Going back to India
No dont worry. I am not doing it tomorrow(or for that matter in near future :) )
Many people have been asking me lately what my plans are now that the masters is almost getting over. I dont think I have any great plans but only a vague idea of what I want. One of the questions that is asked persistently is whether I will stay here in US or will go back to India. Today, someone mailed me an interesting article[PDF] (a local copy can be found here)that relates to this situation. It was an interesting read and a good insight into why one would go to India or stay in US.
Although I have not yet figured it out, I will do so some day soon enough.
August 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
i agree it was interesting reading.. however, it mostly feels like the author is attempting to justify her decision and to convince herself that moving back was the right decision.. and even if there is nothing wrong with that, her reasons often seem fake. for example, listing the fear that her daughter may turn out to be a britney spears clone. i have seem my share of britney spears (and maybe worse) cloning attempts in indian teenagers in india…
for someone who herself is trying to decide if she will ever go back, all is can say is, if i do back back it would be for some REAL reasons!
September 30th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Nilopa,
I imagine that the fear of her daughter turning into a Britney clone must be quite practical and real. We who have lived in India always evaluate the American culture against the backdrop of Indian culture. The American way will always remain something different that we are getting to understand. For the kids here though, they *are* American and they don’t know what it is to be Indian. They don’t have the context, and they can never look back at their first fifteen years in their homeland. When it comes to identification with “us” or “them”, these kids are going to be on the other side. That is what this mom is trying to fight, not just the clothes and the booze. Avi, please step in and explain what we learnt in Pandya’s class. :-)
October 6th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
my question here is, is it hard to imagine a Britney Spears (or even worse) shaping up in India today? to me as a Bombayite it is not!
and further, Ramnath, i appreciate your argument. it is one of the REAL reasons i mentioned. personally, i don’t want my children to grow up “here” has been my strongest argument to want to go back ever since i came here. . but it not to do with the fact that i find “them” wrong coz honestly i don’t. it is in fact, the context and perspective of being *Indian*, as very rightly worded by you, which i want my children to have.
i guess we are on the same page on that. what i critiqued is more the author’s lack of reason or the clarity of expression thereof in the article mentioned.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I agree with both of you above on some of the parts. It is true that these fears that the author is describing are practical and something that one should worry about. At the same time, it will not be so easy for many to associate with it just because the situations in which the article was written is different from what other might see.
To nilopa: the things that ramnath is talking about need a full semester to describe but in short, some of the details can be found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock. While you will see that the author falls in the category of “Reverse Culture Shock”, you might not… and hence different perspectives.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
yea, looks like i am going through the “Negotiation Phase”, i do miss the food!!
on a serious note, maybe, yes, my perspective is different, in the sense that i guess have learned enough of psychology and anthropology to be able to somewhat smoothly switch roles between being a participant and an objective spectator.