Why NRIs Are Returning to India and How to Prepare Before Moving Back

4:09 Think about the opportunities in India like especially like 10 years back which is completely different to what the opportunities available in terms of the salaries that the companies are paying the kind of opportunities from not only services companies but also product companies also the startups you know the ecosystem has changed when they try to evaluate the opportunities in abroad versus what they have in India at the same time having the pros of living close with the family no restrictions in terms of trying different jobs that's another aspect that people start thinking about why they want to return back to India the other things is like you know kids some families prefer to upbring the kids in the same way that they were brought up like you know with the family cousins you know the joint family and so on you know that culture fabric again is another play here that's another reason why people start thinking about it if you go a little bit further you know especially for people who have worked abroad for quite some years financially stable and when they're looking at maybe retirement this is another important aspect which place

5:09 Is much better than their home country where the cost of living is much better than the Western countries or other abroad places this is another segment of people who always you know want to think about moving back so there are several categories when you think about why people are considering to move back to India I'm just kind of touched on a broader Strokes here nras could be living in different countries but needless to say a great many of thean so physically you may be living outside the childhood memories Mother India these are things which they can't just give up and I deal with n Day in India I I'll narrate my own stories of living in Dubai I lived in Dubai between 2010 till recently I'm still I still continue to live in duai I always used to feel I'll tell you my experience when I come back to India I will never book my return tickets at least for one day in advance day I book my return ticket back to duai I start becoming kind of a d I have to go back I have to go back that starts playing on my mind but when

6:10 I to come back from Dubai I'll do the riverse I'll book a mon and I'll start counting days from riverse oh another 29 days to go 25 days to go you know you leave those moments oh it's so nearby so nearby don't feel like working there in India in the last 13 14 years every time I wanted to go to Dubai I would always book this ticket one or two days prior because that gives me the feeling that my days are not starting to move outside of India there are a lot of people there are people who I know who started Sanskrit classes they want to live an Indian life even though they live outside of India you know the compulsions of job compulsions of earning money compulsions of various corporate L somebody gets transferred but they try to create one India outside there also now my question to you is a lot of people come back as they have successfully come back and this crowd is increasing it is not something which is an odd case of somebody returning it's not large CH of people and it's just not

7:10 Somebody who has lost a job or struggles or kind of a thing there are people in very good salaries very good positions have come back our own clients are there based on your interaction with these clients did they face any kind of a challenge while coming back so the mind says I want to go back but it's not going to be as simple as that of maybe some kind of a ser urance packages or you know you know what I start to lose is it a smooth transition many people have got citizenship to another country like in case of your us now people have got a citizenship then you have a problem of dual taxation in India as well as in USA what did you pick up from your conversations with all these people what kind of challenges they had to face when they decided to come back in the preparations as well as after they came back I think that's a great question because this is a big decision for them to move back and for someone who has been living abroad they get accustomed to certain lifestyle certain systems there abroad so maybe I will kind of explain in like in a broader scope here if you think about

8:12 Abroad versus India you know it's a developed country versus a developing country so people have to acknowledge that first and then you know understand their lifestyle in India that's the first thing that they have to when I mention that I think you know people needs to be aware of like you know they can't expect the same kind of Library systems that are available in abroad or like the same kind of you know Parks or some of these infrastructure right so when I say you know that's the priority the expectation so that's on an infrastructure side when you look at maybe some of the aspects from a weather you know air pollution these are the things that outside your control I'm I'm just touching based on the things that are outside what you can influence but how can you make sure that this is something that would work for you when you move back so these are things that has to be considered whether the the pollution whether it's the traffic it's a lot of population you know there are things which are different than what you have there the other thing that I heard was customer service maybe you know in the Western countries the customer service or people service is much more

