Working abroad vs working in India || Acharya Prashant, with NIT-Warangal (2022)

Acharya Prashant

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00:00So myself, Anish Kumar Singh, I'm right now pursuing my master's final year from National

00:10Institute of Technology, Varangal.

00:12Sir, actually, I'll be studying for a PhD in the United States of America at the University

00:17of Minnesota.

00:18Just after four months, I'll be starting my PhD.

00:21So first thing first, it's a long program.

00:24And I think it could have a social culture impact on my understanding.

00:29So coming to the question, like, it is actual for settling abroad, obviously, I'm going

00:34for study, but I'm talking about actually the settling abroad by like, my motivation

00:40for now is to come back to India after completing my studies.

00:44For now, it's my motivation.

00:45However, when I tell to my teachers, my parents and my relatives about it, so they usually

00:50tell me that you will definitely stay there.

00:53Because I spoke with one of my teachers, the day before yesterday, I spoke with him.

00:57And he had returned from a postdoctoral fellowship from Israel, he's a very experienced guy.

01:01So he said that it is extremely rare for people to return to their country and most will stay

01:07there.

01:08So if I conclude my question, like being a nationalist, how can I contribute to my nation, either by

01:14coming back to India or being settled there myself?

01:17Like, if you see Mahatma Gandhi studying abroad, coming back to India and helping the nation,

01:22then what should be my motivation to come back to my mother country after completing my studies?

01:32There's too many assumptions, too many definitions in the question.

01:40I cannot just admit those assumptions and definitions and base my answer on that.

01:54What is nationalism?

01:55What is this love for mother country you are talking of?

02:00So in my respect, like I am a research aspirant and I have to do something on anti-cancer drug

02:05and something.

02:06So for me, it's like kind of a designing something or product, maybe a pharmaceutical, something

02:11which can be cheaply available and that can afford all the sets of people and can cure any

02:18short of diseases.

02:19So you want to bring those useful technologies to the people of India?

02:28Definitely, sir.

02:29If I could learn something from them, definitely I would.

02:31All right.

02:32What stops you then?

02:35I think the financial aspects and they even give some all sorts of facilities, especially

02:42the research things and economical, mental peace and all those things.

02:47Work ethics, the culture, work culture I heard of in the US.

02:52And even when I used to discuss with my relatives and the people who are already experienced and

02:57went for the studies, they usually tell that your mentality will be impacted in the long

03:02course of life.

03:03I'm not getting it.

03:04You want to bring those technologies to the people of India.

03:09wonderful.

03:10What stops you?

03:11So you go there, you complete the program, right?

03:15And that empowers you.

03:18And using your knowledge and your resources and your network, you then bring those benefits

03:25to the Indian people.

03:26What stops you?

03:28Sir, I think like they say usually in the discussion sort of people, they say that.

03:35I do not know what they say.

03:37Thousand people say a thousand things.

03:39You tell me what stops you.

03:41Sir, I think their financial aspect and the respect to the research and culture and both

03:46What do you mean by financial aspect?

03:48What do you mean by financial aspect?

03:50You have knowledge, you have a post graduate degree, rather what a doctorate?

03:56Yes sir.

03:58India is no more a starving nation.

04:02There is enough money here as well.

04:05So what do you mean by the financial aspect exactly?

04:09Sir, like if you say about the earning things, I mean, respect of the work culture they provide.

04:19No, no, no.

04:20Work culture, work culture we will come to.

04:23First of all, the financial thing.

04:25What do you mean by the financial aspect?

04:26Is that what stops you?

04:27How?

04:28Sir, I think that might stop me.

04:32I am not sure about that.

04:34No, no.

04:35How can we just speculate about something without knowing it?

04:40What do you mean by a financial aspect to the blockage?

04:48How much money do you need?

04:50And will that money not be available in India?

04:53Available so.

04:55So there can presumably be no financial aspect.

05:01Why is this still a concern with you?

05:05If you want to come here, money is hardly a problem.

05:09Greed can be a problem.

05:11Money is not a problem.

05:14Money and greed are not the same thing, right?

05:20The money that you need is definite.

05:24Greed is obviously indefinite.

05:29So money is taken care of.

05:32What next?

