The debate over why non-resident Indians (NRIs) prefer to live away from their homeland and spend their lives in a different country is never ending. Recently, a user added fuel to this fire when he called out NRIs for praising India but choosing to stay outside of the country. His post went viral and sparked a heated discussion among users.
Indian-origin techie and ex Google employee, Debarghya Das said that NRIs who praise India are ‘obligated’ to answer why they are not living in their home country.
"When Indians living abroad talk about how bustling the scene is India, they should feel obligated to answer why they are not living there," Das wrote on X.
Also Read: The Patanjali Story: How An NRI Pair's Rs 50 Crore Loan Shaped Baba Ramdev's Ayurvedic Empire
He added two more tweets to this thread and clarified that it’s completely normal for NRIs to not live in India and still believe in the country’s growth.
"It’s disingenuous to try to act like it’s the best place in the world to be if you’re not in it," he said, adding that Indians abroad should clarify why they are residing in a foreign country.
"And this isn't about not feeling proud and cheering on your own country. You should do that. Do that. But be honest about why you’re not there."
Das's post has over 2.3 million views and over 10k likes and it also got over 500 comments.
Also Read: Married To An NRI Or OIC? Here Is Why Law Panel Has Recommended Registration Of Such Alliances
Several individuals continued their conversation in the comments section, sharing their perspectives. A user wrote, “The only reason Indians living abroad miss India is the cheap labour.” When you ask what they like about India, it’s mainly how they get daily household chores and stuff done through cheap labour.”
Another commented, “Meh, why? There are plenty of valid, legit reasons why you can’t be living back home but still find it exciting; while there’s also no reason you can’t be enthusiastic about its growth while already being in a place that is giving you more.”
A third user wrote a long comment on it, “As an Indian, living in India, I am here to help those who should feel obligated to answer why they are not living here (Choose any 5):
1. Overpopulation. We crossed China too. The land of billion people. Much wow!
2. Extreme Pollution (we have at least 15 cities in top 20 polluted cities in the world) & lack of basic sanitization. People piss, sh!t, spit, vomit, litter on the streets & talk about how much they love India & its culture & how the government is not doing its job (which they are not doing obviously).
3. Religion based politics (unless you like it yourself)
4. Zero respect for privacy (Aunties & uncles are so nosy)
5. Zero respect for taking risks like entrepreneurship. Infact they will put you down as soon as you fail.
6. Potholes & traffic. Irritating af.
7. Mass Unemployment.
8. Discrimination, Racism, Casteism, Sexism at home, at workplace, in metro. They will find you wherever you go.
9. Sexual harassment & rapes. Women (& even men) safety is a huge issue. The lady who heads NCW, recently blamed a victim for getting raped.
10. Corruption. Adani, Ambani, Modi ji haha. Sarkari babus, police, judges and lawyers, you can buy anyone if you have money.
11. Lawlessness & Disorder. Crime is high af.
12. Crypto ban. Indians are high on UPI. 😂
13. Taxes. People who are earning ethically have a huge disadvantage.
14. Lack of basic infra.
15. Schools suck. They don't give a sh!t about education but profits.
16. Can't question your parents, teachers and elderly no matter how wrong they are.
17. Can't say anything bad about India (even if its the truth) in front of Indian folks, especially on social media. Get ready for the abuses. (I am ready).
There are more & specific from person to person. But this list should be enough to cover major reasons why anyone would not want to live here.
Sorry for the typos and grammatical errors.”
What are your thoughts on it? Tell us in the comments section below.