r2i forum

I have been a follower of this forum for over 3 years, and it has been most useful in several ways. The decision to R2I as well as its execution can be a very complex process - mentally and physically. I did not think of writing a diary since I felt it would not be as interesting as some others. But, anyway, here it is for what it's worth.

Background

Lived in the US for 15 years - 2 years in Ohio and the remaining 13 in Atlanta. Married with 2 kids - 7 and 3 years. All of us are USC + PIO (OCI in process at Chennai).

Reasons

We were all well settled in the US, but for some of the same reasons espoused by several others such as taking care of parents, feeling of emptiness and boredom meeting the same folks in social events, and wanting to give kids an opportunity to experience India. We had bought a house in 2000 and paid it off in 2008 with an eye to R2I. R2I had always been in the back of my mind, and started to visit this forum in 2006. Had a very good management position in the US with no complaints. Tried to gauge the Indian job market in 2008, but it was pretty pathetic. Hence, waited for some more time since I did not want to move without a reasonable offer. Managed to get a decent offer in Dec 2009 during a visit to India, and decided to move for the 2010 school year.

Location

I am from Chennai, and have spent a bit of time in other places including Bombay and the North. Mother tongue is Kannada, and I can speak Tamil and Kannada equally fluently. I work in IT, and there were more opportunities in Bangalore in general, but I thought to myself that I needed only 1 job and if I could find it in Chennai, it would be great. A lot of people thought I should move to Bangalore since I am a Kannadiga by birth, but the thought of living in a new city and starting life all over again was not appealing. Besides that, I had always been impressed by the attitude of the Chennai people and the competitive spirit right from school. I firmly believe that you are a product of your surroundings, and I believe Chennai made you more competitive. I am probably biased and this is based on my interaction with people from the 80s and early 90s. I had several friends and relatives in Bangalore, and had felt they were quite pretentious. The only negative with Chennai was the hotter weather. I figured that if 8 million people could live there, why not me? Besides, I had lived there earlier, and played cricket in the hot sun and do not remember ever complaining about it.

I will post about our move and my experiences in India ...

Welcome apr2007. Of course we have interacted a bit with postings and PM's on this forum. Looking forward to your diary posts...

Moving update

We used Universal Relocations for the move. This included end-to-end delivery and packing. We also purchased new IKEA furniture which were in boxes. Everything came through fine, and the delivery guys in Chennai even assembled all the IKEA furniture very efficiently. This was a huge plus since I was a bit apprehensive if they could do it. To their credit, they did it correctly and quickly. Had to pay customs duty of around 16K at customs for a 52" inch LCD TV and a Bose Home Theatre. Overall service was very good though they were a few minor irritants with the guys who came to pack the stuff in Atlanta. They changed the schedule at the last minute and I felt they could have packed better.

Experience

There are so many experiences, and I am going to break it down into its own topics.

Driving experience

I bought a slightly used Honda Civic Automatic as soon as we landed and started driving immediately including a long distance trip to Bangalore. It was pretty scary initially, but I feel more comfortable now, but not totally comfortable. The main issue is the lack of any road discipline and the sheer volume of vehicles on the road. None of this should come as any surprise, and there is no choice but to endure it. One piece of advice - your car is going to get dinged very frequently when parking, driving etc. If you are the kind of person who frets over scratches., I suggest you do not buy a new car or an expensive one at least for city driving. The much touted Chennai - Bangalore highway was good, but again, the lack of road discipline requires you to concentrate every single second and you cannot take anything for granted even on a 6 lane divided highway. Animals can cross the highway anytime, and people can come in the opposite direction though mostly along the side.

I also drove from Chennai to Pondicherry recently, and drove on the ECR (East Coast Road) one way. This was also a toll road and was supposed to be "scenic". While it was scenic in some places, it was a harrowing experience for the most part. It is a 2 lane undivided highway with cars and trucks overtaking and driving in a rash manner. I don't understand how such a major road and that too a toll road can be a 2-lane road (1 lane in each direction). We drove on a NH to Pondicherry and that was pretty good with 6 lane divided highway.

