‘Brain deposit’, as Modi says, is a reality, but how many will return?

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PM Modi’s meeting with three high profile Indian origin CEOs, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen was probably just the tip of the iceberg. From what figures say, technical talent pool of Indians is just crawling around the place.

How have things changed so much in the last three decades? From doing janitorial jobs at Heathrow airport, now the Indian professional is the next big thing. But why does success, global accolade come once they leave the country? The Prime Minister has not once mentioned creating an Indian version of Facebook or Google.

Every time he goes abroad, the Prime Minister’s detractors question his moves asking how his frequent travels will help the country get basic facilities. They are not wrong. Water and electricity is still a dream for many villages, corruption and official apathy continues to be a reality. And it is this system that defeats us, forcing those who can afford to migrate, not just for a better future for themselves but also for their children. Ofcourse, not everyone can disappear on a whim to Bangkok or turn up conveniently in Aspen!

A small town professor, recently took his first trip abroad to give a lecture at a university. Soon after, he decided to uproot his family to Canada. A country he knows nothing about nor ever visited just so his 5-year-old daughter can get a better life. He doesn’t have a job there yet, but feels his struggles today will give his daughter a better tomorrow.

One has lost count of the number of children who have won Spelling Bee in the United States. Eight years in a row children of Indian origin have come first in the contest. Infact, for the last two years, there have been joint winners, both times Indo-American. And then there is a 12-year-old Lydia Sebastian, the Indian origin girl who has a higher IQ than Einstein.

Most of these children are born abroad and their parents are first generation immigrants. What they took from India was the ethos to excel in education. While Europeans focus on the outdoor, we channelise our children towards brain sports as a matter of prestige. We have been baptised by fire or rather CBSE educational board while growing up. The pressure our education boards give is no laughing matter. The habit to study even by rote is ingrained. Yet, we are considered successful only once we get a certificate from US or England.

Is it that difficult for us to excel within our own confines? Satya Nadella who grew up in Andhra Pradesh told the Prime Minister about a ‘haunting image’ from his village in the 70s where two teachers decided to give up their job and do nothing with their days. Frankly, this country sees more profound images everyday. Needless to point out, Nadella only made an international name for himself once he had left his village behind.

Many children of families with humble Indian backgrounds went on to become equally big success stories. Kalpana Chawla from Karnal who became the first Indian woman in space to Indra Nooyi, who has been the CEO of Pepsico for almost a decade while we in India still talk of breaking the glass ceiling.

Not everyone though wants to be reminded of their roots. For instance, Governor ‘Bobby Jindal is so white’ ridiculed twitter once the son of Indian immigrants publicly renounced any connection with his homeland and insisted he was just American. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that many others of Indian origin like Nikki Haley are now as successful in the US administration.

But it is our exports to the Silicon Valley that are keeping the Indian dream alive. Many talk of reversal of brain drain, but after the gathering of our techies to meet the prime minister is that really true? The ‘brain deposit’ as the PM says is a reality, but it is far removed from home. Nor would many be inclined to return.

So, is it easier for us to take our ethics into an alien environment, away from everyday politics, lack of infrastructure and start afresh? Hard work is in our DNA, but sometimes it works hard in the opposite direction like corruption and red-tape.

Forget the villages, even urban India is falling short. Are our salaries still not matching world standards? Or are the facilities and the perks better abroad? Perhaps a big part is something we cant quantify. Not the most aggressive of countries, our self-belief is still passive, that of a developing nation, a tag Nehru gave us and his great-grandson made sure we never got rid off!

So while the brouhaha of this latest visit will take sometime to settle down, what may take even longer is ‘Made by India’. Wooing the Indian diaspora abroad is one thing, convincing those back home still waiting for their basic roads and key reforms, another.

– Views expressed by the author are personal. Follow here on Twitter @jyotsnamohan