For here, or to go...

Recently finished reading a Marathi book “For here, or to go”. Yes, the book is Marathi… only the title is English… nice word play on the famous fast food welcome phrase, used as a metaphor for the tugs at the immigrants’ (Maharashtrians in this case) hearts deciding whether to stay in the US forever, or to return ‘home’. It documents the struggles and triumphs of the first big wave of typical middle-class Maharashtrians immigrating to the US, in the late 60’s – early 70’s. The critic in me lamented the lack of style and organization and literary appeal… but the immigrant in me did admit the stories are well researched, diverse and made an effort to impartially present all sides of the issues.

The book set me thinking… the specifics of these stories were a little – but only a little – different from my batch of immigrants a decade later. What is remarkable is how much was actually the same. I suspect the stories only marginally changed thru the eighties or even early nineties. This is when a vast majority of the Indians chose to stay in the US, get a green card, maybe even citizenship and settle down here – tugs or no-tugs!

In the IT field, which had a disproportionate share of the new arrivals in these decades, I was at a good vantage point to observe the ‘specimens’. I noticed a healthy apathy replacing the major attraction about US, from about late-90’s. This generation was not terribly keen on staying in the US, quite happy to go back, work in other parts of the world or indeed even settle down in India. Some of the young unmarried Indians I worked with in US went back, started families and settled down in their IT consulting jobs back home – and seemed happier for it, when I caught up with them in India. I myself travelled to India several times on business in these last fifteen years. Apart from the perpetual ‘sticker shock’ in hotels and restaurants during every visit, I had a chance to witness the life style and mindset of the younger IT generation. I noticed a new socio-economic class was born – in between the uber-rich and the old middle class – it was made up of young ITers, multinational employees and entrepreneurs! Very heartening to see this… and also very strange at times… The culture of bar-hopping, throwing lavish parties for birthdays or promotions, living together or even everyone owning a set of wheels was quite foreign to me! No wonder the new generation was not too excited with the prospect of migrating to US or any other country… they seemed to have it all there.

And that brings me back to this book! In my initial years here, I would listen to stories from the American colleagues and friends about their forefathers coming to America, fleeing oppression or poverty. And I would feel sad for them, and feel so glad we Indians were different… we were not fleeing such monsters! Now I wonder, maybe we were! No; we did not face political oppression nor grinding poverty so much that we had to leave the country to make a living. But, we did feel stifled, did not have opportunities outside of certain ‘socially approved’ career paths, did not have freedom to pursue our own ideas, did live constantly worrying about ‘knowing’ someone or paying someone to get the most routine mundane things done. We were not that far different from other arrivals in America seeking a better, happier and quieter life, Today’s Indian arrivals are probably better equipped in terms of opportunities and wider horizons – so the decision ‘to stay or to go’ is not a big deal for them.

Interestingly the book which only came out in 2007 – does not address this generation…