A choice between comfort of overseas and home country
“No matter under what circumstances you leave it, home does not cease to be home. No matter how you lived there-well or poorly.” ~ Joseph Brodsky
Non Resident Indians (NRIs) are the expatriates from India who have migrated to other countries in search of better future. These NRIs are happily settled in their adopted countries, but often frequent their homeland, India, to visit their friends, families and the memories they have left behind. In most of the cases, the NRIs are citizens or permanent residents of the countries they have migrated to, but consider India as their true homeland.
Most of these overseas Indians or NRIs are well settled in the new country. The new culture, the new life and the new comforts have created a strong bond to the new land. Majority of these NRIs bring their loved ones over to live with them and often have the whole family living abroad. Even though the ties with the past remain, the family – especially the younger generation - has a strong attachment to the Western lifestyle. This is the natural influence of local culture and social settings; the natural effect of the long term exposure to the western society.
There is no doubt, the foreign countries have a lot to offer in terms of day-to-day facilities. The health-care system, for example, is very advanced and offers a piece of mind for any family. The schooling and education system is among many of the other benefits. The daily comforts, jobs opportunities and infra-structure of a developed country create a far better living experience, in spite of many social hurdles for immigrants.
On the other hand, no matter how successful one becomes and how much adjusted we are to the adopted country, the craving for the homeland is always there. The attachment to our own culture and memories from past continue to maintain a bond too strong to ignore or overlook. After all, it is human nature to dream. We dream of better future, but at the same time, we recall the fond memories from past and our childhood. The nostalgia of yester-years -the social and cultural experiences growing up in India- is always there. Some of us want to go back because there are loved one and friends behind; others want to go back to re-live their past, to trace their memories.
This is a real dilemma for every Indian and NRI family – to stick to the adopted home abroad or go back to India. The younger Indians Americans for example, who are raised in America, have fully adapted to the American culture. They don’t have the same emotional ties with India. On the other hand, the first generation immigrants have much stronger feelings for their homeland, but end up staying abroad for the economic or family reasons.
It is a tough decision – to choose between the homeland based on personal affection and cultural roots, or the place that provides the present comfort and livelihood. No doubt that there are challenges as a foreigner; but trade-off seems to be worth the hassle, as everybody ends up staying.
By end of the day, the adopted country is winning the battle; nobody seems to go back to India, at least not permanently.
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