It’s been almost 2 years since we moved to India. Me and My husband wanted to experience life in India after living for 10 years abroad. We have to 2 kids, aged 9 yrs & 4 yrs. The decision to return to India turned out to be a great one and our kids are also very happy.
In this post, I will share my personal experience and the pros & cons of living in India after moving from abroad
Pros
1) Closer to family & culture: The biggest reason for us to move is to live closer to our family and culture. My parents and in-laws live in Delhi. It’s 2 hrs short flight from Bangalore to Delhi. We meet them more often and somehow this gives me a feeling of being closer to them when compared to how I felt living in the USA & Australia. We can attend special occasions like Weddings, Birthdays, and Anniversary’s. It’s a good opportunity for our kids to learn Indian culture. Here in Bangalore, we celebrate all festivals in our Apartment community like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Dusherra, Christmas, etc.
2) Support for everyday chores: The cost of living in India is low as compare to other countries. It is comparatively easier to afford many services such as househelp, driver, utilities, banking, mobile, and internet. It is dusty in India, therefore it can take a lot of effort to keep your house clean. It is good to have a full-time maid especially if you have kids. I am not spending much time cleaning & cooking instead my spare time is leisure or social time.
3) Home delivery for Everything: In the last 10 yrs India has developed a lot. You can get your groceries, food, medicine, even home & personal good delivered at home. Swiggy or Zomato are delivering in most of the metropolitan locations, which is a great help.
4) Eat Eat Eat: One of the best parts of living in India is food. Being a vegetarian it is easy to find really yummy vegetarian food anywhere. Street food, vendors, restaurants are literally on every corner. You have an endless option of delicious food from a local Restaurant to a 5star upscale restaurant.
5) People are welcoming: People here are welcoming and open-hearted. I received a lot of help from my neighbors when I was settling into my new apartment in Bangalore. I got help to find a maid, driver, and quickly became aware of the neighborhood shops. I also made some really good friends. One of the best things about living in India is that my kids can play every day outdoors (inside the apartment community) and they have made great friends whereas as compare to abroad we had to arrange play dates for kids.
Cons
1) Traffic & Pollution: India is very loud and dusty. There is a constant honking of cars, Auto rickshaws (TukTuks), trucks, bikes, etc. Almost all cities in India have a traffic problem and it is only getting worse with the growing number of vehicles and narrower roads.
2) Lack of parks & outdoor activities: One of the major problems that our kids are facing is the lack of parks & outdoor activities. Outdoor parks (outside a closed apartment complex) are very dirty & there are no outdoor activities to do with kids on weekends. Most of the kid’s activity or play areas are inside a shopping mall.
3) The high cost of school education: Returning from abroad, we wanted our kids to continue the International Curriculum (IB Board). Private international schools are very expensive in India. The fees for Private international schools are between 500K (5lacs) to 1million (10lacs) rupees per year.
4) Safety: Safety is one of the major concerns in India. It is safer than before but it’s still not that safe in comparison to other western countries. I still don’t feel safe going out alone after 8 pm. Though crimes happen in all parts of the world but the judicial system is very good in western countries as compared to India.
5) Overpopulation: Since I moved to India I feel overpopulation, overcrowded, and suffocation in public places. There is no open place for walks or trails unless you drive far away outside the city. In the malls or foodcourts also there are so many people.
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