NRIs Share Views on Comforts of Life in India and Benefits of Living in USA; an Emerging Social Media Trend

In an emerging social media trend, some Indians are bragging about their decisions to choose America over India, whereas some other Indians are proudly announcing their move back to the home country and reasoning why. Their posts are going viral from public platforms to private WhatsApp groups, inviting praise and criticism alike, with netizens at loggerheads over their individual views on living in America vs living in India.

In one of the recent X posts (formerly tweets), Viba Mohan, an O1 visa holder from Bengaluru, wrote, “I have been bouncing between Bengaluru and America. After lots of overthinking (and probably too much coffee), I decided America’s going to be my new home…”.  She listed and elaborated a little the vibrant tech scene, optimistic culture, outdoor safety in the US, along with her O1 visa, among the considerations that influenced her decision and put an end to her dilemma.

Both resident and non-resident Indians on X divided themselves into two groups over Viba Mohan’s X post. One group sided with her, while the other group schooled her. “Choosing America is a rational and low risk decision. Choosing India is an emotional and courageous decision” is one of the remarks that inundated her post. One user countered her, “You did not come here on H1B. Neither you studied here or borrowed a loan, so naturally everything appears green and optimistic.”

Another user went on to comment, “The US is good as long as you have a good job. U need to be extremely good to have your job. Craftsmanship can be experimented. Safety is a concern in USA. Plus, you are always treated as a 2^nd grade citizen. Divorce rate is high. Traffic is still a problem in San Francisco.”

“The recent mass shooting that killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia on 5 September raises eyebrows over Viba Mohan’s observation of safety in the US that she described as ‘living somewhere safer doesn’t just make you feel calmer — it makes you more productive too.’ The Apalachee High School shooting is the 30^th mass killing incident in America alone this year, according to USA Today and The Associated Press. If she meant the safety of women’s dignity in the US, then her observation becomes a different debate altogether,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.

In July 2024, Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi took netizens aback with her perception of true quality of life in USA vs India after having spent only 11 days in the land of American Dream. She went uninhibited in her X post about the conveniences of living in India, such as affordable domestic help vs the fundamental necessities for a quality life in USA, like clear air and green spaces.

She opined certain conveniences that make daily life comfortable in India are sheer luxuries, not basic needs in America. Clean air, green pastures, good roads, uninterrupted electricity, and personal freedom, among the benefits of living in USA are far more valuable than material comforts, such as doorstep food delivery, 10-min grocery delivery, and affordable domestic help in India. Her perspective is that one does not need quick grocery delivery in USA where there are good roads to walk to nearby stores without the fear of getting hit by a car or stray animals. It is relatively easy to drive without ‘crazy congestion’ at crossroads in the US.

In her viral X post, Niharikaa listed “freedom to wear what you want to be comfortable instead of men ogling at you” as one of the things that have made her happy in the US, except family time in India.

Simple yet profound pleasures like morning walks in the calm environment, breaths of fresh air, chirping of birds, etc. took center stage in her definition of quality life – which elicited various responses from netizens who enjoy a plenty of such luxuries in rural India. But Niharikaa thwarted their arguments by citing the lack of basic amenities, such as power supply, clean drinking water, and accessible healthcare in rural pockets of India. While she asserted that even semi-urban areas cry for good infrastructure in India, some netizens voiced that no place is a utopia on earth; every place has its pros and cons.

Of late, Nayrith Bhattacharya and Rishita Das – a working couple and IIT graduates – shared their list of 10 observations one year after they moved back to India from America in August 2023. They referred to the list as an honest compilation of 10 differences between life in USA and life in India, with a disclaimer.

Contrary to Niharikaa’s picture of American streets without ‘crazy congestion’, Nayrith Bhattacharya observed in the past 12 months of his stay in India that downtown New York/San Francsico/Chicago has traffic no way better than his home country. At the same time, he unhesitatingly said, “Traffic in India is definitely irritating and slow because of the unpredictable driving practices and multi-modal transport.”

In his personal observations about the difference between USA and India, Nayrith said that making meaningful connections is a lot easier in India than in America. While staying in the US, he found it challenging to make connections beyond usual coffee meetups and mere work/sports related discussions.

“I beg to differ with him though it is his personal view. Being editor of a leading Indian immigrants community portal in the US, I have observed them closely. Every Indian community, be it Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, or Marathi, lives like a bonded family there. They celebrate their respective cultures, festivals and heritage together, ensuring no dearth of camaraderie among them. Maybe, Nayrith felt too nostalgic about the cultural milieu in Kolkata,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.