From Dallas to Mumbai - my experience so far

[essjay]

First and foremost I would like to thank the organizers and members for such a supportive and vibrant forum.

We have been in the process of R2I from Dallas area to Mumbai for a few months now. Our R2I is still WIP. Wife and kids are already there and I am wrapping things up here in US before moving. Here's what my experience has been so far.

Background
My background, I suppose, is more or less typical of a lot of members in this forum. I grew up in a middle class family, did my engineering and started working for a large Indian IT service company. After a couple of years, in 1995, I was deputed to work on a project in US. While I enjoyed the stay, I wasn't sure that's what wanted. So I went back to India after a year and continued working with the same company. Real estate prices in Mumbai being what they were, I felt that buying my own place would be an uphill struggle with my Indian salary (ironically, I still feel the same after working for more than a decade in US). Around that time the US economy was starting to boom. Many of my engineering classmates had fallen for its lure were urging me to come. I got married and migrated to US on H1B in early 1998. We have two kids - my son just turned 11 years old last month and my daughter will be 3 soon.

Reasons for R2I
There are many reasons why we decided to R2I - parents, extended family, culture etc., none of them being the single overriding one. I had originally planned to stay in US for only 2-3 years but then got stuck in N=N+1 syndrome. We had seriously considered going back in 2005 but then had GC approved around that time and decided to stay back until USC. To be honest, my better half was more keen on R2I than me. My attitude was "why upset the cart when everything is going well". On the other hand with my son turning 10, I felt that I had to decide soon because the R2I window was shrinking rapidly. There is a lot of uncertainty and challenges in R2I. It has occurred to me that after R2I things may not turn out to be as expected and we may have to R2A. But then at least I won't spent the rest of my life wondering if I should have R2I'd. If it doesn't work, so be it. I will have at least tried it and moved on.

Why Mumbai
Both wife and I grew up in Mumbai. Our parents still live there and so does some of the extended family. Given that the cost of living is high and real estate prices are unaffordable, we had seriously considered other cities and Pune in particular. However, parents and in-laws were very reluctant to relocate. They have spent their adult lives in Mumbai and have a certain level of comfort and confidence living there. Also, while we have relatives in Pune we couldn't really expect them to provide the kind of support that would be needed during the transition phase. So at least for now we have decided to stay in Mumbai.

Timing the move
The big thing on our mind was how would our son be able to adjust. We were particularly concerned about his schooling. He had been to Mumbai almost every alternate year and was familiar with the environment. But there is a huge difference between living at a place and visiting it for a few days of carefree vacation. We wanted him to start attending school from the first day. So we decided to time the move according to his school dates. My daughter is only 2, so we weren't worried about her. My wife moved along with the kids in mid-May since the first day of school was in the second week of June.

Shipping
Our flat (apartment) in Mumbai was small (some would say tiny) compared to our house here in US, so we decided not to ship any furniture. There was no way it would fit. It would be best to get it custom made or purchase it in India keeping the room sizes in mind. We shipped about a dozen boxes and a few of loose items like my son's electronic piano, exercise bike and LCD TV. We did all the packing ourselves. The shipping company picked it up in the first week of May. A couple of friends had used Sky2C for shipping their stuff and were satisfied with their experience, so we decide to go with Sky2C. Our shipment arrived in July in the middle of monsoon. Everything is packed in plastic shrink wrap before it is loaded into the shipping container and the delivery truck in India was equipped to handle the rains. So everything arrived dry and intact. Overall we were satisfied with Sky2C's service though one thing I would have liked is better ability to track our shipment. It may be that our shipment was LCL (less than container load), so it was not possible to track it online.

Schools
We were lucky enough to get my son admitted to an international school that we liked without any hassle. The school was starting a new division for his grade. That made it a lot easier. My daughter attends a neighborhood play group and will be ready for regular school next year. We are already seeing that getting her admitted to a good school will be a formidable challenge.

[indianincanada]

great post, please keep us posted. I am in similar situation, my kids are getting to that age where my window of opportunity is shrinking fast (or so I think). I guess there is always that feeling at least for the first generation immigrant that you become a 'dhobi ka kutta na ghar ka na ghaat ka'. Not meant to offend anyone here, just my thoughts. Therefore it is better to make decisions that will bring about clarity in one's life - something you have already done. Good luck with your move. Mumbai is a happening place, very addictive indeed.

[r2i-mumbai]

Well written. Keep them coming. Its always nice to see more stories. There is always something different about it and its encouraging to see someone thinking along the same lines.

How was your school admission experience so far? We are keeping our fingures crossed. Which area are you relocatong to? Any idea about good schools around Shivaji Park?

[essjay]

Well written. Keep them coming. Its always nice to see more stories. There is always something different about it and its encouraging to see someone thinking along the same lines.

How was your school admission experience so far? We are keeping our fingures crossed. Which area are you relocatong to? Any idea about good schools around Shivaji Park?

Thanks. We are relocating to Borivali - that's where the family is. We are exploring options for my daughter and we are experiencing the challenges that everyone keeps talking about. Good schools are in short supply compared to the demand. Many schools in the area will start distributing admission forms soon.

I don't have any idea about schools in Shivaji Park area.

[mn_op]

Thanks essjay. Looking forward to read more about your experiences. It seems like Mumbai is a challenging place for R2Iers....even when compared with Delhi and Chennai and Kolkata. But as long as kids get assimilated within an year and you folks manage to not fall too sick in the first year, you all should do well. In large cities where real estate is in short supply, good schools are hard to find. However, you have enough time to check many schools until your daughter starts attending grade 1.
Have you accepted any job offer in India yet?

All the best and have fun.

[rainbow2011]

Thanks. We are relocating to Borivali - that's where the family is. We are exploring options for my daughter and we are experiencing the challenges that everyone keeps talking about. Good schools are in short supply compared to the demand. Many schools in the area will start distributing admission forms soon.

Hi Essjay. We are planning on relocating to Mumbai, India in 2012. We will be living in Kandivali (E). Can you please let me know the name of the school your son attends? Is it an International school (IGCSE). Thank you.

[essjay]

Thanks essjay. Looking forward to read more about your experiences. It seems like Mumbai is a challenging place for R2Iers....even when compared with Delhi and Chennai and Kolkata. But as long as kids get assimilated within an year and you folks manage to not fall too sick in the first year, you all should do well. In large cities where real estate is in short supply, good schools are hard to find. However, you have enough time to check many schools until your daughter starts attending grade 1.
Have you accepted any job offer in India yet?

All the best and have fun.

When I grew up in India, I spent most of my time in Mumbai, so I can't really compare. The pace of life in Mumbai is very fast and competition for resources is great. Also, for most people commute is a big headache - though I think this is becoming the norm in all big cities.

I am still figuring out what I should be doing after going back. I have been looking for jobs in Mumbai but not very actively. That said, its seems that there are a lot IT opportunities in Begaluru, Hyderabad and NCR. A lot more people have contacted me from these places compared to Mumbai. IT seems to have moved out of Mumbai. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough.