“Competition was fair in the US and India…”: NRIs talk about the harsh reality of returning home

A post on Reddit describing the disappointment of non-resident Indians after returning to India has sparked a wave of debate online – touching a nerve among thousands who have contemplated the dream of “reverse migration”.

This post, shared by one user recounting his wife’s cousin’s experience, paints a candid picture of what it’s like to return home after years abroad — only to find that the system feels stacked against you.

The cousin, a senior executive at a leading FAANG company, returned to India earlier this year after spending more than 15 years in the US and Switzerland. He chose to settle in his first-class hometown to be closer to his elderly parents, and was able to keep his global job on a remote basis – a move that seemed ideal on paper.

But what left a mark on the poster was the recent conversation they had.

“In the United States, anyone who had money mostly earned it through fairly ‘clean’ means — business, entrepreneurship, inheritance, or a job,” his cousin said. “When I was competing for housing or any other resource, there was always a guarantee that the competition was fair.”

He added that returning home changed this perception.

“In India, I am competing against bureaucrats and workers who made most of their money through illegal means. This feeling of injustice is everywhere – from housing and school admissions to even how things work on the streets.”

What bothered him most was not the chaos or bureaucracy, but how radically different the “rules of the game” seemed.

“In the United States, justice motivated me to work harder – because if I was smart and capable, I could win too,” he said. “In India, no matter how much work I do, the game seems rigged against me. This kills my ambition,” he admitted quietly.

The post quickly went viral on Reddit, sparking hundreds of responses that ranged from sympathy to ridicule.

Read one of the top comments: “The Funda is clear – you only compete once, and that is UPSC. If you clear that, you own India. OP’s friend is an idiot if he takes half his life to realize that.”

Another noted, “India is fine with it if you are too poor or too rich in your political connections. Everyone else will regret it sooner or later.”

Some users pointed to deeper systemic issues – such as mismanagement, rampant corruption, and lack of accountability. “If the Covid-19 fiasco, when hundreds of thousands died from lack of oxygen, doesn’t show how poorly run this country is, what will?” one commenter asked.

Others made a more realistic observation: “Everyone here is learning to work around System – through communications, bribes or favors. When you come back after decades of living abroad, you realize you don’t have any of that. “It’s not only unfair, it’s isolating.”

For many, this viral thread became less about an NRI’s disappointment, but a mirror of the uncomfortable reality that even after years of progress, justice – the basis of trust in the system – remains elusive for many Indians.