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'Has US turned me soft?': Ex-NRI struggles with India’s ‘everyday rudeness’ after 12 years in US

A viral Reddit post of a person who moved to Delhi-NCR after 12 years in the US shared how people’s rude behaviour made him feel upset in India.

Published on: Jul 31, 2025, 13:54:09 IST
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Coming back to India isn’t always as comforting as it sounds, especially after years of living abroad. Many people who return to India often face problems adjusting to daily life. A Reddit post by a man who has recently moved back from the US after 12 years is now going viral.

A man moved back to NCR after 12 years in the US and was struck by the everyday rudeness around him. (Pexels (Representational Image))
A man moved back to NCR after 12 years in the US and was struck by the everyday rudeness around him. (Pexels (Representational Image))

The man, who returned to the Delhi-NCR region three months ago, shared how he has been struggling with what he called “everyday rudeness” in India.

According to him, public behaviour, even in well-known places, felt cold and unfriendly.

Daily interactions felt cold:

“I took my mother to a famous clinic in Delhi. Everyone from the receptionist to the nurse was rude,” he wrote.

In his post, he also mentions poor treatment at an Aadhaar centre, where staff behaved better only when a manager got involved. Even a neighbour who asked him to remove a security camera from his door spoke in an aggressive tone.

"The general rudeness in India gets on my nerves," the caption of the post reads.

The Reddit post by the person who moved back to India after over 12 years in the US.
The Reddit post by the person who moved back to India after over 12 years in the US.

The Redditor also mentions that he grew up in small cities across India, where he felt people were friendlier.

He said his time in the US taught him simple habits like saying thank you or greeting people politely, but now, those small acts are often met with silence or blank stares.

"I also wonder if the US has turned me soft, or maybe the US has made me realize that basic politeness should be the norm and not a luxury," he adds.

The post went viral online. Some users agreed that public behaviour in India can feel harsh, with one user commenting, “You’re not alone, I faced the same reverse culture shock.”

Also Read: ‘Wasted 10 years chasing American dream’: NRI techie forced to leave US over visa hurdles

Other users felt that the fast pace of city life in NCR often makes people less patient or polite. A few even pointed out that kindness still exists, but one has to look in the right places.

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