Brain drain

Brain drain has been a major issue for a reasonably long time for this country. I remember reading articles on the topic even as a kid in the 5th grade. Most of these articles were about bashing these NRIs for taking the education in this country and then leaving it for greener pastures.

Such bashing, though is an integral part of our culture. Whenever something precious (fame, money, power) is earned by someone, a thousand losers crop up and start saying stuff. Most of these double standarded idiots are losers who wear a veil of socialist punchlines and vocabulary to say the equivalent of "The grapes are sour, AND the person who is eating them is an asshole"

What we need to understand is that a person who has worked hard to acquire some skills will want to exercise them to gain some satisfaction and also improve his lifestyle on the way. Until a few years ago if you wanted to do that, you could not be blamed for taking the first flight to the US.

Today, that is certainly not the case. I am not saying that we have become as good as the western world when it comes to the standard of living, work-satisfaction or social security, but we are getting there. And now the trade off no longer (to me) justifies leaving behind family, friends, the makkhan and lassi, the summer-winter-monsoon, the collective world-cup disappointment. The gap is getting smaller.

Getting my education from IIT (a sureshot job+visa) I have come across a lot of people who leave for jobs and higher education. Very rarely does someone say he is leaving for good. most of them have in place (vague) plans or milestones after which they will return.

A factor that has prompted some people to never leave is a strong pride of something people may be embarrassed about. They will now sat that we are without problems in our present scenario. We are far from it. But is taking flight to a better option the solution? Is losing my identity, my sense of belonging, the price I want to pay for escaping the situation?
For some people it may be, but for some other it clearly is not. I cannot join the bandwagon of US citizen Indians (or even mere green card or H1B holders) in saying that "That place is filthy. There's too much corruption. There's no opportunity". I have to agree, the amount of corruption that a common man comes across in our society is significant (corruption at highest levels is equally rampant across all societies).

You are welcome to leave. you are welcome to change allegiance to some other nation. you are NOT welcome to call us names. Because we are not cowards. We did not run away like you guys did. This is MY house. This is MY mess. I will clean it up. People like I, will stay in the hope of making it a better place. It already is the land of a thousand opportunities for those who have the courage. and this brain drain will rid us of the opportunists and feeble. Good riddance, junta?

And I know, the day your daughter will grow up with western values, the day a waiter will refuse to be courteous to your skin color, the day you will feel alone on Diwali (or Id, or Lohri), you will want to come back.