India is a great country to live minus corruption, pollution & over population

[Willow_on_fire]

Most of us were born there, studied there, worked/did Business there. I was a sucessesful businessman at the age of 25 (making 35K - 50K a month) living in a cool city like Bangalore, immigrated to Canada 10 years ago...did not like it here initially eventhough I have more than 50 relatives here...my first pay cheque was $525.** after working hard for 2 weeks...I was like..." wtf is this?"...did struggle initially...felt like going back many times....but as time went by...got a better job, bought a better car, went back to India and got married.....presently enjoying a very happy married life..:eyedance:....now have a sucessesful business career here, visit India every year...but still love to stay here. If India was developed like here, none of us would have been living here in North America, hopefully things change...seems very difficult...but we can still hope. Your views pls...thanks

[fineleg]

minus corruption, pollution & over population -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- minus over-inquisitive and over-interfering relatives freedom of every individual to be who she/he wants is still something india needs to embrace.

[Rajiv]

I think I would pick India Becoz of the corruption! :haha: What world you guys live in?

[Willow_on_fire]

I think I would pick India Becoz of the corruption! :haha: What world you guys live in?

good for you...:haha: I would still live here...and btw you said "you wish you could go back to India" on the gambit thread....so what is 'holding' you here bro?..

[amits]

there is no pollution & overpopulation in india. usa is more polluted than india

[Willow_on_fire]

there is no pollution & overpopulation in india. usa is more polluted than india

which part of USA did you live in?....just curious...may be the east coast (NY) has more vehicles...but I still feel there are less diesel vehicles compared to India.

[Aditi]

there is no pollution & overpopulation in india. usa is more polluted than india

So says the man who has never been to the US. lol

[CC1981]

If India was developed like here, none of us would have been living here in North America, hopefully things change

I disagree. I've been in Canada for 9 years now and before that, i was in the mid-east for 2 years. ( I havnt lived much in India after the age of 5, except for a 4 year stretch from grade 7 to 10). More than pollution and overpopulation, i have a bigger problem with the nature of the Indian society- it is too religion obsessed and there are simply too many people who can't think for themselves, really. The society there is more closed IMO - there is less room to be 'whoever you want to be in your personal lives' and too much of following social steriotypes/the mainstream nature. Out here, i can be a plumber of an electrical engineer, a man***** or a devout husband, persue music or drink till my liver rots off and i will still be welcome in the society- most of my friends will remain friends, most of them will not try to 'hide' me from their parents - there is less room to intellectually 'breathe' in India - and by this, i do not mean that everyone in India is a closeminded society-toeing fool, i mean being totally out in the open - being who you are in front of a stranger like you can in Canada. It will always hold a special place in my heart- i am indian, i am in awe of our history, culture and linguistic diversity, of the humanity of our people in the face of great odds, but for all intents and purposes, Indian mainstream is still intellectually repressed/ is gradually comming to grips with the idea that its okay to be who you want to be, so long as the big picture is positive. I see India and i see a lot of angst in the nation - angst not just from economic backwardness, but a genuine, real angst in the society where too many people live their lives with the mindset of 'samaaj kya kahega/what will my friends and family think?'. Maybe it will change someday, but i doubt if it will change in my lifetime - In many ways, India is the jewel in the crown that is the world, but until this intellectual dark cloud is lifted from the jewel, i will be more than satisfied/occupied with the rest of the crown - afterall, the world is a wonderous and big place, where even a nation as illustrious,intoxicating and fascinating as India, is still a small slice of the cake in a 10 course meal.

[Holysmoke]

there is no pollution & overpopulation in india. usa is more polluted than india

Are you for real :hysterical:

[punjabi_khota]

I disagree. I've been in Canada for 9 years now and before that, i was in the mid-east for 2 years. ( I havnt lived much in India after the age of 5, except for a 4 year stretch from grade 7 to 10). More than pollution and overpopulation, i have a bigger problem with the nature of the Indian society- it is too religion obsessed and there are simply too many people who can't think for themselves, really. The society there is more closed IMO - there is less room to be 'whoever you want to be in your personal lives' and too much of following social steriotypes/the mainstream nature. Out here, i can be a plumber of an electrical engineer, a man***** or a devout husband, persue music or drink till my liver rots off and i will still be welcome in the society- most of my friends will remain friends, most of them will not try to 'hide' me from their parents - there is less room to intellectually 'breathe' in India - and by this, i do not mean that everyone in India is a closeminded society-toeing fool, i mean being totally out in the open - being who you are in front of a stranger like you can in Canada. It will always hold a special place in my heart- i am indian, i am in awe of our history, culture and linguistic diversity, of the humanity of our people in the face of great odds, but for all intents and purposes, Indian mainstream is still intellectually repressed/ is gradually comming to grips with the idea that its okay to be who you want to be, so long as the big picture is positive. I see India and i see a lot of angst in the nation - angst not just from economic backwardness, but a genuine, real angst in the society where too many people live their lives with the mindset of 'samaaj kya kahega/what will my friends and family think?'. Maybe it will change someday, but i doubt if it will change in my lifetime - In many ways, India is the jewel in the crown that is the world, but until this intellectual dark cloud is lifted from the jewel, i will be more than satisfied/occupied with the rest of the crown - afterall, the world is a wonderous and big place, where even a nation as illustrious,intoxicating and fascinating as India, is still a small slice of the cake in a 10 course meal.

