New Delhi Times - Gaurav Bhatnagar reporting from New Delhi, India

1/3rd of an year has passed since I R2Ied! And what a 1/3rd of an year this has been. Gadhadhari Bheem rightly comments that I am not marketing R2I enough. Well, its true I have been awfully busy of late. But I would not attribute that to being in India. I have been working on starting a new business - so I have been tied up with finding office space, hiring people, understanding finance and keeping my clients happy (not in that order...). But more on that in a seperate post.

In the past 4 months, I have not regretted R2I-ing even once. Of course, its been only 4 months but I feel more confident about being in India than I did back in November. To prospective R2Iers, I will like to give 2 pieces of completely un-asked for advice :-

1. Know why you want to R2I - Have a reason to R2I. If you have some vague ideas about why you want to come back, then its probably not the right time to return. Having a very specific reason is important because it keeps you focussed once you are back here. My reason was that I wanted to try out different things professionally - something that was not possible in US because of a slowing economy, lack of resources and visa issues. So when I came back, each time I wondered "What the hell am I doing in the 3rd most polluted city of the world sitting in a traffic jam in sweltering heat and earning 1/10th of what I made before?", I had an answer. You can have a different reason - personal or professional - but it should be compelling enough to keep you motivated and excited about being in India.

2. Be a cool dude: This is important. Know that the India you are coming back to is way more developed than the India you left. BUT it is still not the US you are leaving now. There are differences and if you grew up in India then you are well aware of them. Nothing should surprise you. Remember you used to make fun of power cuts, corrupt politicians, our beaureaucracy, our cricket team etc. Unfortunately after spending a few years abroad, you will find it difficult to find all this funny anymore. You will instead be tempted to complain and whine. Well, dont! Be a cool dude! Have a "bindaas" attitude! Learn to love the system, learn to play the system. Take these things in your stride! This is the key to adjusting to life in India.

So that's my 2 paisa worth of thoughts about R2I-ing. If you are thinking about returning (and which NRI isn't?) then feel free to drop me a line (gauravbhatnagar at msn dot com). I will be glad to help in any way I can!