Moving to India? Five Things no one Will Ever Tell You

chillibreeze writer — Saira Kurup

Returning to one’s homeland is never an easy decision. It’s a life-changing step to move lock, stock, and barrel - changing jobs and leaving friends behind, to a land about which there are only faint or no memories. There is enough information to be garnered from relatives back home and from other expats who returned to India. And for those who don’t have either privilege, the internet is always there. However, beyond the stereotypical images and travelogues, and even old family photo albums, lies a country that has is changing so fast that you need to be prepared for the unexpected. Here are five things that no one will tell you about returning to India.

First, life in India is vastly different from that in the West. It might be a tech superpower, but many Indian villages still use bullock carts and kerosene lamps, and power blackouts are common in the cities. While you might find rural Punjab dotted with McDonalds outlets, the swanky market in your neighborhood might not still stock cookie dough. Good jogging tracks are few and far between unless you live in an up-market colony. Traffic rules exist on paper and are observed only under threat of severe penalties. Forget your impulsive weekend getaways –political strife, bad roads and unreliable transportation could sabotage your schedule, so plan weeks ahead.

Second, labor and services are cheap, but there’s a price you might have to pay. That live-in maid might be a great bargain and help you have better vacations. But prepare to lose some of your privacy at home. The driver might also wash your car and pick up your laundry or even groceries, but that means you might lose him fast to the envious next-door neighbor for a fatter salary. But you can get your house painted, cars serviced, and hire a personal trainer for a fraction of what it would cost abroad.

Third, prepare for some pleasant and unpleasant experiences, such as deserted Delhi streets on a wintery night, unwelcome male attention for women traveling alone, lizards and cockroaches in kitchens, the chatty grocer who offers to book your train tickets; the do-you-know-who-I-am or the do-you-know-who-I-know culture; the laughter clubs that wake you up at 5 am with their roaring men and women; the smiling eight-year-old who tries to sell you pens at the traffic light; and the appetite that the lip-smacking butter naan and daal at the small eatery on the highway gives you.

Fourth, there’s no concept of personal space in a country of a billion. So, if you choose to stay in one of the metro cities, be ready for relatives who “drop in” for a few days (you might start enjoying the company in due time). The neighbors might ask why your adult daughter isn’t married yet, or if she is, why she doesn’t have children yet. Inquiries about salary, age, disabilities or even the “suspicious” absence of a spouse are not considered “too private”. At the same time, if you manage to fend off such inquiries with tact, it could be the beginning of great friendships that will keep loneliness at bay in a new town.

Lastly, it’s absolutely certain that at some point the poverty and general dirtiness might get to you. The pervasive mosquitoes, seasonal epidemics of malaria and dengue, frequent stomach illness from eating out, the feelings of guilt and helplessness on seeing the impoverished standing outside the portals of a big, fat wedding, and the chaotic life in the country, so different from the established order in the West, might just make you want to repack and take the next flight out. But there’s good and bad everywhere and it’s the attitude that matters. Come to India with a positive mind and a cheerful spirit – and that’s all you’ll need as the country grows on you.

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in March, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Saira Kurup is a freelance writer with a masters in History and a professional certificate in Environment Education. After working in the development sector for a short while, she joined mainstream journalism. She is adept at editing and proofreading. After 15 years of writing news and feature stories on travel, health, education, environment and development, women's issues and popular science, she is looking for projects that enhance her creative and independent spirit.

Moving to India? Five Things no one Will Ever Tell You

chillibreeze writer — Saira Kurup

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