E-Paper
US-returned NRI shares why he's leaving India again: 'Couldn’t tolerate third-world life’
The user said he returned in pursuit of early retirement and a better family life, but ended up “battered by the anarchy of this dysfunctional city”.
An Indian-origin software professional who returned from the US to Bengaluru after more than a decade abroad says he is leaving India again, calling life in its top metros “unliveable” and “dehumanising”.
In the post titled, “Dear NRIs, think hard before deciding to return to an Indian metro. I did, couldn't tolerate the third-world life, and now leaving India again,” the user shared that he is a 40-year-old software professional who moved back to Bengaluru after spending over a decade working in the US on an H-1B visa. The user said he returned in pursuit of early retirement and a better family life, but ended up “battered by the anarchy of this dysfunctional city”.
“I’ve endured this dysfunctional country for four years now, in the ‘Silicon Valley of India’, Bangalore,” he wrote, calling Indian metros “a flaming pile of horse dung” and “an unliveable mess that’ll take away your self-respect and dignity”.
The man said he had worked for 10 years across the Bay Area and Seattle, built a net worth of $2 million, and owned a paid-off apartment in Bengaluru. Confident that financial security would help buffer everyday problems, he admitted he underestimated the scale of urban decay.
“I innocently thought we’d be able to somehow wing it, get used to it, or use our financial capital to shield ourselves from third-world hassles,” he wrote. “But boy, I didn’t have the slightest idea that Indian metros have become such unlivable urban hell-holes," the user added.
Listing his grievances, the original poster cited air and noise pollution, chaotic traffic, unsafe roads, adulterated food, water quality issues, poor civic sense, lack of walkable spaces, safety concerns for women, and pressure-packed schooling for children. “I’ve only seen things go from bad to worse to downright dehumanizingly disgusting,” he added.
(Also Read: Indian woman shares why she plans to move back after over 10 years abroad: 'Loneliness is getting to me’)
Indian man’s warning for fellow NRI
Now preparing to relocate to Germany, the user said he had secured an 80,000 euros-a-year role with a Munich-based startup and would move mid-2026. Despite the lower European salary, he said he was content.
“All I need for myself and my family is some clean air and water, non-adulterated food, pothole free roads and walkable footpaths, law abiding honk-free driving, some parks and trails to not lose connection with nature, and silent neighborhoods to live in where you're not drowning in loudspeakers blaring devotional songs or calling for prayers all damn day. Germany, you're gonna give me all these? Here, take 50% of my pay in taxes, gladly,” the user wrote.
Dismissing the idea of returning to “build the country”, he warned fellow NRIs, “Don’t you dare return to places like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Noida. You deserve better”.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