9:13 Structured and it's very streamlined but when you come to India it's a little bit different I mean I think the culture that the systems are different so I think you know it's not something that you can change by just coming here you have to acknowledge and you know prioritize which is more important and it's the same thing I think you know the kids adjustment is the biggest biggest thing that people always think you know when the kids grow up to certain age it it becomes much more challenging for them and we have to be acknowledging that because they were B and brought up and grown there so they have to understand the Dynamics of that which is very critical in terms of at what age you are trying to move the kids from one place to the other place and the other thing that people think about is on the career transitions you know when we think on the challenges right it's the work life balance that they can expect abroad versus how it is in India but on that note I mean I think things are changing things are evolving but these are the things that people have to consider or the challenges what I heard why they are holding back the decision to move back right I think these are things that that goes in their mind from a financial perspective yes you know things have changed in terms of

10:14 The salaries that you're getting but it's not comparable but again you you have to balance it out you know because the cost of living how much savings you can do these are things is one aspect but also to your point like what you mentioned about the double taxation how they should plan from a financial perspective because you have assets abroad and you know you're planning to make your primary residence at one place and how do you plan on a financial side so that you are navigating the not only the tax and loss of one country you're talking about multiple countries when you become a citizenship these are some of the things that you know people have to consider and go through it as you've mentioned you want to do this is a big decision but there are a lot of these things to navigate at the end of the day it depends on what's your key priority and why you're moving and how you can navigate some of these things these are not like things that you can't live with it this is just more like what is more important and how you can work with everything together is the way I I would say see any situation for matter matter calls for sacrifice when you leave India there is a sacrifice of your community

11:15 Your surroundings your pars your teachers the whole life that you live for right from your child is that set sacrifice when you decide to come back you have a sacrifice for money the clean environment and so many facilities that come with it but that's a part and parcel of any Deion you make in life you make any Deion there are two sides to there is something you get there is something com something go that goes without saying but at the same time there is something like know people keep telling that there is nothing like your own home you can go to another Palace but the palace belongs to somebody else do you have a comfort in a palace or do you have a comfort in that small home of yours where it is my sweet home where it is my people where it is my people who stand by this I and my Tes we are regular Travelers we travel a lot many times we get into this matter telling that look it's very easy to come and say that these are all very developed countries everything is on auto let's go

12:17 To Europe and you see the airports over there what if they were to handle the crowds like the way they handle here in India can they pop up they'll crash in no matter of time yeah you can all boast about that I bought a syst ter I want everything and kind of a thing try to come to Mumbai airport or come to Bangalore airport and look at the crowd and let let it be done in one of the European countries they will literally crash down but look at the efficiency which has come to the bore airport today almost every once in two months I keep traveling here or there outside of India wherever it is Bangalore airport clears even the immigration in less than half an hour 45 minutes you are on tax the similar story with Mumbai also the similar story is seeing in in Delhi there is SC for improvement but we can't say that India is bad in every respect and we are not learning anything from that that's not correct so the benefits of that good things have come because of a lower population it has come because of you are somebody who is ahead of the C and if I see my own life from my

13:19 Childhood there I'm 62 and things have changed so much I was on the other day watching an episode with Raj Sharma with SM he was there are about six or eight or 10 children living in a 10 by 10 room and he's a celebrity today and look at how the life has evoled so it has happened for so many people India has improved a great extent so nobody is sitting outside as an NRA should make fun of them I I see many of the comments coming on my channel many people say that they go outside India and suddenly they become super human beings and start calling names to Indians and this country and all kind of but that's completely changing I'm I'm very very sure one toughest decision the returning NIS have to make especially if they have to come back in the middle of the career is about the children how do they cope up what about the education system what about the value system what about the the way of Education what did you pick up from your conversations with these families which have written that's

14:22 A great question I think for lot of the families this is the most important thing that H in their mind right how will the kids adjust a few things let's talk through that the first one is because when they're growing up abroad they might not be fluent or able to read and write some of the you know their mother tongue the languages that's one aspect so when they move back you know what curriculum would be appropriate for them to cope up and be able to be successful in that the second one also is the you know the friends the ecosystem because they got used to growing up in a certain structure certain surroundings LS how well they will be able to adjust in the new system which is like you know in India when they move back now especially when they go to like a middle school or a high school you know they have certain the flexibility of adapting kind of reduces a little bit because they have certain develop their own personality their own way of life you know and the friends which makes it a little bit hard for them to adjust so that's something that we have to acknowledge

