How To Move To India
And Feel like a Fish Thrown into Water
ABOUT THE BOOK
Why are so many Americans looking to retire abroad?
Why do Indian Americans harbor thoughts of moving back to India?
What are the advantages of moving to India?
Can an Indian American transition successfully to a life in India and what are the pitfalls?
How does one go about planning for the move?
What are the problems one can anticipate during the move?
Once you move, how do you settle down in India?
If you are thinking of moving to India, read on to get the answer to all your questions. This book is primarily intended for people of Indian origin who have worked in the US or some other Western country and are thinking about returning to India. That should not preclude a non-Indian from reading this to get an understanding of certain aspects of life in India and the culture of the people there. There are many people who are not of Indian origin who have lived in India for an extended period successfully. In addition to details of planning and the process of moving and settling down in India, this book delves into the differences between life in the West and life in India and how to adapt after moving to India.
At the end of each chapter in this book are sections called “My Story” that describe my life and experiences as an immigrant in the US over the last thirty-five years. This is so that the readers can get an idea of what life in the US is like and how it contrasts with life in India. Indian readers who aspire to go to the US may find these sections interesting as they may acquaint them with the American way of life and the cultural differences. Non-Indian readers may also find the life of an Indian immigrant somewhat amusing to learn about. I have tried to keep these sections interesting and light by illustrating them with real anecdotes from my life. You can skip these sections if all you are interested in are the technical aspects of how to move to India and what to do when you get there, but many of you may find these sections engaging and useful.
This book will help you decide if you should take the plunge and move to India. It discusses the pros and cons of moving to India mostly from the perspective of an Indian American and help you mentally prepare and feel confident that you have made the right decision, whether you decide to move or not. It will help you plan for your move if you do decide to move. It will help you with the process of moving and settling down in India. If you do move, it will help you feel like “a fish thrown into water.”. That is what I say to people when asked how I feel after moving to India.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Why are so many Americans looking to retire abroad?
Why do Indian Americans harbor thoughts of moving back to India?
What are the advantages of moving to India?
Can an Indian American transition successfully to a life in India and what are the pitfalls?
How does one go about planning for the move?
What are the problems one can anticipate during the move?
Once you move, how do you settle down in India?
If you are thinking of moving to India, read on to get the answer to all your questions. This book is primarily intended for people of Indian origin who have worked in the US or some other Western country and are thinking about returning to India. That should not preclude a non-Indian from reading this to get an understanding of certain aspects of life in India and the culture of the people there. There are many people who are not of Indian origin who have lived in India for an extended period successfully. In addition to details of planning and the process of moving and settling down in India, this book delves into the differences between life in the West and life in India and how to adapt after moving to India.
At the end of each chapter in this book are sections called “My Story” that describe my life and experiences as an immigrant in the US over the last thirty-five years. This is so that the readers can get an idea of what life in the US is like and how it contrasts with life in India. Indian readers who aspire to go to the US may find these sections interesting as they may acquaint them with the American way of life and the cultural differences. Non-Indian readers may also find the life of an Indian immigrant somewhat amusing to learn about. I have tried to keep these sections interesting and light by illustrating them with real anecdotes from my life. You can skip these sections if all you are interested in are the technical aspects of how to move to India and what to do when you get there, but many of you may find these sections engaging and useful.
This book will help you decide if you should take the plunge and move to India. It discusses the pros and cons of moving to India mostly from the perspective of an Indian American and help you mentally prepare and feel confident that you have made the right decision, whether you decide to move or not. It will help you plan for your move if you do decide to move. It will help you with the process of moving and settling down in India. If you do move, it will help you feel like “a fish thrown into water.”. That is what I say to people when asked how I feel after moving to India.
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WHY CHOOSE How To Move To India: And Feel like a Fish Thrown into Water?
WHY CHOOSE How To Move To India: And Feel like a Fish Thrown into Water?
Comprehensive Guidance
Cultural Insights
Personal Narratives
Relevance for Non-Indians
Comprehensive Guidance
Cultural Insights
Personal Narratives
Relevance for Non-Indians
Meet your author
Meet your author
In early 2020 the pandemic and my mother’s dementia made me introspect about my life in the United States. I had worked for thirty-five years in the US and was now inclined to retire. Caring for my mother had become so burdensome that we wanted to move to India even before the pandemic. Unfortunately, our timing did not work out because the pandemic brought the housing market to a standstill, and we could not sell our home. So, we waited until 2022, sold our home and moved to India.
This was the second time we had moved to India after coming to the US as immigrants over thirty-five years ago. We had moved once before in 1993, but that was simply too early, and we were not prepared. This time around we planned diligently and made the move. We have lived in India successfully and happily now since July of 2022 and have no regrets.
My aspiration as a young man in my twenties was to go to the United States. Right after my engineering degree in Bangalore, I applied to several American universities and was selected by many of them. However, my visa application was rejected so I had to stay back. I then joined the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and did my master’s in business. However, I was always an engineer at heart. During campus placement, instead of taking a business management job, I joined Tata Unisys as a programmer because I knew that was the fastest path to the land that Ronald Reagan proclaimed as the shining city on the hill.
During my 35-year career in the US, I worked for several companies in many of the great American cities. I travelled the land from sea to shining sea. After my move to India, I had time on my hand, so I decided to put my experience to paper. There are a large number of Indians in the US and many of them harbor thoughts of moving back to India. I had done it twice and I knew that I could help them make the right choices by writing a book on how to move to India. I decided to add a section at the end of each chapter that described my life in America. It ended up being in part a commentary on contemporary American culture as viewed from an Indian immigrant’s perspective. Many who want to move to America may find these sections amusing and perhaps even useful.
Though this book occasionally strays into observations on Indian culture and American culture, the ultimate goal is to help the reader make the right decision, and if that decision is to move to India, to avoid missteps and pitfalls in the process of the move.
In early 2020 the pandemic and my mother’s dementia made me introspect about my life in the United States. I had worked for thirty-five years in the US and was now inclined to retire. Caring for my mother had become so burdensome that we wanted to move to India even before the pandemic. Unfortunately, our timing did not work out because the pandemic brought the housing market to a standstill, and we could not sell our home. So, we waited until 2022, sold our home and moved to India.
This was the second time we had moved to India after coming to the US as immigrants over thirty-five years ago. We had moved once before in 1993, but that was simply too early, and we were not prepared. This time around we planned diligently and made the move. We have lived in India successfully and happily now since July of 2022 and have no regrets.
My aspiration as a young man in my twenties was to go to the United States. Right after my engineering degree in Bangalore, I applied to several American universities and was selected by many of them. However, my visa application was rejected so I had to stay back. I then joined the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and did my master’s in business. However, I was always an engineer at heart. During campus placement, instead of taking a business management job, I joined Tata Unisys as a programmer because I knew that was the fastest path to the land that Ronald Reagan proclaimed as the shining city on the hill.
During my 35-year career in the US, I worked for several companies in many of the great American cities. I travelled the land from sea to shining sea. After my move to India, I had time on my hand, so I decided to put my experience to paper. There are a large number of Indians in the US and many of them harbor thoughts of moving back to India. I had done it twice and I knew that I could help them make the right choices by writing a book on how to move to India. I decided to add a section at the end of each chapter that described my life in America. It ended up being in part a commentary on contemporary American culture as viewed from an Indian immigrant’s perspective. Many who want to move to America may find these sections amusing and perhaps even useful.
Though this book occasionally strays into observations on Indian culture and American culture, the ultimate goal is to help the reader make the right decision, and if that decision is to move to India, to avoid missteps and pitfalls in the process of the move.