Book cover
An NRI from Bengaluru has written a book on his experience of moving back to India. He has also penned the concerns and checklist of things to do that follow such a decision.
The book is titled How to Move to India: And Feel Like a Fish Thrown Into Water and is written by Gurudev Shyamsundar.
He shifted to Los Angeles from Bengaluru 35 years ago to work as an engineer. He returned to Bengaluru in 2022 post-retirement to look after his ailing mother. Not only was the healthcare cost to treat his mother’s dementia exorbitant in the US, Shyamsundar and his wife felt his mother would be more comfortable in her home country. His children continue to live abroad.
Shyamsundar had met many NRIs in the US who wished to move to India. But concerns around the quality of lifestyle and cultural dissonance in India, and the task of uprooting their lives to move halfway across the globe deterred them from taking this step. “A book like this may help some of them get around that feeling of uncertainty,” the 62-year-old shares.
Shyamsundar did not have much trouble moving back because “in Bengaluru, he feels completely at home”. He says one needs to be open to making adjustments. The book compiles to-do lists of what to do before and after shifting. Visa and immigration matters need to be handled, bank accounts may have to be transferred, and shipment of belongings has to be arranged. One needs to find appropriate career opportunities for themselves and schools and colleges for their children in India and go over health insurance, financial and legal systems.
How to Move to India (Clever Fox Publishing), Rs 499, available online.