USA's biggest import from India

[Bangalorean]

I hope those who wish to indicate that they have done well for the country by staying back, have also gone to the rural areas and done some upliftment.

There are few who can really say that they have been selflessly devoted to the country.

Forgive me, but I have a small nitpick here.

"Service to the nation" does not necessarily have to be in the rural areas. IMHO, a person working as a banker in Bangalore is doing as much service to the nation as a person who does efficient and productive farming on a tract of land. A person guarding the border of Bangladesh is doing service to the nation, just as a person driving a bus in Delhi.

I do not subscribe to the view that one needs to do something in rural areas for 'real upliftment' or 'real service'.

 

[Bhadra]

I am from IIT Kharagpur. DRDO visits our campus, but no one joins for mainly two reasons:
a) The South Indian lobby inside the organization (same lobby works in ISRO as well), which is selective on who gets promoted and who gets to do important jobs.
b) No respect for quality and innovation.

IITs have already put blanket ban over the foreign placement, most of these guys go to USA for higher studies and never come back.

50 percent of DRDO is by reservation !!!!!!

 

[Ray]

shame not on the people who leave but on the way india has been made to evolve, where the opportunities have been made extremely limited.

Well said!

That is the nub of the issues!

If one has the opportunity to have the basics that one needs as per one's own perception, then where is the requirement to leave the ancestral hearth and home?

If there were no Partition, then likewise, there would be none who would find new abode.

Opportunities and circumstances dictate everyone's lives!

 

[Ray]

Forgive me, but I have a small nitpick here.

"Service to the nation" does not necessarily have to be in the rural areas. IMHO, a person working as a banker in Bangalore is doing as much service to the nation as a person who does efficient and productive farming on a tract of land. A person guarding the border of Bangladesh is doing service to the nation, just as a person driving a bus in Delhi.

I do not subscribe to the view that one needs to do something in rural areas for 'real upliftment' or 'real service'.

You are right service to the nation does not mean working in the rural areas. Our aim I am sure is to see a vibrant India!

Even a banker could opt to be in rural areas since that is the area that is most neglected. I know of bankers who move heaven and earth not to be posted to rural areas.

If one is so concerned about India, one should do it in a selfless manner without looking at personal comforts or wealth acquisition.

Let me give you an example of a person who was born with a silver spoon and he forsake that to do some real work for India.


Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy (born 2 August 1945) is an Indian social activist and educator. In 1972 he founded the Barefoot college in Tilonia, Rajasthan. The Indian non-governmental organization was registered as the Social Work and Research Centre.[

Bunker Roy was born in Burnpur Bengal, present-day West Bengal. His father was a mechanical engineer and his mother retired as India's trade commissioner to Russia.

He went to the Doon School from 1956 to 1962 and attended St. Stephen's College, Delhi from 1962 to 1967. He earned his master's degree in English. He then decided to devote himself to social service, to the shock of his parents.

Now, if he is to tell one what we are telling the NRIs, it would be weightier and more authentic.

 

[Bangalorean]

^^ Inspiring - but then we are all humans, and at the end of the day, we are all materialistic in our own way. At least most of us are.

That is why I always feel we should not impose unrealistic expectations on people, expect them to be selfless and forsake personal wealth and comfort. I have nothing against the NRIs who made a choice to leave - it is up to them. All I say is, in today's age when India provides several opportunities, we should ensure that those who partake state-sponsored or state-subsidized higher education should be forced to stay back for a certain period at least - some kind of contract, bond - something like that.

And of course, I tell all juniors who ask for my advise that "phoren obsession" is a thing of the past, and that they would be better off making their careers here, if they invest wisely and handle their money sensibly.

 

[p2prada]

Here is a contract scheme... all IIT grads must work 5 years at DRDO. Then they can actually finish something.

Scientific Manpower isn't the problem. Management is. Look at the EF-2000 and F-35. Are you saying Germans, Americans and British scientists aren't capable?

