Why R2I didn’t work out – the important stuff

Work

Immediately after returning to India, I started and ran a web design consulting company and helped startups with their product definition, branding and design. One of these was listed as a top 10 startup to watch in India by a major publication. Another one is getting good traction with VCs. We are very proud of them. Starting and running a consulting business in India was challenging on 2 fronts:

Hiring

Finding people with the right skillsets was extremely difficult. We spent 2 hours daily looking for candidates. Mostly, they failed in having usable domain skills. We tried several permutations – hiring from other industries (print, advertising), hiring from universities directly, poaching seniors from competitors. We got a strong team together but at some point I realized that it would be increasingly harder for us to find more talented people. This was the single biggest obstacle to scaling the business and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

Sales

We thoroughly enjoyed working with startups. Selling to and working with large and mid-sized corporates was challenging. But for all the clients, the economics didn’t work out. If you are in a similar industry, you’ll have to find better paying clients to do good work AND make the numbers work. These clients are probably not in India.

Future

I’m in the process of leaving the consulting company that I founded but I’ll continue as an adviser to some of the startup clients. These projects were special and I’d really like for them to succeed. To learn more about my work, please read my long comment at the end of this post.

Friends

Building deep friendships takes time. There are some people we hang out with regularly, but 12-24 months may be too short for the depth. Our neighbors have been extremely friendly and helpful. But contrary to our expectations, we don’t see longtime residents with a good circle of friends either. Most peoples’ social life is skewed heavily towards family – not surprisingly given the primacy of that unit in India. Occasionally they meet their school/work friends. Otherwise, there is polite-conversation socializing. I preferred the people of Mumbai (cheap and expensive cars were parked next to each other outside parties) over Delhi or Kolkata (host and guest cars were in the same price range).

Family

If you have lots of family that you are close to in India, R2I may be great. I don’t have close family in India so this wasn’t important to me. Meenal will have a very different take on this.

Home

This may seem odd coming from someone who grew up in India until his late teens and only spent the adult life in America. But such a long time away, along with your entire family, changes you and how you think of your adopted land. America was foreign when I left India but over the years it became home. Local issues affected my daily life and I followed it on the radio and the papers. I developed deep friendships, began to appreciate barbequing and the great outdoors, and visited my mother, sister and Nascar-loving nephew in North Carolina. The New Globalist is homesick, discusses nostalgia and global migration. I felt this nostalgia for my friends in Delhi when I moved to America as a teenager. Now I miss the crisp winter air from my long walks in the snow.

Meenal’s realities were different from mine and she has evolved differently as a result (wait for her article in a couple of weeks). For me, Boston and Massachusetts became home.

Why R2I didn’t work out – the less important stuff

Quality of life

Our R2I apartment had 4 mbps internet, 24 hour electricity and water, and air-conditioning. We bought a beat up car that is even more beat up now. The broken public infrastructure, especially the roads, was a downer but I (grudgingly) learned to live with it like everyone else. I loved visiting Lodhi Garden in the winter months but the outdoors couldn’t become a part of our regular life – something I missed terribly. Eating and drinking are singular pastimes in most cities and you’ll have to work hard to find other activities. All in all, I feel life has more to offer than I’ve experienced in Delhi.

Money, Cost of living

Be aware that local pay is low and cost of living is surprisingly high. We found many people spend far more than my spreadsheet analysis could explain. It may be because inheriting housing and other parts of a lifestyle are fairly common.

Health

Due to the bad air quality of Delhi, Meenal’s developed a mild case of asthma after R2I. Before you call us wimps – respiratory diseases are exceedingly common in Delhi. We are hoping that cleaner air after our move to America somewhat fixes the damage. Outside of that, we’ve been very careful with mosquitos nets, eating only cooked food and drinking bottled water. We’ve had no other health problems.

Timeframe for the R2I experiment

It took us a bit longer than a year to come to our R2I conclusion. Expect to spend between 12-24 months to figure it out yourself. Anything less than a year would have been unreasonable.

Update April 15th

A well written R2I blog with a different perspective: Ulaar.com

Celebrating Meenal’s 2 week old niece. Delhi, 2012.

2 years ago, NPR (Morning Edition) had done a story on couples who were choosing to rent instead of buying a place. See 2010 pictures of our Boston apartment on WBUR and Listen to the 2010 story on WBUR.

Thanks to the very talented storyteller Curt Nickisch for seeking our wise words.

