Chennai gives me nighamares. In 2002 I was working there for few months 9 to be specific. Before that I had never visited Chennai or south . As soon as I got in taxi from airport I can still remember how it was, so much pollution , noise and otherwise. when I reached guest house the water was so salty that I threw up as soon as I put in the mouth ...In chennai tankers supply water, and mineral water is used for drinking. may be some parts have its own supply I dont know but I used to be in egmore heart of city.. Traffic was so chaotic and being not from chennai language was biggest barrier. The list is endless what to say about chennai. However at some point I had started liking the place too but overall I was completely out of place..
Hmm.. demerits of r2i. 1. Issues with water and electricity 2. Inflation and cost of living 3. Corruption at each level (right from chaprasi) 4. Family politics/gossip/interference 5. Most schools do not encourage innovation. Still trying to churn out clerks and officers. For a better system, we have to pay quite a bit. 6. Reservation in higher education (affects people that do not belong the the categories that get reservation) 7. Noise pollution (I remember temples and mosques competing with each other with loud broadcasts) In case I have offended anyone, let me cite a few merits which in my opinion outweigh the demerits 1. Ability to blend in for brown skinned people and get lost in the crowd . 2. Easy availability of all things Indian from food, clothes, places of worship 3. Better equipped celebrate festivals the way it is to be celebrated 4. Emphasis on education by middle class makes it easier to focus kids energies on studies. 5. More facilities to train/expose kids to Indian music, dance etc. 6. Family network, weddings and functions 7. India is a happening and exciting place to be in right now!! 8. Kids can learn multiple indian languages (hindi, mother tongue, sanskrit, regional language)
I am close to retirement and can afford to retire and my loving dad left me quite a good sum in India and property.HOWEVER after 25 years of professional status and well recognised in my place of work, i am bothered by Indian attitudes. 1 Money is every thing[It is not, I have seen perfectly healthy people die in 6 months] 2 Working hard and doing things "for the childrens sake"[ including taking bribes]is bothersome as usually the children turn out to be worse off than you. 3 Emphasis on Quantity over Quality.I rather have quality than Quantity as I CANNOT TAKE IT WTH ME 4 I value experiences over possessions and people @ home cannot understand why i spend so much money on Vacations when i can buy a Flat or Jewellery. thanks
Loved your post,beemma. I can especially relate to the one on reservation. I get night mares thinking of my children too would have to cross the 95th percentile just because we are forward class. For this reason, I prefer being aliented as brown skin here; atleast it does not affect our education/job chances much . And, inflation is another big monster there, waiting to eat up people and this goes in to a vicious circle of ppl wanting more money.
Hi, This is such a debatable topic. If we think from our heart than we don't find any demerits of R2I but if we think from our minds there are some issues like quality of life is good here, no pollution, no powercuts, no extra office work. Even I and my kid can adjust in India but I'm not sure about my husband because the work culture there is very different. ta
Hi Ladies, I have R2ied to Bangalore in late 2008. And I'm going back to US in Oct 2010. I myself cannot believe but it's happening and I'm happy like every other wife/bahu entangled with inlaws!!! My hubby was very eager to R2I and had some pleasant dreams of his India. I don't want to offend anybody here but just want to share our own experiences. From the day we land to India so many situations came by which really made us think our R2I deciscion seriously. In our initial days of returning, we went through scary situations on the road like traffic,dust,pollution,noise. Lack of safety which caused my 11/2 yr son then to have surgery and stiches on his forehead. Constant nagging,interference,fighting from inlaws to the extent of calling hubby while at work and shouting at him which continues till today. No real love from In-Laws towards children/grandchildren, just gossip,backstabbing. My children (7 & 3) are going through health problems. My younger one had another surgery 2 months back due to lack of safety. No value for life and respect for another person next to you. We own a car and everytime when a bike/auto hits our car we have to bear our cost and also we have to face the wrath of these local goons. Cost of living is very high in Bangalore. Real estate is so high we are not able to buy a decent house. No value for time and horrible customer service. Regarding culture, I don't know what to say... One afternoon, I was watching tv and an ad about ipill popped up. FYI,ipill is contraceptive pill which taken within 72 hours of conception, it will terminate pregnancy.
I agree with the nagging inlaws,noise,pollution problems.But regarding this I pill ad,I beg to differ here. This is a OCP and needs to be known to people during emergency.,There is no harm in showing this in TV
Roopa, So bad that you could not enjoy your r2i. all the best for your r2a. Sometimes, i wonder why some of us want india to stand still. we have a mindset that encloses in india in timewarp while the whole world moves on. why should you upset with an ipill ad. don't you think it is better than abortions at hideous places, or new born babies left in the toilets, busstands, garbage bins. the person who would take that pill definitely know that it is going to terminate a pregnancy, and the govt. of india has given permission for it to be sold as otc and the onus of taking that lies on the user. being moral police for others does not help with our cause. change is the only facet that never changes. people have changed because with lifestyles. when it comes to the survival of the fittest people change anywhere and to each his means of doing that. And that is one reason i say, do study your strategies, and live on your own for a month or two when you come down to india on a vacation, assimilate if you can co-exist with all the problems and positives and then take the big leap. sorry this post is not to offend you, but are just my opinions.
Tridev, this is something i hear from many of my non-madrasi friends. chennai of 2002, a huge change today as we stand at the second half of 2010. lots of new skyscrapers, chennai is now extended beyond the original city just like mumbai/delhi, new roads..today chennai boasts of international work force.. with all the -ves still it charms students to study and people to come down and spend their vacation here. do try visiting chennai now, you will feel at home, with the new malls and changing face of a so-called conservative city.