After spending a decade in the United States, a former NRI recently returned to India to take care of his aging parents. Now settled in Hyderabad for the past three months, he offers a honest take on life back in India, dispelling myths, acknowledging the shortcomings, and highlighting the unexpected ease of settling back in. “People think dealing with documents and banks in India is a nightmare. It really isn’t,” he says.
Within weeks of arriving, he was able to update his Aadhaar and PAN cards without paying a single bribe. Much of the process, he says, was handled online, and postal delivery was prompt. But he doesn’t sugarcoat it. “You need to be mentally prepared that going to a post office or an SBI branch might not be a pleasant experience. Someone will misbehave, you’ll probably have to raise your voice. But then again, I’ve had similarly bad experiences at the DMV in New Jersey.”
On corruption, he shares a nuanced view. For smaller bureaucratic tasks, bribes weren’t necessary. But he concedes that “for real estate and bigger things, money does need to change hands. But honestly, the services are so cheap here that sometimes, you feel like tipping people out of pity, even when they don’t ask.” Driving, he admits, is a different ball game. “You’re going to lose money in minor car accidents every 3–4 years. Just accept it and move on.”
He recommends having a dashcam and warns that the roads will occasionally ruin your mood. “But surviving in India is all about not letting petty things get to you. If you’re fortunate enough to say, ‘10,000 rupees isn’t a big deal,’ and let it go, you’ll have a far better time.” One area he has no firsthand experience with is India’s often-criticized work culture. He plans to apply for remote jobs with U.S. companies and says he’s financially comfortable enough that he may never need to work again.
His praise is strongest when it comes to India’s medical professionals. The younger generation of doctors here is incredibly smart. Back in the U.S., I often felt white doctors didn’t take my symptoms seriously. That kind of bias doesn’t exist here.” On housing, he recommends investing in a gated community apartment. Initially offended by a friend’s remark that it’s “a price you pay to keep India out of your life,” he now agrees, having seen how dramatically different life can be inside those walls.
Still, not everything is rosy. The one issue that deeply worries him is financial fraud. “This is one area where I have no solutions. Scams involving UPI, banking staff changing contact details to siphon funds, there is very little legal recourse. It’s scary.” He is also concerned about navigating U.S.-India financial compliance, especially as the U.S. begins to impose remittance taxes and requires strict adherence to cross-border tax laws. Despite all this, his overall verdict is optimistic, “India is not the same place I left 10 years ago. At least in tier-1 cities like Hyderabad, things have improved significantly. No, it’s not Singapore, but it’s also no longer the India of 2015.”
“Money and gated communities can’t fix everything”
The Internet quickly reacted to the post. A user said, “Being mentally prepared to tolerate crappy behaviour is the reason I am not not willing to come back. Anyways I am based in an East Asian country so coming back to India frequently isn’t a problem unlike USA. I often travel back to India for any medical issues because medical in my current place of stay is expensive and government healthcare has a long waitlist.”
Another claimed, “I will be retiring in 2-4 years. Thinking of buying in Hyderabad or someplace comfortable and stay for 4-5 months a year. One think I dislike is show of wealth in these gated communities and need to find people of 50+ age people. But I like is cleanliness. I’m used to walk for long distances in southern suburbs with clean and green air, alas not possible unless caged in gated. You never get to meet normal Upper middle class people.”
“Generational wealth + US earnings take you a long way ahead of the bunch, still can’t help with Pollution & Toxic Indian work culture,” noted a netizen.
“Spending time in India right now on vacation, been in US for ~12 years now. I agree with your points, wife and I are in a similar situation financially, bought a gated community 3 bhk apartment in Pune, have some generational wealth and we also have our own decent savings such that if we want we won’t have to work if we return. Anyway we are planning to return in couple of years but we are planning to work as I feel it’s essential to keep mind and body active, obviously the work will be on our terms which won’t involve lot of traveling..good to know things worked out well for you,” claimed another user.