05:34I think the research facilities, the facilities they do provide, like the instrumentation facilities

05:39and the research arena, the work culture they do provide for the respect for resource things.

05:47And the funding they do provide on the project, we work on that.

05:53I am not sure about that.

05:55See, I do not know your field, so I do not exactly know the kind of disparity in research

06:04avenues in your field between the US and India.

06:10So I cannot really comment on that.

06:13But what I know is that India is fast catching up, right?

06:21Every five years things are changing.

06:25Today things are not what they were like in 2015 or 17.

06:33So the gap is narrowing.

06:38Another five years the gap would be still narrower.

06:43And not only does the gap narrow down on its own, we do require able people to consciously narrow down the gap.

06:57First of all, there are the market forces, right?

07:01That bridge the gap.

07:03And then there are people.

07:06Think of, let's say, somebody like Homi Jahangir Bhava.

07:13Think of all the architects of the Indian technological renaissance, post-independence.

07:24India hardly had any facilities, any institutions.

07:29They helped build it up.

07:34They didn't find facilities, they created facilities.

07:40So, I obviously do not want to put the onerous task of developing an institution on you.

07:50I am just saying that India is in a position where institutions are being created, institutions are being empowered.

08:03Indians want to be among the best, especially when it comes to science and technology and research.

08:13Why not contribute to the Indian quest?

08:20So, but that's, you see, an individual decision.

08:24You can choose between the comfort and the ready-made facilities that the US offers, or you could choose between the chaos and the conflict.

08:38Go for that.

08:39As you go for that, be a part of the building of process.

08:54It depends on your love.

08:56That's why that was the first question I asked you.

09:00What do you mean by love for the mother country, in your own words, and nationalism?

09:10You must be clear about that.

09:14What is a nation?

09:16Is the nation really a valuable entity?

09:20And if you know about nationalism, if you understand India, you also know whether India deserves to be served.

09:39And then the decision would be easier.

09:46Right?

09:47People don't return because they never belonged in the first place.

09:54It's not as if they went away.

09:56They were actually never here.

10:01Just being coincidentally born at a certain place does not make you a native.

10:11To be an Indian is a tough ask.

10:18I do not think of India as having 140 crore Indians.

10:28That's the population of the state.

10:35That's not the number of Indians.

10:41You want to have an official stat.

10:44You could say, well, demographics 140 crore.

10:48That's all right.

10:50Indians really, however, are probably no more than a few hundred alive, maybe a few thousand, and an equal number dead.

11:06And these Indians are scattered all over the world.

11:13Many of them have never even once come to the geographical position called India.

11:24They are still Indians.

11:31So, you have to know India.

11:37You have to know India.

11:39Just by being born here, you won't develop love.

11:53You can develop some kind of an attachment to your territory.

11:58But that is not love.

12:01And attachment does not have great power.

12:05So, when America lures, attachment is overpowered.

12:13And people fly away and settle in the US.

12:17I repeat, just by being born somewhere in India, you do not become an Indian.

12:26You do not really grow love for India, because love requires understanding.

12:34To us, India is mostly about cheering the Indian cricket team or sloganeering against rival countries.

12:54That's not what nationalism is.

13:01If you just want to return to the place where you were born, there is nothing great or sublime in this desire, this intention.

13:27Being territorial is something all animals have.

13:36All animals in existence have a certain feeling for their own territory.

13:46So, there is nothing great about the desire to return to your birthplace.

13:56If India is just the birthplace of your body to you, then there is nothing special in India.

14:05What is India really?

14:07Figure that out and then you will know whether it is of importance to serve India.

14:21And when you know something is important, then you devise means.

14:30Then you need not necessarily be present within the geographical limits of India.

14:37You probably could be anywhere.

14:40Equally, you need not be at other places for reasons of greed.

14:49A missionary travels across the world.

14:55That's very different from somebody migrating to another place in search of better financial opportunities.

15:08You understand the difference between a missionary and a migrant?

15:14Missionaries too are globetrotters.

15:17They leave their birthplace.

15:21Is it all too abstract?

15:33I am not even attempting to solve it in these 5-10 minutes.

15:46I just want to begin a process for you.

15:54Think on these things.

15:55Think on these things.

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