Many U.S. Immigrants’ Children Seek American Dream Abroad

New York Times, April 15, 2012 by Kirk Semple
This article is interesting in highlighting the increase in emigration. I would have found it more informative if it had talked about the people’s daily lives – new home, work place, friends, etc. It’s a bit simplistic but worth a read.

I’d written about Akshay a few months ago. Coincidentally, he works with Samir and Nehal (featured in the NYT article) at Gateway House in Mumbai.

Economics Journal: Who’s Returning to India and Why?

Wall Street Journal, April 18, 2012 by Rupa Subramanya
A great follow up article that puts the emigration trend into perspective and worth reading after the New York Times article.

50,000 page views Nov, 2010 – Nov, 2011
4:19 average time spent per user and 3.48 pages per visit
The 3 videos have been very popular. Email subscription wasn’t.

Final verdict

We are very glad to have made our India experiment happen. And now it is time to reflect. Is it going to be India or U.S. or some combination of both?

For those who are new here, we’d posted What will it take to make us like India after moving back almost a year ago.

Meenal and I have been having an internal discussion to come to a verdict. We don’t have the answer yet – the introspection and discussion is taking longer than I expected. Soon, we’ll update with the blog with our thinking, rationale and conclusion.

This man had been growing his hair for many years. Now a flag was hoisted on it.

That’s my father in law with his arms raised and ready for Tennis after the Anna show. Also, my mother-in-law with her friends.

August, 2011

• Domestic travel – Meenal and I took a vacation in Ladakh. May be one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen.
• Clothes – we didn’t take enough warm clothes to Ladakh thinking that it’ll be warm. Surprisingly we found good American and European brands for outer wear at very good prices.
• Groceries – My mother-in-law started giving us lots of fruit every time we visited and she refuses to get paid for it. So it won’t be happening any longer.
• Utils – I started using a smaller room for hanging out and the air conditioning bill went down. Also, we made fewer international calls since we were traveling for 10 days.

July, 2011

• Domestic travel – We vacationed in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh. Getting there was cheap since we took the train but accommodation was relatively expensive.
• Clothes – Meenal needed more Salvar Kameez for work

June, 2011

• Domestic travel – We visited a close friend in Kolkata

May, 2011

• Eating out higher – We’ve found some good restaurants and people

April, 2011

• Air/Rail/Bus higher – Visited our friend in Kolkata to see him and his new born, Attended a graduation of a close friend in Hyderabad

March, 2011

• Same notes about fees and charges from February
• Our cheap car has started showing its stripes racking up over $200 worth of repairs
• Unsure why grocery expenses went up so much

February, 2011

• We were traveling internationally for 10 days. Expenses NOT included here.
• Due to the international travel, I stocked up on Duty Free alcohol ($233)
• We were confused about how the credit card company’s website worked so we ended up paying seriously high fees and charges
• We fired our old driver and got a new one 10 days later. The staff salaries went down temporarily as a result.
• Meenal will soon write about her experience getting medical treatment in Delhi ($120)

January, 2011

• Eating out in Delhi – expenses are back up after my father in law figured out that I was fleecing him. And we know of more restaurants now.
• Maintenance of car – our apartment complex’s sloppiness caused our car to fall into a drain inside the parking lot. We are waiting for the complex to pay us back for it. Moving to India is not fun all the time.

December, 2010

• Eating out expenses down – I started inviting my father in law to all the expensive dinners. By Indian custom, he’s on the hook to pay (being the eldest). I think he’s catching on to my sneakiness. Aah, the joys of relocating to India.
• Groceries went down – November was high since it was our first month in our apartment after moving to India (r2i).
• Staff salaries went down – My driver took off on unpaid leave for 10 days

These expenses do NOT include:

• Rent – To learn about rents in Delhi, India, read Money: Please don’t compare New York’s cost of living with Delhi or Mumbai
• Setup expenses in India (one-time capital costs) –  For detailed setup expenses for our apartment in Gurgaon, read Money: Cost of living in India – setup expenses for 2BR apartment

7. Ladakh, India Time Lapse (a bit short & amateurish)

If you are in India, instead of a video, you may see a note: Access to this site has been blocked as per Court Orders. You can read more about the Indian Government’s internet censorship.

6. Flash floods memorial service in Leh

5. The landscape of Ladakh in 7 pictures:

4. Camping

I love camping. The uninhabited mountains of Ladakh are ideal if you carry your own gear. Commercial tents are pricey at Rs.3500 per night. Look at this picture from the right of your screen and you’ll discover night clouds!

