A man who returned to India after spending 25 years in the United States has revealed the biggest "deal breaker" for many affluent Indian immigrants that keeps them from coming back to India. In a post on X, the man, Naresh, wrote that as he and his wife approached retirement, several of their US-based friends were considering shifting back to India.
While he acknowledged that India had "many positives," he said horrendous traffic was the major issue that consistently discouraged them.
"Wife and I lived in the US for 25 years and returned to India. As we are approaching retirement age, some US friends are asking how life in India really is, as they are debating moving to India for retirement," he wrote.
"So many positives here, but you know what the dealbreaker for many is? The horrendous Traffic," he added.
Despite their financial stability and willingness to contribute to the Indian economy, he said that many NRIs hesitate to return because of chaotic traffic.
"Just think about it, NRI's with $$ to contribute to the Indian economy, but not coming back because of our chaotic traffic," he wrote, adding, "There are so many hidden costs to our bad traffic. We need to fix it on a war footing," he concluded the post by tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Soon, the post garnered attention, with many agreeing with his point.
Some questioned the point of coming back to India after contributing so much to the US. He replied that everyone had their own reasons, such as aging parents, affordable healthcare or the comfort of having a cook, maid, and driver.
Replying to one comment, he said, "It's the chaos of Indian traffic that is frustrating. People cutting left and right, honking, etc. I can handle Chicago traffic jams where everyone maintains lane discipline and there is order."
One person advised him to move to a village or a semi-urban area, where traffic isn't as bad.
The discussion among NRIs about the possibility of returning home has gained momentum, particularly after the US imposed strict visa regulations and cracked down on illegal immigration.
Last month, an Indian techie, who had been in the US for eight years, said that he was "craving for stability" and a desire for community. In a Reddit post, he mentioned that he relocated to the US in 2016 to pursue his master's degree and landed a job by 2018.
"I always had the goal of saving and investing as much as possible during this time and was constantly looking for ways to return to India," he wrote in the post.
