On Why I Prefer to Stay In India.


A couple of years ago there was a mad flurry to leave the India. Every person I knew (who had half a chance) would try getting on a plane to make a better life in “the land of the free”. Most of these people left for a better life. And why not? The standard of living is better, the opportunities are better, work life balance is better, schooling and colleges are better, there are better opportunities for children. So why not go?

If we were to indulge in some intellectual masturbation for a bit you could say that the first reason not to leave is because you owe a debt to your country. And leaving would amount to cheating the government out of the money it invested in you by subsidizing the education system. But as I said this is purely intellectual masturbation because it has an inbuilt paradox in the argument.

For at a macro level if one had to maximize utility then of course this makes perfect sense (for a country). But when that is applied to a micro sense, the aggregate utility that an individual derives from leaving the country seem to be higher. And hence he should go. However it only seems that way.

My humble submission to you is that there is a solid micro level argument to staying and here.

The Economic Scenario:
In the last few years there has been a flurry of economic activity in India and China. Liberalization of the economy has made the world get up and look at India as more than just a market of 1Billion Consumers. Today the corporate world is looking at it as a source of cost advantage.

While the growth in India’s Economy was technology led, other sectors seem to be showing promising results. Some even say India is poised to become the next manufacturing hub of the world. Something that was unthinkable of even 10 years ago. Companies are increasingly beginning to believe that if they have to grow significantly then they need to invest in countries like India that show high growth potential. While India’s economy grows at between 6-7 % developed economy growth rates are around 2-4%.

The Labor Surplus Economy:
Ever wondered why cars in Hollywood movies are mostly dirty and dusty. It is the same reason that the circulation of daily newspapers in developed economies are suffering. There simply is no one to do these things.
Today I employee a number of people to do things for me. Wash my car, polish my shoes, delivery groceries home, drive me around, take care of my garden the list is endless. I can afford to do this because of the fact that we live in a country where labor is surplus. I live in an economy where I can (being an average Joe) afford these luxuries.

The Land of Opportunity:
Gone are the days when opportunity was the privilege of the citizens of a few countries. Today increasingly the most challenging opportunities lie in the developing world. The Indias of the world are seeing such a burst of economic activity that people from here who have done international stints now consider it a plus on their resumes to be back where the action is. Most of larger companies in the world will have a presence in India and hence exposure from an Indian perspective is now becoming critical.



These are just some thoughts that I put to you before you decide to take that big decision. Maybe what you are looking for is right here.