This post is a comment to a blog which was a response to another blog. I have two interesting blogs for you to read.
This starts with a story of an NRI who wrote “Why I left India (again)”, (do read this to make sense of what follows) and then Chetan Bhagat wrote a very interesting response "Why i am still here" ( not to that NRI but to us all in general). In first blog the NRI has explained how he tried to return to India but found himself losing those traits he valued. Then Chetan Bhagat shared his positive and indeed inspiring experience. What follows is my comment to Chetan but before that please read above two.
Thanks Chetan for sharing this.
what an experience...I stumbled on your blog while reading comments on the blog of that NRI. and i stumbled on that while googling for whether Indians tops in remitting forex or not. It was also very interesting to read the comments.
I really appreciate that you are practicing those values which others just find "lacking" here in India but when comes practice , they also hide behind the "hypocrite" status of Indian society.
I also share the ambivalence in the treatment to domestic helps and really abhor calling them servant and rather refer them as employees. on the other hand, being nice to domestic helps is, as with you, a mixed experience. Specially when a raise disturbs the "market price" and my neighbors tend to complain and every other help want a raise. And as we know by Herzberg's theory, money is not a constant motivator. However, good family like treatment invariably wins their heart and they themselves tend to be good at service.
I try to talk to a rickshaw puller or vegetable vender as an equal and it makes them happy except few instances when my politeness is (mis)interpreted as weakness(but i don't care). Of course one has to struggle hard to find one's way in India, but being good yourself really helps. It had happened many times that i have avoided a road-rage (imagine Delhi roads) just by with a smile having a sorry or forgiveness (depending on who is at fault more) tone. Actually just before one start responding to an unintentional scratch on your car, if you show a smile, and be as considerate as its just an accident and your body is more important than your car, they tend to copy it and do not take the course of anger and just shrug it.
Coming back, i started this with my search on which country has highest remittances in the world. India is numero uno :-) and till 2010 our foreign remittances were about 55 Billion USD, keeping China as second with a close sum. This money is about 5% of our GDP, So I believe many NRIs are doing a very good job out there. About half of this money comes from Gulf countries where poor labourers are working away from home sending money to feed their family. That's also the reason Kerala is amongst rich states in India.
I thank all NRIs for bringing wealth and modern values in to India. We will take time, but we will come to what we dream for. All we need is just each of playing our own part well.
what an experience...I stumbled on your blog while reading comments on the blog of that NRI. and i stumbled on that while googling for whether Indians tops in remitting forex or not. It was also very interesting to read the comments.
I really appreciate that you are practicing those values which others just find "lacking" here in India but when comes practice , they also hide behind the "hypocrite" status of Indian society.
I also share the ambivalence in the treatment to domestic helps and really abhor calling them servant and rather refer them as employees. on the other hand, being nice to domestic helps is, as with you, a mixed experience. Specially when a raise disturbs the "market price" and my neighbors tend to complain and every other help want a raise. And as we know by Herzberg's theory, money is not a constant motivator. However, good family like treatment invariably wins their heart and they themselves tend to be good at service.
I try to talk to a rickshaw puller or vegetable vender as an equal and it makes them happy except few instances when my politeness is (mis)interpreted as weakness(but i don't care). Of course one has to struggle hard to find one's way in India, but being good yourself really helps. It had happened many times that i have avoided a road-rage (imagine Delhi roads) just by with a smile having a sorry or forgiveness (depending on who is at fault more) tone. Actually just before one start responding to an unintentional scratch on your car, if you show a smile, and be as considerate as its just an accident and your body is more important than your car, they tend to copy it and do not take the course of anger and just shrug it.
Coming back, i started this with my search on which country has highest remittances in the world. India is numero uno :-) and till 2010 our foreign remittances were about 55 Billion USD, keeping China as second with a close sum. This money is about 5% of our GDP, So I believe many NRIs are doing a very good job out there. About half of this money comes from Gulf countries where poor labourers are working away from home sending money to feed their family. That's also the reason Kerala is amongst rich states in India.
I thank all NRIs for bringing wealth and modern values in to India. We will take time, but we will come to what we dream for. All we need is just each of playing our own part well.
No comments:
Post a Comment