 

[Armand2REP]

Scientific Manpower isn't the problem. Management is. Look at the EF-2000 and F-35. Are you saying Germans, Americans and British scientists aren't capable?

If their scientists were so smart, one would think they would leave more than 7m for a tailhook with F-35C missing all 8 attempts to catch it.

 

[p2prada]

If their scientists were so smart, one would think they would leave more than 7m for a tailhook with F-35C missing all 8 attempts to catch it.

So you are judging a country's scientific prowess based on the size of the tailhook?

 

[H.A.]

which year is the video....why is she referring to Mumbai as BOMBAY....and if IIT is so good (which i am sure it is) then why do people still dream of Harvard and Oxford...

 

[Blackwater]

i don't blame them for running, I blame GoI for letting them get away.

Yes, GOI should cancel passport to all candidates who pass-out from IIT and IIM.. Graduation gift you know

 

[ace009]

I am kind of amused to see the level of vile against NRIs - from the usual suspects too. Some guy who works in the USA for an Indian contract company claims that any NRI who works for a foreign company in the USA is doing something bad!

Let's see - Indians "running" away to USA, gets a job in a US company, later starts their own company in the USA, opens office in India and hires thousands of people - sound familiar? heck - you saw him on that video - Vinod Khosla.

NRI engineer, works for a foreign company, creates a new product - which enables new technologies, leading to IT revolution, decades later opens up thousands of jobs in India - sounds familiar? Try another Vinod - Vinod Dham, father of the "Pentium Chip".

There are several other stories like this - and not only from Silicon valley. IIT or other Indian graduates going off to foreign countries and creating more value there is way more important than staying home with a cushy job and providing minimal value to the country.

However, I do agree that subsidizing higher education at IIT is not a great idea - there should indeed be some scholarships for economically poor students and asking the rest to foot the bill. But, my bet is, the same people who cry out against "elitism" and brain drain - will oppose this ...

 

[trackwhack]

I am kind of amused to see the level of vile against NRIs - from the usual suspects too. Some guy who works in the USA for an Indian contract company claims that any NRI who works for a foreign company in the USA is doing something bad!

Let's see - Indians "running" away to USA, gets a job in a US company, later starts their own company in the USA, opens office in India and hires thousands of people - sound familiar? heck - you saw him on that video - Vinod Khosla.

NRI engineer, works for a foreign company, creates a new product - which enables new technologies, leading to IT revolution, decades later opens up thousands of jobs in India - sounds familiar? Try another Vinod - Vinod Dham, father of the "Pentium Chip".

There are several other stories like this - and not only from Silicon valley. IIT or other Indian graduates going off to foreign countries and creating more value there is way more important than staying home with a cushy job and providing minimal value to the country.

However, I do agree that subsidizing higher education at IIT is not a great idea - there should indeed be some scholarships for economically poor students and asking the rest to foot the bill. But, my bet is, the same people who cry out against "elitism" and brain drain - will oppose this ...

The difference between you and me is that I'm making more of a contribution to India's wealth than America's wealth and you are doing the opposite. You cannot argue with that point. You can sugarcoat your greed and the fact that you succumbed to the temptation of a favourable lifestyle any which way you wat; perhaps fool many others too, but that wont sell to most people who can read clearly between the lines.

 

[tiranga]

Dont worry guys thats a 30 year old video, the current trend is completely opposite, and no we dont have anything against NRI's but they dont contribute anything to the Indian economy, but they learn their excellent skills from us... so isnt it a win-lose situation??

 

[ace009]

The difference between you and me is that I'm making more of a contribution to India's wealth than America's wealth and you are doing the opposite. You cannot argue with that point. You can sugarcoat your greed and the fact that you succumbed to the temptation of a favourable lifestyle any which way you wat; perhaps fool many others too, but that wont sell to most people who can read clearly between the lines.