We also have a driver for ferrying the kids to schools and classes, and it is a major relief since driving and parking in the city can be very challenging. I feel it is money well spent. Of course, it is always a challenge to find a good driver, and we have been lucky in that aspect. As many have pointed out, it makes sense to pay them over the market rate.

If I were to pick one aspect of my return that causes the most frustration, it is the traffic and the lack of road discipline.

Education

I got both the kids admitted in one of the most coveted CBSE schools in Chennai. For those who know Chennai well, they can probably narrow it down to 2-3 schools. Being an alumnus of the school certainly helped. There is so much competition even from R2I families for admission to the same school. When my daughter had to take the entrance exam for 2nd grade, 6 out of 10 students were from the US. She cleared the entrance exam without any issues and got admitted. There was no donation or any other special financial contribution we had to make.

My daughter is doing well academically in school, but she is always comparing it to her previous school etc. Even though the education system in India has changed considerably for the good, it is still not completely there in terms of making learning a fun experience. But I feel they have made a lot of progress since the days I studied and it is moving in the right direction. My daughter has taken Hindi as a 2nd language, and thanks to the efforts of my wife, she is doing very well in Hindi. I was a bit concerned about the 2nd language but it is a relief she is doing well. Thanks to Kumon and her US schools, she is doing well in Math and English also. Based on my experience, I would say the education standard in the Atlanta school where studied is on par with the Indian schools for Math and English.

My son being in Pre KG has no preconceived notions and is enjoying his school very much.

Cultural activities

My daughter was learning Western Classical Piano and Carnatic vocal in Atlanta, and we are continuing the same in Chennai. Being the "music capital" of India, it was easy to find good teachers. The teachers are very good, and for Carnatic music, they have a very systematic way of teaching including text books and even exams. They offer certifications through Trinity College for Piano as well as Carnatic vocal. The stress is on getting the fundamentals of music right in addition to the actual singing. All in all, a very good experience.

We also had the opportunity to attend a couple of concerts, and were blown away by the mind blowing quality of the artistes. Not having attended a live concert in a long time, it was indeed a pleasure to have that opportunity.

There is something or the other happening every week, and if you can muster the time, you can enjoy yourself. There is a week long cultural event happening in Chennai this week organized by Times of India group, and a lot of prominent artistes including Vikku Vinayakram, U Shrinivas, Selvaganesh and Sonal Mansingh are performing. Othe than music, there are art festivals and several cultural activities for kids and adults. For those who love cultural events, Chennai is a great place to be.

Other factors

Having family and domestic help, it has made it easier for us to do other things like go to the gym regularly, catch a movie once in a while. We could never do this in the US since we never wanted anyone to babysit our kids while we went out. So, this is a huge plus in India. Also, the fact that we do not have to worry about mundane chores is a big plus.

apr2007;318564
I am from Chennai, and have spent a bit of time in other places including Bombay and the North. Mother tongue is Kannada, and I can speak Tamil and Kannada equally fluently.

Nice to meet you, my fellow Tannadiga! If i had a diary, it would have those identical lines.

Hoping to hear more of your experiences.

Apr2007

Good to hear your experiences. I hope to move back to Chennai one day as well. Chennai is like no other place and I cannot think of living anywhere else in India.

Keep this going!

PeterGriffin - Where are you now?

apr2007;319373PeterGriffin - Where are you now?

I currently live in the US. But my parents just rented out their place in Chennai and moved to B'lore.

I thought you were in Chennai.

PeterGriffin;319386I currently live in the US. But my parents just rented out their place in Chennai and moved to B'lore.

back2desh;319397I thought you were in Chennai.

No sir. I haven;t thought about my R2I plans yet but if i do, i might move to B'lore since i've got my place there!

[QUOTE]I had always been impressed by the attitude of the Chennai people and the competitive spirit right from school. I firmly believe that you are a product of your surroundings, and I believe Chennai made you more competitive.

Cannot agree more. I really relish my 8-12th grade experience where we challenged almost anybody anywhere...be it academic , extra- curricular or debates etc...