Thursday, November 15, 2018

FAQ for NRIs: After being an NRI, what are the major setbacks you are still facing after returning to Bengaluru?

My wife, son and I have US citizenship (and Indian OCI) and we moved back to Bengaluru about two years ago. My dad, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a while ago was starting to gradually slow down. My aging parents lived alone in Bangalore, and I got the dreaded phone call from my mother on the verge of breakdown herself, asking for help.
We had our fair share of setbacks after returning back to Bengaluru after a couple of decades in the west. Here are a few:
  • I’ll club the usual suspects - Traffic, pollution and general chaos of the life - in one bucket. This is something I had to work through and accept as a way of life here.
  • Bangaloreans have become more parochial and less tolerant of outsiders Refer to the question on Quora “When will outsiders leave Bengaluru?” and my response. Bangaloreans like me who have spent time outside the city and country are likely to feel a bit out of place in the new “Bengaluru
  • Organic growth of the city - I had grown up and worked in the Bengaluru where people still rode bicycles for short distance commutes. Now Cars, bikes and scooters are much more ubiquitous. After living in the west where zoning laws and regulations are generally respected, it takes a while to accept that such organic, unplanned growth is the way of life.
  • Bangalore was known as a Garden city, but there are hardly any private gardens (ref my post - Return to India Musings: when a home becomes a golden egg). Houses that had some patch of greenery or even a few coconut trees are giving way to concrete structures and flats.
As far as the last part of the question goes “Do you regret coming back to your home city and not being able to go back to your desired foreign land?”
I haven’t yet reached the point where the regrets outweigh the decision to move back.

Career advice: How did you succeed in a career in IT? What did it take to make it to a comfortable salary?

A recent online came to me asking me

How did you succeed in a career in IT? What did it take to make it to a comfortable salary?

My response follows 

The career in the dynamic world of global Information Technology (IT) has afforded me a comfortable living while earning in Rupees, Pounds, Euro, SFranks, C$ and US$.
My first job after I finished my masters in technology was in Bengaluru. My employer initially trained me as a MS windows developer and later in mainframe technologies. About 6 months after I joined, my manager asked me if I had a valid passport and if I would be willing to travel to England. Heck yeah! I thus found myself in the U.K. where I spent a couple of years.
From UK, I moved to the U.S for better opportunities. Along the way, I learnt new technologies, systems and processes, and got married. In my quest for the ‘American dream,’ my Permanent Residence (Green Card) application was approved. And along the way my wife and I naturalized as American Citizen, retaining our OCI status.
In 2003 when the Offshoring boom was taking off, I joined Infosys and spent the next decade working with a cross section of clients across geographies - in Canada, Europe and India. Based on my observations, I also wrote “Offshoring IT Services” published by McGraw Hill
While my family and I were comfortably settled in the U.S, we decided to move back to Bengaluru. My aging parents lived alone in Bangalore, and I got the dreaded phone call from my mother asking for help. Initially, I worked remotely for my employer and then switched jobs. This required revisiting my strengths and reviving my network in the local market.
Paraphrasing old adage, my career in the dynamic world of IT has allowed me to “join the Information Systems, and see the world.” Literally.
My career has given me an opportunity to live and work across dozen countries across three continents, and to visit scores more.

Saturday, November 3, 2018

Looking for an ideal way to spend with kids? Check out Jawahar Lal Nehru Planetarium


If you are looking for an ideal way to spend with family, kids and others interested in Astronomy? Check out Jawahar Lal Nehru Planetarium.

Located at the heart of the city, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium (JNP) is administered by the Bangalore Association for Science Education (BASE). BASE is devoted to science popularisation and non formal science education.

Here are some pictures and details from our recent visit to the Planetarium. Our most recent trip was in Sept 2018.

Little Vijay pointing at the stars !

Location : Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Sri T. Chowdaiah Road, High Grounds, Bangalore - 560 001
Working Hours 10:15 am to 5:15 pm (Mondays and Second Tuesday are holidays)

Practical tips: 

  • There generally are long queues at the Planetarium. If possible, book your trip online before your visit.  Website: http://www.taralaya.org/contact-info.html
  • You should plan to spend at least 1 hour for the show and budget additional time at the park surrounding the Planetarium complex. 



Check out my review on Tripadvisor


The Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru is one of the hidden treasures. It is an ideal place to visit with family, friends and kids.

The area around the Planetarium is well maintained and landscaped and the park outside has a great play area and outdoor science 'learning' games for kids.

The auditorium indoors is air-conditioned with comfortable seats and the sound-and-light show is well orchestrated.



More pictures from our trip

Inside the Auditorium 

The Planetarium


More pictures of the park