“So, young man, what do you do?”
It is a question that begets more questions. For one, there are only two of us in the library, and neither of us are young. For another, there is a sign on the wall, printed in A4 size paper which reads “Silence Please”. Clearly, the power of the sign has waned.
He continues to look at me, bushy white eyebrows shivering with concentration. Ever so slowly, realisation begins to dawn. I might not know the man himself, but I certainly recognise the type – the Determined Uncle.
A Determined Uncle can be very, very difficult to stop. Impossible one might say, and if this was said to me, I would nod vigorously in agreement. Determined Uncles, amongst other peculiarities, tend to approach any conversation with a soapbox mentality, viewing it less as a two-way dialogue and more as a chance to launch into monologues. Replete with broad generalisations, and facts garnered from mysterious sources.
They often begin these “conversations” with innocuous questions, like the one thrown at me.
The DU is still looking at me, expecting an answer, a side door through which he can poke his shoe and walking stick in.
I reply, like the naïve and honest fool that I am, “I help those who want to study law abroad.”
Side door spotted. Insert shoe and walking stick.
Twenty minutes later, I am made aware of the fact that the DU does not approve of education counsellors. Or rather, the DU does not approve of Indians who want to study abroad, and/or immigrate out of the country. Picking through the monologue, a tedious affair, I identifed five lines of arguments the DU makes.
This is India’s decade, if you want to grow professionally, do it here. What is there abroad?
True, the potential of professional growth is immense in India, especially compared to other countries. Growth will come, provided you have the right qualifications, social and otherwise. And this “growth” will be uneven, it will be concentrated. You can already see it happening all around you, can’t you? A billionaire every five days in the same country where 800 million people rely on State sponsored food distribution schemes.
There is family here, there is social support. There you will be all alone.
I can’t disagree with this one. There is certainly something to be said about Indian social networks, and the sense of community that comes along. The only exception would be if these networks provoke a sense of claustrophobia, making you crave the anonymity that living abroad offers in a way that India never can.
There is this whole belief that anything foreign is somehow better. That is just not true, our universities are equally good!
Again, hard to disagree with. There is certainly an element of fascination with the foreign, especially when it comes to the “developed” world. At the same time, it makes little sense to view education providers through a binary lens – there are pros and cons with both sets, and this is unlikely to change. Perhaps what would be far more prudent is to see how these pros and cons fit into your own personal needs and ambitions.
Stay in India, contribute to your nation’s growth
This is where things get tricky. For the immigrant’s dilemma is a perplexing one, a dilemma that exists in a permanent state of flux. At what stage can you “disown” your country and your roots, if at all. Can you integrate into the new, without losing the old? All in a country which is seeing a growing sense of discontent with the State and a strangely concomitant rise in hyper nationalism.
India’s cities are the best in the world, what do foreign cities provide?
This is where I begin to lose interest, and a bit of my sanity as well. Indian cities are on the verge of collapse, with no solution in sight. Bombay, the city where this conversation takes place, is a perfect example of this, but there are so many others.
With air that is poisonous, a greed that never sleeps, and lies sold under the cover of “development”, the future can look quite grim.
At the end of the day, I suppose it all depends on perspective; there can be no wrong or right answer. Unless of course you are a Determined Uncle – then there can only be one right answer. Just one.
Amicus Partners 