Working Abroad vs Working in India
Questioner: Namaste. So, I am Anish Kumar Singh. I'm right now pursuing my Master's final year from National Institute of Technology, Warangal. Sir, actually, I'll be studying for a PhD in the United States of America at the University of Minnesota. Just after four months, I'll be starting my PhD. So, first thing first, it's a long program, and I think it could have a social, cultural impact on my understanding.
So, coming to the question — it is actually for settling abroad. Obviously, I'm going to study, but I'm talking about actually settling abroad . My motivation for now is to come back to India after completing my studies. For now, it's my motivation. However, when I tell my teachers, my parents, and my relatives about it, they usually tell me that you will definitely stay there. Because I spoke with one of my teacher the day before yesterday. I spoke with him, and he had returned from a postdoctoral fellowship from Israel. He's a very experienced guy. So, he said that it is extremely rare for people to return to their country, and most students stay there.
So, if I conclude my question — being a nationalist, how can I contribute to my nation, either by coming back to India or being settled there myself? If you see Mahatma Gandhi, studying abroad, coming back to India, and helping the nation. Then what should be my motivation to come back to my mother country after completing my studies?
Acharya Prashant: Too many assumptions, too many definitions in the question. I cannot just admit those assumptions and definitions and base my answer on that. What is nationalism? What is this love for the mother country you are talking of?
Questioner: Sir, in my respect, I am a research aspirant, and I have to do something on anti-cancer drugs and something. So, for me, it's like designing something, a product, maybe a pharmaceutical something. Which can be cheaply available and that can afford all the sets of people and can cure any sort of disease.
Acharya Prashant: So, you want to bring those useful technologies to the people of India?
Questioner: Definitely, sir, if I could learn something from that, definitely I would.
Acharya Prashant: Alright. What stops you then?
Questioner: I think, the financial aspects and they even give some all sorts of facilities, especially the research things, and economical, mental ease, and all those things. Work ethics, the culture, work culture I heard of in the US. And even when I used to discuss with my relatives and the people who are already experienced and went for the studies, they usually tell me that your mentality will be impacted in the long course of…
Acharya Prashant: No, I'm not getting it. You want to bring those technologies to the people of India. Wonderful. What stops you? So, you go there, you complete the program, right? And that empowers you. And using your knowledge and your resources and your network. You then bring those benefits to the Indian people. What stops you?
Questioner: Sir, I think like they say, usually in the discussion sort of people.
Acharya Prashant: I do not know what they say. A thousand people say a thousand things. You tell me, what stops you?
Questioner: I think their financial aspect and the respect to the research and culture and both.
Acharya Prashant: What do you mean by financial aspect? You have knowledge, you have a post-graduate degree — rather, what? A doctorate?
Questioner: Yes, sir.
Acharya Prashant: Yes. And India is no more a starving nation. There is enough money here as well. So, what do you mean by the financial aspect exactly?
Questioner: If you say about the earning things — I mean, respect for the work culture they provide.
Acharya Prashant: No, no. Work culture we'll come to. First of all, the financial thing. What do you mean by the financial aspect? Is that what stops you? How?
Questioner: I think that might stop me. I'm not sure about that.
Acharya Prashant: How can we just speculate about something without knowing it? What do you mean by a financial aspect to the blockage? How much money do you need? And will that money not be available in India?
Questioner: Available, sir.
Acharya Prashant: So there can presumably be no financial aspect. Why is this still a concern with you? If you want to come here, money is hardly a problem.
Greed can be a problem, money is not a problem.
Money and greed are not the same thing, right? The money that you need is definite. Greed is obviously indefinite. So money is taken care of. What next?
Questioner: I think the research facilities. The facilities they do provide, like instrumentation facilities and the research arena, the work culture they do provide for the respect for research things and the funding they do provide on the project, we work on that.
Acharya Prashant: I'm not sure about that, see. I do not know your field, so I do not exactly know the kind of disparity in research avenues in your field between the US and India, so I cannot really comment on that. But, what I know is that India is fast catching up, right? Every 5 years things are changing. Today, things are not what they were like in 2015 or 2017. So the gap is narrowing. Another five years, the gap would be still narrower.
And not only does the gap narrow down on its own, we do require able people to consciously narrow down the gap. First of all, there are the market forces that bridge the gap, and then there are people.
Think of, let’s say, somebody like Homi Jehangir Bhabha. Think of all the architects of the Indian technological renaissance post-Independence. India hardly had any facilities, any institutions. They helped build it up. They didn’t find facilities, they created facilities.
So I obviously do not want to put the onerous task of developing an institution on you. I’m just saying that India is in a position where institutions are being created, institutions are being empowered. Indians want to be among the best, especially when it comes to science and technology and research. Why not contribute to the Indian quest?
But that’s, you see, an individual decision. You can choose between the comfort and the ready-made facilities that the US offers, or you could choose between the chaos and the conflict — go for that, and as you go for that, be a part of the building-up process. It depends on your love. That’s why, that was the first question I asked you. What do you mean by love for the mother country in your own words, and nationalism? You must be clear about that.
What is a nation? Is the nation really a valuable entity? And if you know about nationalism, if you understand India, you’ll also know whether India deserves to be served. And then the decision would be easier, right?
People don’t return because they never belonged in the first place. It’s not as if they went away, they were actually never here. Just being coincidentally born at a certain place does not make you a native. To be an Indian is a tough ask.
I do not think of India as having 140 crore Indians. That’s the population of the state, that’s not the number of Indians. You want to have an official stat, you could say, "Well, demographics: 140 cr." That’s all right. Indians, really, however, are probably no more than a few hundred alive, maybe a few thousand and an equal number dead. And these Indians are scattered all over the world. Many of them have never even once come to the geographical position called India. They are still Indians.
You have to know India. Just by being born here, you won’t develop love. You can develop some kind of an attachment to your territory, but that is not love.
An attachment does not have great power. So when America lures, attachment is overpowered, and people fly away and settle in the US.
I repeat, just by being born somewhere in India, you do not become an Indian. You do not really grow love for India, because love requires understanding. Towards India is mostly about cheering the Indian cricket team or sloganeering against rival countries. That’s not what nationalism is. Right?
If you just want to return to the place where you were born, there is nothing great or sublime in this desire, this intention. Being territorial is something all animals have. All animals in existence have a certain feeling for their own territory. So, there is nothing great about the desire to return to your birthplace.
If India is just the birthplace of your body to you, then there is nothing special in India. What is India really? Figure that out, and then you will know whether it is of importance to serve India. And when you know something is important, then you devise means. Then, you need not necessarily be present within the geographical limits of India. You probably could be anywhere equally. You need not be at other places for reasons of greed.
A missionary travels across the world. That’s very different from somebody migrating to another place in search of better financial opportunities. You understand the difference between a missionary and a migrant? Missionaries too are globetrotters. They leave their birthplace. Is it all too abstract? I’m not even attempting to solve it in these 5-10 minutes. I just want to begin a process for you.
Think about these things.
