Fewer Indian Students in USA, but more Americans here

I saw with amusement, the following news in Times of India, 15^th November 2011, edition.

 NEW DELHI: For the first time in many years, fewer
 Indian students are going to the US for higher
study, while the number of Chinese students has
 jumped. But, also for the first time, the number of
 US students in India has jumped by over 44%.


According to the Open Doors annual survey by the US' International Institute of Education (IIE), students from India decreased by 1% to a total of 104,000. "Yet, India, as a destination for US students study abroad, increased 44.4%," said the survey. Despite the decline though, Indian students represent 14% of all international students in US higher education and the nation is by far the favourite destination for Indian students overseas.

I remember the day when one of my friends, sent his son to USA after getting B.E from Anna University. The cost of education was so cheap and I remember he took a loan of just Rs.7 lakhs from a bank for going abroad. Now with cost of education going hp nearly four fold and with repayment installment enormous and dwindling job opportunities in USA, slowly our children going to USA come down.

This reminded me of an article I wrote in some website, nearly five years back, pointing out the difficulties faced by Indian parents and their mental fight between affection and reality, where in I have actually dreamed of a day when Indian sons return to our country. I just want to reproduce the article, for the sake of new blog created recently.

 NRI Parents, Life, Feelings

By V. Veeraswami

Summer has started in Chennai. Usually people make a beeline to railway booking centers to book rail tickets for summer vacations. Some who can afford browse the internet searching for cheaper fares in airlines to visit distant places. Some go to cooler climates like Ooty, Kodai or Simla.  There is a new group of people, those with their children in USA, UK or Singapore or Australia. These parents mostly leave India now, so they can escape the hot summer in India and return by October or November so they escape the winter in those far of lands. They are NRI parents.

Long time back no one knows what is NRI. It was mostly used in Banks and Investments and financial circles. What is NRI? Non Resident Indian.  In the history we have seen merchants going abroad to sell their goods, bring back wealth. In Tamil there is saying “Thirakadal Odi Thiraviyam Thedu”

It means go across the seas and earn. In the last quarter of 20^th century, encouraged by new found Oil money in Middle East Asian countries, viz.,  Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and other emirate countries, lot of Indians started moving to middle east searching for jobs which gave them a wealth which they cannot dream here. At one time in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, like Thanjavur every house had some one in Singapore or Middle East. We used to call a small village, Koothanallor, as Kutti Singapore, where most of the people had some relative in Singapore or Malaysia and built their big houses in that small village, flaunting their new found wealth with lot of cultivable lands, jewels and luxury goods. This made every other to think and try for some work in foreign countries so they too want to earn wealth. Every parent wants their sons to go abroad. Every wife wanted their husbands to go and earn abroad.

Then came the sudden boost to IT Industry and modernization and all. Opening up of economy. In 1970 I was working in a Bank branch in Tanjavoor Dist. We used to calculate monthly interest for loan etc. using a Kapoor’s interest calculator. That is book published by a Mumbai Company containing tables giving interest at various rates. What I mean is we have not seen an electronic calculator. Next 15 years saw a tremendous growth in technology and computer entered India. Every one started to see what is computer. NIIT started Basic, Cobal and all. At one time we know only three branches in Engineering. Mechanical, civil and Electrical. Now you see there is no course with out computer. And all went for MCA, BE (ECE) BE (COMP Science)

Every one with money and influence started engineering colleges. India started producing computer engineers in thousands, every year.

So where is work? Then they found the demand abroad more than in India. They get more pay there. Go to USA, Europe. Then they saw the luxury in USA, they saw all the nice things available, they saw all those things they used to see only in movies. They saw in foreign countries they want only hard working, intelligent people and India produced them in thousands.

Earlier most of these people used to go to Middle East. From doctors, chartered accountants to laborers they went to middles east. One thing with Middle East, these countries never allows us to buy land or houses and become citizens of those countries. They worked for some years and return to India. But with USA and Europe it is different. Those ho go there to work there can always get a permanent resident ship (Green Card) or citizenship.

Every parent wants their children to go to USA. I know a friend, who came running and told me, ‘My son got admission in Axe College. All those who pass there go to USA. I am proud’ in other words he thought of his son going to USA even when the boy enters the college. OK. That boy passed and went to USA and did his MS there. Got a job. Parents find he is happy. So he prepares his nest son to do the same. He forgets he has only two sons. And both are leaving the parents. But his aim is only to send them abroad, nothing else.

Next the boy wants his green card. Then his citizenship in that country. Parents prefer their daughters marry boys in USA or Europe. Once the boys get married their wives prefer the foreign countries, where they get a nice care free life. They never like to return to India. I have seen when the children born they get used to the American or European way of life. Pizza, Burgers, hotdogs. Children oppose coming back to India to the schools. So sons and daughters who we sent to study to USA build their house there. They settle.

His neighbor is watching it. He feels why not my sons also do that? Why not we send our son to USA? So he also starts preparing his son. So it goes on like this in most of the family.

So the parents send the children to USA after giving them good education. in Good colleges, happy when they the children are well qualified. They own houses; they drive big BMWs, and Audis. They are happy. They send $$$$. Parents get money. Parents get good home; get big TV, Car and all luxury items. Parents shop in big malls, buy silk, gold and diamond. . But they don’t have any one to share their happiness or sorrow. They want to tell so much.

The locality, in Chennai, where I live, every alternate house has the same problem. Some time I feel the whole area looks like an old age home. Where there were big joint families, now live some middle aged or old couples. This is evident during festival seasons like Deepavali. I know a gentleman, who was a top executive in a multinational.  Now he lives in an Old age home with his wife. Of course the Old age homes for rich are available now. U pay the money and u get all luxuries including periodical visit by doctors. You get every thing money can buy. But not the affection or peace we got when there were joint families with children. My friend suddenly died, and his son has to come from USA. So many difficulties. He reached after 3 days. And the body was cremated before his coming. Of course he came and cried and did all other rituals. But what about the last days of the friend. No one knows.

Why it is happening? Is it only for $$$$? Is India not fit to live? Are our IITs, IIMs anywhere inferior to foreign university MS? I don’t know? Why they go and settle? I don’t know. So are, many NRI parents (parents of Non Resident Indians) do not know. Can any one tell me?

People say India is growing. India is going to be more affluent than USA. All our sons and daughters will return to live in India. Will it ever happen?

12^th December, 2007

veeraswamiv@yahoo.com