A man shared that his Non-Resident Indian (NRI) friend returned to India after living in New York for eight years and spoke about how he felt about the country. Alok Jain, founder of WeekendInvesting and an IIT Delhi graduate, said that his friend not only praised the “amazing energy” in the country but also felt that “India is growing”, and “rapidly” at that.
‘India is growing rapidly,’ says NRI
“A friend visited me from New York today. He had come to India after 8 years. He was all praise for the amazing energy in the country and how rapidly he felt India is growing,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Jain added that an “outsider’s perspective” can be very different from that of those living in the same country. “He was shocked to see our cost of medical care, transportation, internet and mobile costs,” Jain claimed before revealing how much his friend spent on these in New York.
“Pays $600 for mobile and data at his house, pays $30k for health insurance for 4 per annum, pays 2 pct as property taxes per year…!” he revealed.
Jain went on to say that, although the air is cleaner in New York, there are “many more good things happening” in India.
A friend visited me from New York today. He had come to India after 8 yrs.
— Alok Jain (@WeekendInvestng) December 23, 2025
He was all praise for the amazing energy in the country and how rapidly he felt India is growing.
An outsiders perspective can be so different from our own.
He was shocked to see our cost of medical…
How did social media users react?
The post, since being shared on December 24, has been gaining significant traction on social media. It received over 36,000 views and counting. The post has also received more than 800 likes and numerous comments.
One social media user, however, outlined what he called the “fine print”. “His telecom bill includes the cost of an iPhone, too. He can get his teeth fixed, too, in health care, and even medicines are included. The houses last 40-50 years, and interest rates are 3-4% and they didn’t pay 18% GST on cement or 5-10% registration fee,” read the comment.
“Doesn’t your friend know that his country’s per capita GDP is 40 times that of ours?” another added.
A third suggested, “Ask him to compare the cost based on average income in both countries, and not convert USD to INR.”
“‘Yes, air is cleaner’ will forever be an iconic line,” posted a fourth.
A few even wondered when his friend is returning to India – “So when is he moving back to avail all that minus clean air?”
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