After spending several years in the United States, an IIT-educated couple, Nayrith Bhattacharya and Rishita Das, recently returned to India and shared their experiences, sparking widespread interest online. The couple, both graduates of IIT Kharagpur, had moved to the US in 2016 for further education and professional pursuits. Bhattacharya currently balances his time between India and the US, running his AI startup Gushwork, while Das is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at IISc Bengaluru. Their reflections, shared in a social media post, detail the significant contrasts they’ve observed between the two countries.
One of the first observations the couple highlighted was the affordability and availability of domestic help in India. They noted that while they were concerned about the low cost of labor, the convenience of having extra help in managing household chores gave them valuable time that would have been unimaginable in the US. This, they remarked, added 15-20 extra hours to their week, a luxury they found tough to imagine in their former life abroad.
Traffic in India, unsurprisingly, was another major difference the couple encountered. While they noted that traffic in India wasn’t necessarily worse than in downtown areas of New York, San Francisco, or Chicago, the unpredictable driving practices and various forms of transport made it more irritating. They expressed concern that there may not be a clear solution to this issue in the foreseeable future.
On the positive side, Bhattacharya was impressed by the digital convenience in India, describing it as “on another level.” He praised the efficiency of quick commerce and food delivery services, which he found far superior to those in the US. This digital efficiency extended to payment systems as well, where Bhattacharya noted that UPI had a clear advantage over Apple Pay due to its zero-cost structure and government-backed infrastructure.
Culturally, Bhattacharya found it easier to form meaningful relationships in India. He observed that interactions in the US often remained superficial, limited to work or casual social meet-ups, while in India, it was easier for him to rekindle old friendships and make deeper connections.
However, there were aspects of life in the US that Bhattacharya missed, such as the orderly queues at counters, coffee shops, and security checks, which he found chaotic in India. He also touched upon the societal acceptance of LGBTQ communities, stating that India remains largely judgmental, although he expressed optimism that this would change in the coming years.
The couple also reflected on the job market in both countries, noting that while finding a job was challenging in both places, securing a high-paying position in India that could sustain a similar lifestyle to that in the US was not easy. Several of their friends, they noted, had to significantly cut back on their lifestyles after returning to India.
Their post, shared on August 20, quickly went viral, garnering around five million views. The couple’s reflections provide a nuanced perspective on the differences between life in the US and India, highlighting both the challenges and the advantages of returning home after years abroad.
