- Balaji Gururajan returned to India after 18 years in the US to care for ageing parents
- He shared an emotional LinkedIn post about family and career transitions
- Gururajan highlighted the challenge and fulfillment of settling back in Bangalore
An NRI man has caught social media's attention after revealing that he had returned to India after 18 years in the US to look after his ageing parents. In an emotional LinkedIn post, senior Meta engineering leader Balaji Gururajan detailed that apart from being close to his old parents, he wanted his children to have the opportunity to grow up around the extended family, instead of watching from afar.
Gururajan posted a pic of an airport trolley stacked with more than a dozen suitcases, highlighting how he had managed to squeeze in his 18 years of American journey.
"After 18 years, a month ago, my family and I packed up 18 years in the US and moved to Bangalore, closer to ageing parents, growing kids, and a stretch of family life we didn't want to keep watching from a distance," wrote Gururajan.
Having worked at Microsoft and LinkedIn prior to his Meta stint, Gururajan said it still didn't feel real that he was leaving what he had built in America for India.
"It still doesn't feel entirely real. The Bay gave me my career, my closest friendships, and a way of thinking about technology and leadership I will carry for the rest of my working life," said Gururajan.
"To everyone who took a chance on me, taught me something I needed to hear, or simply made the hard years easier. Thank You!! I mean that more than a LinkedIn post can really carry."
Describing the settling-in phase as humbling, Gururajan highlighted that the overall experience back in India had been 'genuinely good'.
"Settling in has been its own kind of project, school, home, the everyday logistics of starting over in a city I last knew as a much younger person. It's been humbling and, more often than not, genuinely good."
Check The Viral Post Here:
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Social Media Reactions
As the post gained traction, one of the social media users said: "Good luck! I am sure India, and Bengaluru in particular, will pleasantly surprise you with the pace of technological advancement. Having moved back 12 years ago, I have witnessed multiple waves of innovation."
Another added: "Reminds me of the time I moved back after 10 years in the US. Still maintain it was the best decision ever, and now we seem to have a reverse brain drain in progress!"
A third commented: "When you sit with your parents, spend time with them and see peace in their eyes.. everything else will become secondary. This is what money (Dollar) can never buy."
A fourth said: "Welcome back to India. I did my move back to India (Bengaluru) in 2014 after spending 10 years in the US. It never felt a bit challenging due to my super supportive wife and two daughters. Take one day at a time is what I would recommend. And keep your motivation to stay put in India in the next two years. Support from your immediate family in this would be the biggest key."
