Thread by @kvsarmaj

Madam is very funny in this explanatory video. She points at "everything" as the reason for brain drain. I think she is trying not to screw up by pointing to the obvious reason - broken administration and judiciary.

We can't trust our judiciary to deliver justice. We can't trust our taxation system to be fair. We can't trust our financial systems to be open.

Our administrative system is broken. Our civil "servants" are our "masters" and they know it in their bones that we are ants that need to be squished under their boot heels - remember "tum sala gulaam laga ... amaara joota ka nicche hi rahegaa"?

Heck, our administrative systems can't keep our roads clean! Why would anyone with even itsy bitsy talent to get things done stay back? Thats one side of the coin. The other side is the famous Indian "manasikta".

Madam tries to say "this benefit, that benefit, and that, and that also, but also this as well" as reasons for brain drain. Most important reason is "ego boost". I have faced it with my own family members - what I would like to call "suri babu syndrome".

When our colleagues come from US - this guy has probably lived and used same trains as we did, same roads as we did - but he will lecture us that you know "back at home, we do things differently". After a few curses in my mind, I used to blurt out - "wow, that sounds amazing"

That ego boost you get as an NRI is probably priceless. Like my uncle after his first visit to US on work visa, comes back and talks to others as "ohhh, thats ok I can ship it to you tomorrow". I was like "why would you send it by ship, when you can send it by courier"

This "manasikta" will continue to boost "brain drain" and there is nothing wrong with it. It is first of all a personal choice but more importantly it makes the parents and close relatives of these people extremely proud.

If you are like me, it is great entertainment listening to them lecturing about modern systems compared to our shitty stone age systems. I just allow them to think that we don't know how to use escalators and keep harping. It is lovely entertainment.

I meet people - probably just like most of your do - in my regular social life. Many of them have a simple question somewhere during the conversation - have you been to the US?

I explain that my work doesn't require much travel. When I did travel, I did so only because a higher up white master wanted to size me up or find out whether I am worth his time or to get some boards back for testing - since you know, our customs reaaaalllly sucks!

But most of the time, they don't get it. Having a visa - even if it is a tourist visa - is considered an honor. We flushed our self respect down the western toilet very early in our lives. There is nothing great about being a citizen of India - especially if you are a Hindu.

I would say Indian government should encourage brain drain, make special deals with Canada, Germany, UK - where there is a special demand for high end tech today. There is no point in making people suffer because our broken system.

For the likes of me, it is our responsibility to develop some self respect in our kids. We can do that by telling teaching them why being an Indian - especially a Hindu - is such a great privilege. Why we being to the world's most important religions for the sake of its future.

Why these struggles in life pale in comparison to living the life of a second class citizen in a foreign country. I have been trying to do that with my kids but I have a feeling one of them will flee at the first opportunity but the other will probably catch the cold from me.🤞