‘Competition was fair in US, in India…’: NRI opens up on the harsh reality of moving back
A Reddit post describing an NRI’s disillusionment after returning to India has sparked a wave of debate online — touching a raw nerve among thousands who have contemplated the “reverse migration” dream.
The post, shared by a user recounting his wife’s cousin’s experience, paints a candid portrait of what it means to come home after years abroad — only to find that the system feels stacked against you.
The cousin, a senior executive at a leading FAANG company, moved back to India earlier this year after spending over 15 years in the US and Switzerland. Choosing to settle in his Tier-1 hometown to be closer to his aging parents, he managed to retain his global job on a remote basis — a move that, on paper, seemed ideal.
But what left a mark on the poster was a conversation they had recently.
“In the US, anyone with money mostly earned it through fairly ‘clean’ means — business, entrepreneurship, inheritance, or a job,” the cousin said. “When I was competing for housing or any other resource, there was always the assurance that the competition was fair.”
Returning home, he added, changed that perception.
“Back in India, I’m competing against bureaucrats and babus who’ve made most of their money through illegal means. That sense of unfairness is everywhere — from housing and school admissions to even how things work on the streets.”
What disturbed him most was not the chaos or bureaucracy — but how “the rules of the game” seemed fundamentally different.
“In the US, fairness motivated me to work harder — because if I was smart and able, I could win too,” he said. “In India, no matter how much I work, the game feels rigged against me. This,” he admitted quietly, “is killing my ambition.”
The post quickly went viral on Reddit, sparking hundreds of responses that ranged from empathy to cynicism.
One top comment read: “Funda is clear — you only compete once, and that’s UPSC. If you clear that, you own India. OP’s friend is an idiot if it took him half his life to realize this.”
Another remarked, “India is okay if you’re dirt poor or very rich with political connections. Anyone else will regret it sooner or later.”
Some users pointed to deeper systemic issues — poor governance, entrenched corruption, and lack of accountability. “If the Covid-19 fiasco, when hundreds of thousands died due to lack of oxygen, didn’t show how mismanaged this country is, what will?” asked one commenter.
Others struck a more pragmatic note: “Everyone here learns to work around the system — through contacts, bribes, or favours. When you come back after decades abroad, you realise you have none of that. It’s not just unfair — it’s isolating.”
For many, the viral thread became less about one NRI’s disappointment and more a mirror to the uncomfortable reality that even after years of progress, fairness — the foundation of trust in a system — remains elusive for many Indians.
