'One Of The Best Decisions I've Ever Made': Canadian Man Living In India For 8 Years Shares Experience

A Canadian man who has been calling Bengaluru his home for the last eight years has gone viral after stating that moving to India was one of the best decisions of his life. Caleb Friesen, who has recently gained headlines for improving the state of public infrastructure in the tech capital through his awareness videos, reflected on his time in India in a social media post.

"I've been living in India for 8 years now, and moving here was one of the best decisions I've ever made," said Friesen, further explaining why foreigners had a rather distorted view of India.

"Here's why. There's a narrative I've noticed, especially from travel influencers, and it's something that pops up a lot on X and other social media platforms. It often feels like there's an effort to put India down. These influencers tend to focus on things that are falling apart, messy, or dirty. They come to India, make videos highlighting these aspects, and then leave. The story they end up telling the world is that India is a dirty, stinky country or an underpriced asset but that's only one part of the story."

Friesen said that while moving to India in 2017, he only knew about the food and the rich culture, adding that he had no idea about the vibrant tech scene of the country.

"Nobody told me how rapidly India had developed since the turn of the millennium. Nobody told me about all of the exciting things that were happening in Indian tech. I had to figure that out for myself," said Friesen.

Having witnessed India's meteoric rise during his stay in the last eight years, Friesen said even Indians were not aware of the progress the country had made.

"I feel that many Indians are unaware of their own country's potential, and most of the rest of the world is OBLIVIOUS to the unprecedented levels of innovation that are coming out of India, to the insane amount of passion with which Gen Z and Gen Alpha founders are building their startups."

Check The Viral Video Here:

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A post shared by Caleb Friesen (@caleb_friesen)

Also Read | NRI Returns To India After 7 Years In US, Says 'Don't Regret My Decision'

'Truly One Of Us'

As the post gained traction online, social media users lauded Friesen for taking the leap and moving to India whilst helping the country with its problems.

"Hey Caleb, Happy New Year my friend. Thank you for being here with us. You are truly one of us. I absolutely love your efforts to showcase how technological progress is happening in every corner of this country," said one user, while another added: "Also a fellow Canadian Indian, refreshing to see your videos. I hope to visit my family again in the near future."

A third commented: "True respect for you Caleb!! I really like how u are being part of bringing in the change instead of just complaining about it. Thank you for choosing India and showing the good parts and working towards improving the bad parts."

A fourth said: "I liked the part when you started the narration with a positive tone, the surroundings became brighter, sky colour turned bluer and trees looked alive."