Dec 08, 2006 09:29 PM
33525 Views
I was born in Britain to Indian parents and have lived here all my life. I am very proud to be a British citizen and I love living in England. I love the convenience, the people, the monuments of London and the transport system. I believe that I have everything here, a good education, a nice house and most of my closest family are here but there are many reasons why I want to leave to move to India. One must think why would a British born Indian want to go to India, a developing country. I do but I'm not sure whether to stay in England and put up with the once in a while trip to India or move to India and feel like a foreigner and probably miss my birth country.
India- I first visited India when I was seven years old and fell in love with the country. I was fascinated by what India was like. It was like a different world, I had always called myself an Indian and now I was there, seeing it with my own eyes. The month was amazing and I felt very happy to have gone there. When, I came back I began to miss it and I didn't go back for eight years, which I really regretted. My second visit was even better and it strengthened my desires to emigrate to the country where my parents were born. I went back a year later and although I didn't enjoy this trip as much as the previous two (partly due to the power cuts, also the fact that we stayed in the same place for most of the time), I still love India madly and am still considering one day making it my home. I love India because of its people, its colours, the streets and I admire Indian culture and all aspects. I follow Indian films and enjoy them very much. I also love Indian politics. For someone of my age, I can name all the Prime Ministers of India and can name all the states of the country. I could tell you the story of the partition of India. I admire India deeply. The question is why do I want to go there? I feel at home in India and feel like I could adopt it as my homeland. I am learning how to speak Hindi and I follow Indian customs. I'm more Indian than British in my culture. I do want to live there but I have some reservations, I am worried about the heat as the Summer months from April-October can be very hot and I don't think I would be able to cope.
Another reason is the fact that I am techinically not an Indian citizen. I'm a foreigner. I speak Hindi like a foreigner and people in India would treat me as a foreigner, I'd be conned if I had to take a taxi or when visiting one of Delhi's monuments. I would be forced to pay foreign prices for goods and don't know how I would be treated by the locals.
If I got a job in India, I would earn less than I would at home and so perhaps its not best to emigrate to India after I graduate.
However, I feel it is my duty to do something for India. India needs us NRIs to return home and advance India.
Britain- I was born and brought up here and I love India. Much of my family is here, my mates are here and my life is here. I find Britain sometimes a boring place and want an alternative. I was born in the same town and have lived in the same town all my life. I think I need a change. However, it is going to be very difficult to live in India because of my British upbringing and possible inability to understand the problems which India faces. There is little poverty here and I'd probably be shocked by what I see there, you'd see more of it as a resident rather than as a tourist.
In conclusion, I'm not sure what to do. I want to join the diplomatic services when I graduate but then I can't live in India. If I live in India, I wouldn't know what to do, I can't join the IFS as I'm not an Indian citizen, though I hope to apply for the OCI.
I love India so much, my family there are very nice and I miss them so much. However, I would miss my family here to. I would probably want to come back to London every year if I lived there.
