"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."

- Mark Twain

          A decade ago, visits to India ended with a “nothing ever changes here” remark, while disgruntled expressions crept in by the second week of a month-long annual trip. Such asides are few and far between these days, and the sneers are turning to expressions of awe and appreciation.

          As India hogs the world’s headlines, NRIs are finding the need to connect with their motherland even more. The desire to return to India is secretly cherished by a growing number of non-resident Indians, but the uncertainties in terms of employment and adjusting to the lifestyle are keeping them at bay.

          The NRI indulges in a tentative trip to tap his options for employment or business in a land he left years ago to fulfill his personal dreams, and finds that while India still has its share of bumpy roads, inadequate power and water supply and litter on the streets, the buzz in almost every sphere of economic activity is unmistakable.

          Upon landing, the drive home from the airport is a revealing one – while the cyclists, pedestrians and stray cattle jostle for space alongside the sedans and SUVs, the barricades cutting off sections of the road for an upcoming metro or expressway signal better times for the future.

          Almost shouting from the rooftops, the hoardings along the thoroughfare speak volumes of the developments sweeping India. The dull grey buildings seem to be giving way to spotless glassy contours housing commercial offices, hotels and shopping malls.

          Deeper into his stay in India, the NRI is quite convinced that the dream he has been pursuing lies not thousands of miles away but right here, where his energies and faculties are tested and stretched to the optimum.

          Comparisons on lifestyle, food, schools, and hygiene and work culture follow, and a family consensus on “returning to India” is reached. NRI techies find that they can make valuable contributions to the booming IT industry in India and with a good number of “world” schools, plush accommodation, global entertainment and the sprouting shopping malls, India is the place to be.