Right! You are surely making MORE contribution to the Indian community and society with views like yours and the dollars that you send back home - keep at it dude - I admire you!
As for the rest of it, I wonder how many IITans in India has started a Sun Microsystems or invented the Pentium-like Chip.

flaming off ...

 

[SADAKHUSH]

Well you climbed up to a position of migration by paying all the time ? There is no contribution of the society or the state in taking you upto that point?

Badra you have made valid point, I will answer after jan 16, 2012.

 

[trackwhack]

Right! You are surely making MORE contribution to the Indian community and society with views like yours and the dollars that you send back home - keep at it dude - I admire you!
As for the rest of it, I wonder how many IITans in India has started a Sun Microsystems or invented the Pentium-like Chip.

flaming off ...

Not the dollars that I send home. But the dollars that my company gets paid.

Well, if most IITans leave, then who will start a Sun or invent Pentiums. Like I said before, the greatest of innovators and inventors have gotten there by overcoming adversities and challenges. Hence lack of infrastructure / research facilities is not an excuse. We give the best students, the best education so that they can make a difference and solve the infrastructure and research deficiencies in the country. You have to understand that its a sacrifice that others are making because our country cannot afford an IIT degree to every aspiring engineer.

 

[ace009]

Well, if most IITans leave, then who will start a Sun or invent Pentiums. Like I said before, the greatest of innovators and inventors have gotten there by overcoming adversities and challenges. Hence lack of infrastructure / research facilities is not an excuse. We give the best students, the best education so that they can make a difference and solve the infrastructure and research deficiencies in the country. You have to understand that its a sacrifice that others are making because our country cannot afford an IIT degree to every aspiring engineer.

You have to understand something - you cannot ask someone to sacrifice his or her potential for "nationalism" - very few will want to do that. In spite of what YOU or others may claim here, each of us want to maximize our own happiness and standard of living. Most of us also try NOT to do bad (illegal, unethical etc) things to achieve that end, NOT because we really care about being "good", but because we know that bad things bring penalties and increase the risks for ourselves and our loved ones. In effect, each of us live by the principle of "do no evil, live and let live". Along the way, if we do good, we feel proud and good about it. But most of us (99.99%) DO NOT set out to do good for the masses. If you expect people to behave in any other way, then you are not being realistic.
For all your claims of "choosing" not to work for a foreign company (i.e. being primarily traded on a foreign stock exchange), try to figure out who you really work for and who owns what share in your company and what they do. Just being Indian company does not mean much for India. There are "foreign" companies in India who pay shitload of taxes and employ thousands of Indians and bring in forex to the country. There are also lots of "Indian" companies who evade taxes, cheat the system and do lots of evil.

As for the "dollars" that your company gets paid, remember, if they do not invest them in the Indian economy, then they are of not much use there, is it?

As for IITians, I hope they go wherever they can perform to the best of their abilities and get the most happiness and in the end, do most good. Being stuck to the apron-strings of "Mother India" and being kicked around by the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats of state and central governments is not the solution.
As for the GoI subsidizing higher education, I think that should stop (except for research grants) and that money should be spent in primary, secondary school and high school education (and in that order). build better schools, bring in computers to the public schools and hire teachers with better salaries. Leave higher education to bank-loans and scholarships (to be earned).

 

[trackwhack]

You have to understand something - you cannot ask someone to sacrifice his or her potential for "nationalism" - very few will want to do that. In spite of what YOU or others may claim here, each of us want to maximize our own happiness and standard of living. Most of us also try NOT to do bad (illegal, unethical etc) things to achieve that end, NOT because we really care about being "good", but because we know that bad things bring penalties and increase the risks for ourselves and our loved ones. In effect, each of us live by the principle of "do no evil, live and let live". Along the way, if we do good, we feel proud and good about it. But most of us (99.99%) DO NOT set out to do good for the masses. If you expect people to behave in any other way, then you are not being realistic.
For all your claims of "choosing" not to work for a foreign company (i.e. being primarily traded on a foreign stock exchange), try to figure out who you really work for and who owns what share in your company and what they do. Just being Indian company does not mean much for India. There are "foreign" companies in India who pay shitload of taxes and employ thousands of Indians and bring in forex to the country. There are also lots of "Indian" companies who evade taxes, cheat the system and do lots of evil.