I do not know about Canada per se, but in my 3 years here in US, I found many more "in-your-face" Christians with "If jesus is not your personal savior..you are going to hell" attitude people than I found hinduism preachers in my 21 years in India. Whatever anyone says, religion is a far more personal matter in Indian urban society than American mainstream society. Sometimes, I am appalled to see quite educated people muttering stuff along those lines. I seriously hope they are just kiddin, but Religion is such a big issue in elections. ALL candidates, no matter which party, have to make sure they are TOTALLY christians or they don't stand a chance. That doesn't happen in India, where we can have a Sikh PM, Muslim President..etc etc, and no one questions the religious beliefs of leaders. I hardly remember talking about personal religious beliefs in India, even during my 4 years at a national engineering college, where we had people from all over India in healthy numbers.

[Willow_on_fire]

I disagree. I've been in Canada for 9 years now and before that, i was in the mid-east for 2 years. ( I havnt lived much in India after the age of 5, except for a 4 year stretch from grade 7 to 10). More than pollution and overpopulation, i have a bigger problem with the nature of the Indian society- it is too religion obsessed and there are simply too many people who can't think for themselves, really. The society there is more closed IMO - there is less room to be 'whoever you want to be in your personal lives' and too much of following social steriotypes/the mainstream nature. Out here, i can be a plumber of an electrical engineer, a man***** or a devout husband, persue music or drink till my liver rots off and i will still be welcome in the society- most of my friends will remain friends, most of them will not try to 'hide' me from their parents - there is less room to intellectually 'breathe' in India - and by this, i do not mean that everyone in India is a closeminded society-toeing fool, i mean being totally out in the open - being who you are in front of a stranger like you can in Canada. It will always hold a special place in my heart- i am indian, i am in awe of our history, culture and linguistic diversity, of the humanity of our people in the face of great odds, but for all intents and purposes, Indian mainstream is still intellectually repressed/ is gradually comming to grips with the idea that its okay to be who you want to be, so long as the big picture is positive. I see India and i see a lot of angst in the nation - angst not just from economic backwardness, but a genuine, real angst in the society where too many people live their lives with the mindset of 'samaaj kya kahega/what will my friends and family think?'. Maybe it will change someday, but i doubt if it will change in my lifetime - In many ways, India is the jewel in the crown that is the world, but until this intellectual dark cloud is lifted from the jewel, i will be more than satisfied/occupied with the rest of the crown - afterall, the world is a wonderous and big place, where even a nation as illustrious,intoxicating and fascinating as India, is still a small slice of the cake in a 10 course meal.

good post...:two_thumbs_up:...I agree...in most parts... Indians do live in a supressed society.

[CC1981]

but in my 3 years here in US, I found many more "in-your-face" Christians with "If jesus is not your personal savior..you are going to hell" attitude people than I found hinduism preachers in my 21 years in India.

True..we have those types in Canada too ( albeit, less) but my thrust is towards the mainstream. Just think on this: if tomorrow you donned a sombrero and walked around with rodeo shoes in your Indian moholla, with a chick in your arm, what will be the reaction of your moholla- how welcome you'd be in their place, etc. Here, you can dress like an afghani woman under a tent and while you may get a stare or two, people will still be polite to you, invite you in, etc etc. I am not talking about the preaching aspect or the presence/absence of nutters (every society has its redneck morons- who mostly cling to religion and conservativeness by default) but the aspect of simply being whoever you wanted to be. In this aspect, India is lagging behind the west and IMO apart from the obvious financial perks, this is the main draw-attraction of the west- it gives you more intellectual freedom to live your life as you see fit, while still being acceptable and loved in society. This isnt an issue with religion per se, it is an issue with individualism and how Indian society is less welcoming of individualism and all the personal quirks, color and charm that comes along with it. This is the best i can explain it- i do not know if you have read much of Neitzche or not, but it is the crux towards which i am driving at - and in large part, the success of the west over the east ( in the present as well as in the past for quite some time now) is well repesented in some of Neitzche's works.

Whatever anyone says, religion is a far more personal matter in Indian urban society than American mainstream society.

While there is a lot more 'hilier than thou preachies' in America- atleast per capita, you can still say 'jesus christ sucks/christianity is stupid' to most of these nutters and not fear for your life/safety etc. In India, that is the quickest way of being killed, be it hindu,muslim or christian, in most 'public' settings.