15:22 And be mindful about because when you're making a decision you have to take the entire family into consideration it's not only you it's like the spouse the kids everybody you know happy family happy life right at the end of the day so that's one other thing and the main other thing that you mentioned is curriculum I think in India as you mentioned you know it has come along a long way you know compared to even like 10 years 5 years it just coming you know it's it's it's changing every day you know there are so many curriculums whether it's IB igsc cbsc so many options which are much more towards the global standards the same education is available and you might have to do your re search and selecting the schools and what's appropriate for your kids and also when you think about after their education in the 18th right like in know plus 11 and 12 what are the options that they have and make a decision on that the other thing that I would also say in terms of the kids scope up is in abroad you have to take them around for different extracurricular activities whether it's swimming dance or do things but in India you know there is an option like when

16:23 You're part of like some communities you have these classes happening in the communities which frees up lot of time that's one aspect the other aspect also is in this communities you have a group of kids and it's very secured you know people go and play you know you don't have to schedule like any play dates with other families so there are a lot of positive things also like for the kids because they have their own social life they can have their own friends you're not wasting a lot of time just shuttling back and forth between different extracurricular things but one thing to be mindful is more about the age at which you're moving and make sure they're prepared for that whether you are bringing them on a regular basis to India they are you know close to their grandparents par uncles and aunts then nephews so they are excited they are still Nimble enough to be able to you know flexible to learn like new things whether it's languages or you know the system that's the only thing that I would say but other than that there are so many positive things that they can enjoy in India and things have changed I mean it is not like as strict like as I was growing up you know where if if you didn't do your assignment

17:24 You know somebody's going to hit me that's not the case I mean you know things have changed and evolved so so change your mindset in terms of what India is doing right now just explore talk to the schools and understand it and see what's appropriate for your kid which curriculum and make a decision on that ainash you have interviewed so many persons who have come back to India after their stint as an NRI a lot of people had lot of kind of experiences what experiences you picked up from them see something like you know irritation you are used to kind of Lifestyle a corporate culture a way of living living you're getting up in the morning holidays spending time with children and kind of Lifestyle kind of an issues what kind of an irritation people went through during the acclimatization process back into India definitely So based on my discussion with you know families who have returned back some of the things that I have picked up especially the common theme that I hear is the traffic is something that they have to you know deal with the other

18:26 Aspects are related to work depending on whether it's a service industry you know which is in the it side the work culture that they have experienced abroad versus what to expect or what they have expected here but things have evolved things have changed it is much better but these are some of the things that I have heard from from my discussions the other aspects are related to kids adjustment again it it also goes back to their planning you know when they are moving and what's happening people who became citizens abroad they have to navigate the tax loss of not only one country like India but also the other countries it is complex and it's something that they can work with the financial planner who can navigate them because they have to report at both countries and maintain books and so on this is another thing that they have to deal with not like a major challenge but these are some of the things that they have to do in addition because of the move the other aspects related to customer service is another thing that I heard you know some of the infrastructure is another thing

19:27 That I heard like you know where they have to deal with it but at the end of the day it's why is the most important thing why they decided to move and what is the primary reason that they return back to India and that drives everything because there is no perfect place anywhere in the world you have to decide what is more important and how you can navigate the other parts of it that comes as a package so these are some of the things in general what I heard with my discussions with the wres and everybody's experience is different but this is on a broad stroke of some of the nuances or some of the things that they have to deal with after returning back to India if NRA has come to India with his wish that I love life here I want to stay closer to my family all the irritations they went through will slip into an oblivion and they they manage it as a cost which will come along with but if you have come out of compulsion the spouse doesn't like that foreign country you lost job or some other issues which force you to come back to n then it can work as an a it's as simple