As for the "dollars" that your company gets paid, remember, if they do not invest them in the Indian economy, then they are of not much use there, is it?

As for IITians, I hope they go wherever they can perform to the best of their abilities and get the most happiness and in the end, do most good. Being stuck to the apron-strings of "Mother India" and being kicked around by the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats of state and central governments is not the solution.
As for the GoI subsidizing higher education, I think that should stop (except for research grants) and that money should be spent in primary, secondary school and high school education (and in that order). build better schools, bring in computers to the public schools and hire teachers with better salaries. Leave higher education to bank-loans and scholarships (to be earned).

There is nothing I need to understand. You have your justifications. I have my beliefs. And there is nothing you can say that will convince me that there is one other reason than greed for Brain Drain. The term itself is a lame arsed way of trying to justify people chasing wealth.

Proving potential is when you prove it against adversity, everything else you typed is just an excuse. I will refer you to a sonet called the impossible dream. You can call me nationalist, yes I am one.

The very fact that people like you are on this forum is to form some sort of connection to the last strains of nationalism in your blood. But don't worry, that will be dead with the next generation that you sprout. And thankfully so.

 

[ace009]

There is nothing I need to understand. You have your justifications. I have my beliefs. And there is nothing you can say that will convince me that there is one other reason than greed for Brain Drain. The term itself is a lame arsed way of trying to justify people chasing wealth.

Proving potential is when you prove it against adversity, everything else you typed is just an excuse. I will refer you to a sonet called the impossible dream. You can call me nationalist, yes I am one.

The very fact that people like you are on this forum is to form some sort of connection to the last strains of nationalism in your blood. But don't worry, that will be dead with the next generation that you sprout. And thankfully so.

yeah - right - proving potential "against adversity" - you think that a foreigner coming to the USA has paths paved in roses and can get whatever he wants? You live here dude - try to do something beyond the stamps on your visa - you will find what adversity is. As for India, the "adversity" there is lack of infrastructure - no better you are, the less you will achive as a percentage of your potential. But mediocre "patriots" like you would never know that.

As for my "excuses" - at least I do not pretend to care about fake nationalism. I love my birth country, but that does not mean I hate others. You would not know the difference anyway. your nationalism reminds me of the famous quote by Samuel Johnson "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel". As for me I say, F**k your patriotism.

As for "impossible dreams" - I do not know which one you are referring to, but if it is the one from the play "Man of La Mancha", then I MUST say your IITian stuck in India will be a Don Quixote at best, swinging at windmills of adversity.

 

[trackwhack]

yeah - right - proving potential "against adversity" - you think that a foreigner coming to the USA has paths paved in roses and can get whatever he wants? You live here dude - try to do something beyond the stamps on your visa - you will find what adversity is. As for India, the "adversity" there is lack of infrastructure - no better you are, the less you will achive as a percentage of your potential. But mediocre "patriots" like you would never know that.

As for my "excuses" - at least I do not pretend to care about fake nationalism. I love my birth country, but that does not mean I hate others. You would not know the difference anyway. your nationalism reminds me of the famous quote by Samuel Johnson "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel". As for me I say, F**k your patriotism.

As for "impossible dreams" - I do not know which one you are referring to, but if it is the one from the play "Man of La Mancha", then I MUST say your IITian stuck in India will be a Don Quixote at best, swinging at windmills of adversity.

This must be eating you alive, you deserve nothing more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janani_Janmabhoomischa_Swargadapi_Gariyasi