Status Report after 7 months in India

Why did I maintain hiatus for the last 4 months? Simple answer I do not want anybody to be disheartened by conditions in India, I do not want to be the bearer of bad news about the place I call my home.

My opinions may vary widely from any of yours, but I have to write about the facts, and leave you with the power of decision. Things that strike me on my face everyday of our lives in India:

- Life is a fleeting presence; you risk it everyday, every moment, on the roads, in your cars, in your office space. You fight to be ahead, you fight to reach destination A, you fight to cross the road, you fight to prove yourself in your jobs, you fight to keep both sets of your parents happy, you fight to keep your relatives happy, you fight for the basic amenities of life.
If you slow down, you better start all over again in this rat race.
Below is a beautiful picture from Flickr, which gives meaning to all my words.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/akashb/2302619240/in/set-72157603800257679/

- Living a good life can be expensive in India. We live in Defence Colony, Indiranagar, Bangalore; our rent is 18.5K for a 25 year old 2 bed 2 bath apartment. This apartment does not have power backup, air conditioning, parking space, gym or a decent sized kitchen, bathtubs or good wardrobes. Why do we still pay so much…..because we can sleep peacefully in silence at night, we can walk to restaurants, we can walk in the neighbourhood admiring bungalows worth 7-10crores .... unthinkable. If we decide to want all the above in an apartment it ranges between 40-70K per month. If I did not hear this for myself, I would pass it as hype and exaggeration, but this is the cost of life in Bangalore.

- What to do for entertainment?
Choices are so few, you would wonder what did I do before I went to live in US of A.
Here are the options:

• Bangalore boasts of 4 decent sized malls which seems to be packed to its capacity even on an off-day. Slowly the single shop concept seems to be a rarity.
• Good food and great restaurants dots the landscape of Bangalore, but the shock comes when a meal + drinks for 2 can cost you anywhere from 1-3K, depending on if you want to skip appetizer and dessert
• Movies in all languages to choose from, but where are the multiplexes. Bangalore has 2 good multiplex: Inox and PVR with 5-7 screens each. There may be 2 more multiplexes in remote corners of Bangalore. Going out for a movie can not be an impulsive decision, especially on weekends. Do not forget the multiplexes are in the mall, so are good restaurants and obviously the shops window shopping; hence Entertainment = Mall.
• India's greatest gift: family, friends, neighbours. Family would work out, only if you relocate to the same city where they live; for us it had to be Calcutta or Hyderabad. Calcutta could work as an option if we could find jobs and the bandhs would stop. You want your family, at the same time you do not want too much of it, hence Hyderabad was ruled out as an option as Nandan's family, extended family and anybody he knows is there and I hate the heat.
• Friends, I have a few in Bangalore, but things change over time, priorities change, topics of conversation change. We have come to realize, we are our best friends; although we have friends in US or in India, we have stopped our eternal search.
• Neighbours, good for small talk and a human face for Nandan, when I am travelling.

- My work which is 50% of my life; sucks big time. I am in nanotechnology, the next revolution, this is what sucks as I can see the huge amount of money Indian government is diverting towards nano growth, for buildings and equipment. But somehow they have forgotten to take into account the human intelligence required to think and innovate through these equipments, grants and infrastructure. You cannot teach a person to think innovative, be out of the box overnight ... this is what you gift your kids / a generation through education. There is always a rare few who are great in their research, who are exposed to western research standards...but can a handful change the face of Indian research, especially when they are not in the position of power at the various departments doling out money for the future of science.

Apart from science, the business aspects are so politicized. The fight is always on for who is the Boss. Work culture is something I would trade over anything from the western world. Inefficiency is the core issue, as you do not work for the pleasure of working, but to fulfill your obligation to your boss. Nobody takes up the responsibility as you are not appreciated for your efforts. The basic principal of business: Reward for a task well done ... seems to be absent.

- What do you consider basic amenities in life, and maybe those are luxury items in India?

Roads are horrendous, there are pot holes, no lanes and the road belongs to everybody: maruthis, auto rickshaws, bullock carts, stray dogs, cows, Mercedes and most important the People who can walk and cross roads wherever and whenever they want ... as they rule the roads. Driving is exhaustive. Taking an auto rickshaw could leave you minus a few decibels in your hearing ability. Heat, dust and pollution does not require mentioning, as they are what India is, comes free with the package deal.

Restrooms, Toilets or bathrooms: whatever you call, seems to be an absent concept. For men it does not matter, as any wall is fine; for women, you better learn to have control. Government has "Sulabh Sauchalays - Easy Toilet", but they stink from a mile away. This is something many realize as a basic necessity, but you need a leader to execute it in a country of billion+ people.

Electricity, comes and goes as it pleases. Is a problem, as you have Internet dependent on it, and you cannot work from home. The mosquitoes and heat rules, as you do not have the power of Good night machines or fans. Aquagaurd water purifier stops, but I guess I should store water.

Good schools and hospitals, you can access them if you have good money. I should acknowledge I can get both of these facilities, but these should be for All and not for the selected few.

Enough for now, as these things has left me salivating for US lifestyle. To sum it all up, we can run away from all our dissatisfactions, but it tugs on our heart to see India in such a condition ... end of the day, this is where I am from, this is my home, and I will always want to return even after spending years in USA. This is why every time you talk to an Indian, some part of him/her will always want to be in this soil at any cost.