20:29 As that in life when you have to get something you have to compromise something else elsewhere as well that's a given take that's one cannot avoid but what I feel is but if people are prepared a little bit for their eventual transformation into back into India the journey could be much smoother mentally you are prepared and you could be preparing very well with your discussions with financial planner child childood accountant CPAs or the concerned professionals wherever you need expertise on that becomes easier from your experience what message you have for the NRA Community whenever they decide to come back to India what kind of a preparation if they make the journey would become much smoother yeah it's it's a very important and a great question I think as you said a preparation a failing to prepare makes you fail in the process so a little bit of preparation takes it a long way for the successful transition so let's talk on few of these categories before I get started I just want to touch it's not a physical move more than that it's

21:31 A mental preparation for the family to navigate this transition especially as we already talked about why why you're moving but there are also other things that they have to navigate the things that comes as a package as you already said so that's the mental prepared first let's talk some of the other practical things carod transition are they planning to move as an internal transfer from their current company to the off off of the location that they have in India this definitely would help in a smooth transition or are they planning to change the roles like how are they planning on a career perspective kids how what kind of curriculum are they planning to select for the kids and you know what schools they want to put in the other important thing also is like which city they want to move back are they going back to the same Hometown that they that they grew up or they want to move to another city which is close to the family which is better for their career opportunities how do they choose where they want to move back back in India itself financial planning because

22:31 They have Assets in abroad are they planning to continue the assets they abroad or what they want to do with the Pension funds that they have whether they want to bring the entire money back to India you know there are a lot of details that needs to be handled from a financial perspective again I think it's definitely something worth talking to a financial expert to understand what's the best way to navigate in their in their unique case because everybody's situation is different there is also things from a logistics perspective like how what they want to do with their house that they have whether they want to sell it or they want to rent it out also like what the what about the things that they want to move back what they wanted to purchase there there are I think lot of things definitely from different categories whether it's in the logistic side career Financial Planning and so on there is a checklist that we have published on the DAC return that they can go through especially when they're planning to move back to India that's one thing and the other one is especially lot of families who have done when you talk to them when you

23:33 Understand their experiences that helps you in preparing better for your transition so that's my suggestion and this is one lasted bit from my perspective talking to a few of these families if you have the flexibility to work remotely and if you can before making a big move you know try to spend couple of months in India not as a visitor actually as a resident you can actually rent out a furnished apartment or a house and try to live as a resident where you are getting things done as a resident that gives you a good flavor of the life that you can expect in India and that can also help you in making the appropriate decision so as you said preparation is the key for a smooth transition and there are so many things that they can be prepared better and work with some experts in some of the categories to help them for a smooth transition ainash thank you for all these inputs and you over the months you have acquired so much of insights into the life of returning this is and it has become an encyclopedia today and continue to do the good work continue to

24:34 Talk to the people who are returning Pi of threats from them how the learnings of these people who have already returned can make the journey for the prospective nris who have an intention to come back to India a Germany very smooth enjoyable and finally welcome back home to all of them thank you very much for your insights I request the audience to please subscribe to the DS Channel work while interviews for you to log on to lots of insights there and I wish you all the best ainash thank you very much for your time to come on my show I keep troubling you I keep calling you once in a while so that my audience as well as your audience will keep getting en with what we have to offer for each other's audience thank you very much for your time thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to present and share some of the discussions that I had and it would be my pleasure to be back on the channel again thank you all for joining us on this insightful journey of Dy return if you enjoyed this episode and want to explore

25:36 More stories and expert advice make sure to subscribe and hit the notification Bell don't forget to leave a comment below with your thoughts and experiences by the way check out the links in the description below for our Facebook group and social media for updates and engaging discussions as well as connecting with fellow Thea wrers thank you once again and until next time may your the journey be filled with joy growth and endless possibilities