Typical Life Story of an Indian
Software Professional
.... Contributed
(It
looks long, but is very interesting and true, and I hope you will surely
like it)
The man in focus is from a middle class family,
and is doing his final year Engineering; and as any other typical
engineering student has these two options as in the below IF
clause:
IF fin-aid-got during final year
BE
MS in
US
display
"Foreign MS
Degree"
ELSE
Join the (campus offered) big software consulting
company;
visit
all continents much to the concern of those who took the above IF
logic
Display
"Have made more money than you guys who did MS in US"
END
IF
Our man took the ELSE clause and happily went around the
globe. Learnt English customs, French cuisine, Swiss niceties,
Spanish Reggae and American Dreams.
After three years plus (now a
days people start at 6 months itself), decides to leave the big
consultancy job and takes on a H1B. He tells all his friends "just
2 or maximum 3 years, make $10K or $20K and then come back and settle
back home nicely, Ill come back, I wont be like others who settle
there". He surely believes so when he says this and does not
lie...
First 3
months:
Has got his SSN, managed a
driving license after quite a bit of difficulty and fear; managed
a second hand car; rented a decent apartment; spending about
500 $ on phone bills calling up every friend and relative.
Next 3
months:
Finds to his shock that he has
less money in bank than he had during the big consultancy trips (when he
knew that he used to get peanuts and hence lived within his means
sharing a apartment and a car with 4 people and saved some money
really)!! So now he starts making huge cuts in telephone bill
(first he starts with his home calls and close friend calls - huge cut)
and is happy to see the bill cut down to 250 $.
Next 6
months:
Has some friends by now, makes
some trips to Niagara (its a ritual like the Kashi and Rameswaram trip
in India), New York city and White House. Experienced a winter and
fed-up with his car not starting, decides to buy a new car, feels
lonely, thinks of his marriage.
Next 3
months:
Decides to call up his family
about searching for a bride. Company asks him about green card,
has 2 minds, change jobs for 10 K increase, or stay content with 5K
increase given by the present company.
Next 3
months:
He fixes a trip after daily
hunting for the cheapest ticket, goes home (India) with quite a few
gifts for his family, fixes a girl !!! Comes back to the US
in 3 weeks, as he knows he will be going back home after 6 months for
marriage (Telugu guys are an exception: visit India for 3 weeks,
see 15 girls, negotiate on Rs. 50 Lac (5 million rupees) + 10 acres
fertile land + 2 rice mills etc., fix up the best bargain and get
married in 2 days and come back; the other Indians are not so
rewarded in cash; and they will have to go back 6 months down the line
for getting married.)
After 6
months:
Gets married, now he is for sure
his dream of coming back in 3 years is becoming pale !!... he has to
spend 3000 $ on travel next time to go back home; he has spent a lot in
car repayment; 2 Indian trips and in gifts; now he wont go back for 2
years: meanwhile he has to get his green card any way; (so he consoles
himself that circumstances forced him to stay rather than blaming his
will power).
2 years
further:
Makes a trip home, buys more
gifts for the wife side relatives than his own brothers and
sisters!! Calculates every dollar, but finds out to his surprise
that salaries in India have grown greatly, and also the cost of
everything, now his savings will buy only 1 flat in south
Madras, not
at Mylapore, he wont have any cash if he thinks of settling (in India);
decides that he will stay in the US for another 3 years and concentrate
more on saving and come back to India for good.
3 years in
US:
Has kid (his mother in law came
during delivery; he was worried all along that should they fall sick, he
will be gone in medical care; he prays to God more than he prayed for
his School final marks or JEE/CET seat). He is a family man;
thinks that if his 2 year old daughter stays in US - after she is 7-8
years of age, she will have all those bad habits, so makes a plan to go
back after 5 years, when his daughter would have seen the Disney Land
and nicer things when she is not yet spoilt by the western
culture.
4
years:
Makes a trip to India with a 20 %
hope of returning to India. His retired father with BP and
diabetes and mother with heart problem are in the fore front of his
thoughts. But he goes to a few companies, (His ego is a little
hurt as he was working as a programmer in US, in spite of having good
knowledge and had managed 10 people team in India), he expects to be
appointed as a general manager; but doesn't get one; or even if he gets,
compares with 70K $ and finds it peanuts, so he decides to show his
parents to a doctor; asks his neighbors to look after them; and
gets on a plane to the US;
5 years down the
line:
His wife likes the US, and she does
not have the problem of the pestering of her mother-in-law. Halts all
plans of her husband's thoughts of returning home. Wife visits
India during December season, shows off and then comes back to US
(While in India she talks to her relatives about her own car; kids
bharatanatyam class in Denver suburbs; her relatives exclaim that they
are still so Indian)....
10 years
later:
Our man is in his 50's. He
suddenly remembers the Indian culture. Is reminiscing in his
dreams of the past about reciting Sahasranama at 6 PM in the Shiva
temple, the prasad at the Narayana temple, his jolly stints with his
Chepak (name of a scooter/bike in India) and the coffee at the Naesey
bar in front of the Consultancy services at Lloyds Road 185 office and
Annapoorna at 12 Cath Road office. He wants all of them back . so
goes to India (but doesn't find it and that all are not truly
continuing; blames Indians for forgetting culture;) Buys a big
flat; and decides to come back in 2 years;
After 2 years;
He goes back to India but not with his family; his children Sweta
and son Nikhil (nice fancy names unlike his Ramanaryanan and his friend
Sivasubramanian though they were deep rooted tradition of his ancestral
names) are going to "SCHOOL'' (at Michigan university, not in our terms
an university; he calls it school) and are likely to get settled their
with Steve and Susan respectively. He does not like it; but cant
help it and so accepts it without saying anything; wife accepts it more
realistically ; but still blames the circumstances ( had I got $ 70K
when I passed out Engineering, would I have come here and spent 30 years
here. He does not remember that rest of the Indians earned only 1165 +
city allowance + DA relief of 180 rupees fifty paise when he got 3500 in
Campus and got 1000 hike every 6 months in his software consultancy
company).
Now in his sixties at Adyar; he goes to temple; his
neighborhood flats kids are wearing American T-shirts, watching
MTV. Our man is feeling bad that they are growing too Western; he
passes his last days hoping his son and daughter will join him at death;
(doesn't remember that he sent only get well card and made few
telephonic calls using AT&T, MCI cheap rate duration's than attend
to them personally, but still expects his son will come & nurse him)
... the good treatment at Malar Hospital has restored his health; now he
can walk to the corner shop and negotiate coriander leaves for 50 paise
spoiling the poor daily wage earners' meager earnings )...
And
now our man rests in peace at an old age home !!
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