[amits]

which part of USA did you live in?....just curious...may be the east coast (NY) has more vehicles...but I still feel there are less diesel vehicles compared to India.

i have never been to usa & dont even have any plans of visiting usa

[CC1981]

i have never been to usa & dont even have any plans of visiting usa

Then don't be a moron and compare the levels of pollution or overpopulation with the USA....if you havnt been there, you are talking nonsense, as you have no point of reference to compare. You are just being an insecure jingoist, thats all.

[h4te]

i have never been to usa & dont even have any plans of visiting usa

there is no pollution & overpopulation in india. usa is more polluted than india

another CLASSIC post and logic by amits. :hatsoff: :adore:

[Ram]

More than anything else, I think it’s the quality of life that the West offers that’s its party piece. Before, it was the lure of the dollar. 8-10 years ago, salaries in India weren’t that great. An Engineering graduate could hope to earn at the most 12,000 – 15,000 rupees out of college, which isn’t much. With all the taxes and expenses, you hardly hope to save around 4,000 – 5,000 rupees/month. If you have a family, the situation gets even grimmer. But now, salaries have increased dramatically in India. Within a couple of years of your graduation, you can easily hope to earn anywhere between 40 k – 80 k, based on where you work. That’s still less than what you’re going to make in the US, where lets say the average person nets around $5k – $6k after tax, ends up spending around $3 k - $4 k on his family every month and saves around $2 k - $3 k/ month. Now, you can save upto half of that, living in India. And when I say half, I mean in pure number terms. In relative terms, the value of the money you save may even work out to be the same. So, the financial gap is fast closing, between working in India and working in the US. However, the best thing about being in the West is, if you’re willing to spend, you can live like a king. You can rent/buy the best house, you can have that luxury car that you always wanted to own, you can wear the best clothes, eat in the best restaurants. It’s the vast variety of life-style choices that it offers that makes really exciting to live here. And the West offers more avenue for engage in different sports activities, be it conventional or otherwise. Your nearest basketball court is typically only a couple of minutes drive away and the nearest hiking/kayaking spot only 2,3 hours away ( depending on where you live). In India, even if you have the resources to spend, you’re crippled by the infrastructure. You couldn’t possibly buy a big house in the heart of the city coz its too expensive. If you build one in the suburb, then travel is a big head ache. The roads are pathetic, traffic mind boggling. It comes to a point where, even driving your dream car to work can be a nightmare. To be precise, there is less value for what you spend in India, purely because of the pathetic infrastructure. Whats the point in buying a 3.5 L, V6 luxury sedan worth 20 lakhs, when the top speed you take it to is 40 kmph? Then of course, there is the legendary corruption in our govt. machinery. Nothing gets done easily; you have to wait in long queues and jostling crowds for even small things. Who likes to do that? To make matters worse, sanitation is absolutely non-existent. There is very little respect for public convenience. There are lots of Bandhs, road side processions, meetings and ralleys. I know there is lots of talk of reverse brain drain and whatever not, but unless India can fix its problems of creeky infrastructure, better public sanitation, set right the govt. machinery and offer better life-style choices, I am sure many people will continue to leave its shores, even if doesn’t make massive monetary sense.

[Ram]

And couple of other points I would like to add; The weather is just brilliant here, especially if you live in places like Pennsylvania, Virginia, even NJ (on the East) and CA ( on the West)… Of course, I am talking very US specific. Fall is pleasant and soothing, winters are tough but you can easily cope and summers/spring is time to go nature. If you like the Sun, there’s always Fl. It really does encourage you to go outdoors and explore and do things you would have never done while living in a tropical country. Of course, it can get really hot sometimes, but its restricted to particular part of the year. In India though, almost all of metros are quite hot throughout the year. Of course, you can live in places like Manali, but there are no jobs there. The threat of terrorism; All these terrorist attacks and scores of people dying must sure make people nervous about living in a big city. I am sure, with passing terrorist attack, more and more relatives of the deceased would have decided to go abroad, for better safety and security.

[veer]

btw.. i just got robbed of atleast 2000$ of my 401k within last month because of corruption from politicians.. and from various other parties.. but you will think thats not corruption.. corruption is everywhere... there are plus and minuses of living here and living there.. you just gotta know which pluses you care about the most..

[coffee_rules]

Ultimately, it is one's own reason that directs him to settle down where he thinks is best. There is one generic answer for this qeustion. If you settle down in the west, it is very important to assimiliate into the mainstream. If not, you will live as a second-class minority. There are conveniences one can afford or cannot afford in either place. One friend from India was putoff by the fact that he can't afford a maid and has to wash his own clothes and sandaas. In India, if you have money, one can afford a lot more conveniences that one cannot afford in the West with middle-class salaries. Luxury cars, basketball courts, one can find it in India as well, if you live in the right neighborhood of big cities. So, one has got to have one's own reason to stay at any place. It is only personal.

[fineleg]

Veer, only 2000$ - boy, you must have a good strategy for ur investments (hedging etc) if thats all u lost (I'm not being sarcastic, really, thats a decent sized loss in this envt where nearly everyone is bleeding in their investments)