Sachin, Yes, putting these things in bucket sure trivializes the wide spectrum in which the points fall. The article is an attempt to extract unconventional themes based on our experiences, in order to help Indians in the US thinking about moving back. I should also disclaim extrapolation of this theory to each case, which is special in its own right. I can probably make a long list of real cases I know where many of the above don’t apply. Like the say, your mileage may vary.

While I enjoy the dichotomy (sequoia v/s banyan etc.) you create to highlight differences, I wonder if that discretizes continuum a little too coarsely.

I’ve always felt that people are very clear about their objectives, and more importantly, how to meet them, when they are traveling/ moving abroad (abroad here has the narrowest, most traditional definition possible). They also usually achieve the objectives they set out to achieve (objectives here have the narrowest, most traditional definition possible). When they are coming back, they are usually more mature and even clearer in their objectives, but somehow the how part becomes difficult to pin down. The soul-searching starts much faster when you are back than when you went out in the first place, and its not because you aren’t clear why you are here, or didnt know what you were up against when you moved back. Coming to terms with it appears to take a lot of time. This is conjecture of course, based on people I’ve met

Another aspect, and I heard this recently from a friend who just came back, is a sense of security some people get here. Somehow, they get the feeling that since they are back in India, “kuch na kuch to ho hi jayega”. Its an innate optimism that surfaces when you get back “home”. It plays a significant part in countering the large number of things which can push you to the cynical side.

Third is the man vs nature theme. I and Raji have discussed this a number of times within ourselves. Whenever we travel on vacation, we always try to stay away from people, and closer to nature. And usually we’ve travelled abroad to do that. We’ve never really bothered to explore our own country, and thats just plain stupid. Its a realization we’ve had for a year now, and are now planning to put into effect.

Keep writing!

I have two disconnects with the opinion 1. I cant understand for what are you building a character? For further trials ? Why can’t we enjoy an easy life permanently?

2. Why is a journey to India considered a “self-realization” journey? Deepak Chopra , Rhonda Brynes (Secret fame) , Shakti gwain , Eckhart Tolle have been able to achieve self realization on an individual level as well as influence the world without undertaking such a journey.