"Home" Page!

"Aa ab laut chalen...."

Mukesh's mellifluous voice hypnotizes you while listening to this number from thespian Raj Kapoor's 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behthi Hai'.

The magic of being 'at home' is a pleasure indeed! And I do not intend to say this as an antipathy to the idea of staying in a land that is over a thousand miles away from one's own.

Nothing can take away the days that you fought the pain of moving away from your loved ones and all the warmth, to pursue your dreams of making your mark where it mattered most! Nothing can take away the initial struggle that you successfully overcame in coming to terms with working against your disposition to adjust to a new timezone, and to live amongst a new ethos. Nothing can take away the triumph you felt overcoming the initial tribulations, both emotional and physical. And finally, nothing can take away your stupendous success against all these odds! If you honestly feel that you have a lot more to achieve, and perhaps give back to the host country, nothing should stop you from rolling on. Period!

On the other hand, if there is a budding thought that is dormant in your mind about returning home ...well, nothing should stop you from brooding further! Again, it is understandable if one would like to take a holistic view of the whole idea. Chucking something that has been fantabulous all along, and moving back to a scenario that might need a bit of 'catching up' would take a lot of deliberation. It is not just about you; your family has to be comfortable with the idea too. Losing out on a well-knit network of colleagues and friends is another prospect that could tug at your heart. In other words, the whole process is quite a roller-coaster ride. If, however, the determination to return to India gets the better of all these, then what next?

I would like to steer clear of all the hype that surrounds the neo-persona of India Inc. Enough material would rain on you at the click of a mouse! It would make sense to judge your career options back home that would give you a close similarity to your current lifestyle in the US, if not all. The usual destination picks for returning Indians would be the hot metros. Bangalore and Hyderabad are no less favored. Of these, Hyderabad is where I would like to point to at the moment....

A decade ago, Hyderabad was just another non-descript capital, going about its business with a late start and an early finish every day. The earliest risers would be the industrious milk vendors with about a dozen of their overflowing milk cans tagged on to all available space on their two-wheelers rushing in to the city from its outskirts to ensure retail distribution. Of course, there would be the vegetable vendors on their way to pick up their stock for the day, and the morning walkers / joggers. Late nights were for the odd businessmen returning after an extended day's sale or a stock check, folks returning after the midnight movie show or a marriage, and a few others. Traffic at any time of the day would be far and between. That's not the scene today!

Far from the laidback milieu, Hyderabad is now a vibrant (greater) city, with all the trappings of a metropolis. There are the concrete high-rises jostling for space with residential apartments - with every vacant space or dilapidated building being eagerly lapped up to accommodate yet another construction venture - cineplexes, pubs, frequent traffic gridlocks, convenience stores, convenience products, et al. Every day sees yet another multinational corporate entity opening its office here. From retail to biotechnology to embedded infotech, jobs abound, and every major player boasts of a facility in Hyderabad. There are placement facilitators too, eager to co-ordinate every level of job requirement.

Lifestyle, though not comparable to a cosmopolitan city, can still be rated good. Cost of living is on the higher side of moderate. Yet there is some magnetic charm to this city. So, welcome to Hyderabad!

**For expert guidance on your plans to return to India, please check with Achyut Menon who is an authority on career Options for returning Indians!