreign land?" avers Mohana.
There are also some others like Ashmit, Ilias and Khan, all graduates from IIM, Ahmedabad and presently working in Hyderabad who feel that the craze for going abroad is a short-lived phenomenon. They also feel strongly about the brain drain in India and articulate that if the public sector improves its pay structure and work environment, the nation would not lose their youth to foreign lands. Agreed such youth are a fraction of the otherwise `smitten by abroad' community.
Life, in most cases abroad, is a drudgery and there is no time to relax. "One has to cope up with home and office five days in a week as there is not much domestic help. The weekends are for shopping and cleaning and tidying up the homes. There is hardly any time left for oneself or to socialise. Even if one has to meet somebody it has to be done formally after seeking appointments. The friendly atmosphere where one can barge into any friend's house cannot be done abroad," says Prachi. "The pay-packet is surely good abroad. But does one get time to even enjoy that money earned besides perhaps in the week-or two vacation that one takes in a year?" she asks. "I would like to go abroad for a visit but not to stay there. I would hate to be uprooted from my family and friends and all familiar things. I always have this feeling that it is very lonely in the U.S. and a sneaking fear of racism in Europe. There is no support system there and help is so difficult to come by. It is infinitely better to be rich in India than well off abroad," agrees Sanjana, corporate communications.
Many find it satisfying to work in the country itself. "I have never thought of going abroad because - I am too lazy to make my passport! In my field (advertising) my work is culture and region specific. I find it satisfying to create a successful campaign using Indian cultural pegs rather than indulge in this totally alien civilisation," says Aditya, Adman.
So is the Western charm on its wane?. The number subscribing to this may not be large but it is gaining credence slowly. The average Indian has come to terms with the fact that education with a foreign tag is not always the key to success. Many of our industrialists have been responsible in bringing about this attitudinal change in the younger generation. After all there is nothing like being at home.
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