13 Comments

Sri:

Good Article providing a perspective. It is also driven by how one has been moulded from a young age. Indian Middle class communities were fierce in the zeal to give the best for their children's education and this middle class went all the way to make sacrifices for the sake of their children. During the growing years, the concept of 'success' was very much templatized and it was not uncommon for people to pass out of schools, do their IIT's and go abroad for their studies or IIM. Then came choosing the life partner, acquiring assets, multiplying them etc. This was the template for 'success' and its measure as portrayed by parents which the kids growing in 1970-2000's at least embodied. Parents in their 60's to 80's even if wanting their children to be with them have accepted the physical distance gracefully because they were the ones to set this template which unfortunately has some flow on effects that include a bit of negative narrative on our country.

The Vedantic interpretations of our dharma are beautiful and malleable that everyone of these interpretations have given their view of relationship between Jivathma and Paramathma with most if not all these interpretations terming 'success' as the final destination of Jiva to assimilate with the Paramathma.

Somewhere between the two views of success, there is a need to identify the correct balance when children are growing so that apart from what is required to lead a comfortable life, they also understand what it takes to living a life of values. This is very much dependent on the family and the mother who is the prime role model for the children. There is more contribution one can expect from the second generation kids living abroad as they are exposed to comfort of matter. Giving them the tools and technologies to read our Dharma is of paramount importance else they would wither like a branch that has fallen off a tree.

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Blaming reservations for their lust for better pastures is a pastime of the NRIs. The fact that the 3 to 10% of forward classes getting 50% in theory & 85% in reality of jobs available is notwithstanding. Even from their own logic of merit they should belong to the 50th percentile which is not true, they are top most & evacuated by their own choice, not by any compulsion.

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Rajeev, always liked your posts and this one is no exception. Having taken a somewhat similar journey you did (IITB engineering and UCLA MBA but chose to stay on in the good old USA rather than move back to India) I have come to the realization that regardless of where you settle, it’s important to hold on to Santana Dharma because it’s eternal. Just my 2 cents! Keep writing and would love to share a meal/drink/coffee with you when I’m in Bangalore (that’s where you settled in India, right?) next time. Cheers!

Giri.

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Well explained. So long as we equate success to going to and settling down in"foreign", we will be oblivious to everything else. No one wants to rock that boat, so we don't examine anything too closely. This is my experience and observation.

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Succint and thought provoking as always, Rajeevji. A close family member living in the US since 2000 belong to the other group you. mentioned - the ones that socialise largely in Tamil mandrams, Bengali groups etc. Surprisingly, that person is also gaga about Democrats, wonder why. The vax mandate fiasco has opened their eyes a little bit, though.

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