3. Mountains

The mountains around Leh were mostly rocky without any vegetation. But the snowcapped mountains were always in the distance. If you go to Pangong or Hunder, you will drive through passes 18,000 ft. high which occasionally have snow.

2. More mountains

The mountains around Hunder have an eerie pattern and look like another planet when reflected against the water. The yellow streak is a moving truck’s headlight. 5:30 in the morning (hence the blue shade), 20 second delay, 3 picture panorama. Probably my best picture for 2011. Please click to enlarge.

1. Landscape varieties in one view

View from hotel room in Leh (best viewed full screen zooming in & out)

Quality of life in India is low for every social strata and you should set your expectations accordingly. We’ve usually heard 1 of 4 reasons for moving to India: a desire to be close to family, visa problems in America, hopes of a better career in India or need for family/paid help for raising children. From our experience, you will need to find enough pleasure in your India reason for the move to the worthwhile. The NYT article will add some realism to your plans.

I don’t actually know that if there is a ‘furniture mafia’ but how else can you explain such astronomical prices? Furniture costs roughly twice as much as they do in the U.S. and are half as good in quality. If I had known, I would have shipped the big items from America (except the mattress).

Furniture stores to check out in Delhi/Gurgaon, India

Fab India and Lifestyle were 2 decent stores. They have multiple stores around the city but each location has it’s own selection so you’ll have go drive around the city to find the right pieces. Additionally, many stores don’t put the price on the item and usually don’t have them in stock. Before you start falling in love with anything – ask them to find out the price, if it’s available and when they can deliver. Be prepared to wait for 10 minutes to get an answer since they’ll run up to their office, make a few calls, ask a few people, look up something on the computer and finally consolidate an answer. You’ll have to pay the full amount in advance.

Should you get it custom made by a carpenter?

Getting it custom made will not only guarantee really good quality but will also save you a lot of money. It will, however, require you to be personally involved every step of the way. Sometimes the carpenter won’t show up. Sometimes, they’ll screw up. Go this route if you can get reliable recommendations from your network and have the patience for it.

Major wood types

Teak is considered the best but it only makes financial sense if you get it custom made by a carpenter. In the market you’ll find Sheesham, Mango and Rubberwood.

PHOTO: Bed frame for $850/Rs.37,950 (does not include side tables or mattress). This store (Lifestyle) is comparable to an average furniture store in the U.S. When we visited an upscale designer store in a mall in Gurgaon, we were quoted $2,800/Rs.1,25,000 for the cheapest bed frame. I smiled awkwardly and left.

PHOTO: This dining table in Fab India was for $850/Rs.38,400 with 6 basic chairs. We ended up paying roughly that much for a different set we bought. I still feel ripped off.

PHOTO: Study desk at Fab India for $225/Rs. 9,900. I didn’t have better alternatives so I bought it. Argh.

PHOTO: Yes, we visited stores next to dug up roads too. This store owner politely said that the store may be too expensive for me. The lowest rung of stores are shacks near Gurgaon and they were priced like IKEA for fairly shabby stuff.

PHOTO: HANDS on MG Road between Delhi to Gurgaon carried the best selection of carpets starting at $300/Rs.13,500 after a steep discount. We ended up getting our carpet from another store for $250. 3 months later, its showing serious wear and tear.

1. Tap water with Reverse Osmosis (RO) filter

This is the most cost effective of the 3 drinking water choices and is widely used in India. Most households, restaurants, bars and hotels claim to have working RO systems. RO technology relies on a membrane filter that should have no cracks for the system to be effective. Worst of all, there is no way of knowing if the membrane develops a crack except repeatedly testing the water. Since workmanship and maintenance is frequently suspect, we’ve chosen NOT to use this system.

2. 1L Bottled water

1L of packaged drinking water costs between 20-30 cents/Rs.10-15 and can become expensive quickly. Packaged drinking water, however, guarantees good quality water if you stick to known brands (Kinley or Aquafina) and buy them from reliable sources (getting fake drinking water in branded bottles can be a problem).  1L bottles, however, are very expensive on a monthly basis. Additionally, you generate a lot of waste plastic. We’ve chosen  to use this system only when eating out, traveling or during water emergencies at home. You can also call Kinley (owned by Coke) or Aquafina (owned by Pepsi) directly for supplies in Gurgaon and Delhi if you decide to go this route.

3. 3. 20L Bottled water – our choice

20L drinking water jars from Kinley or Aquafina costs $1.6/Rs.75. This is vastly cheaper than 1L bottles and much more convenient. You find a reliable source to deliver the water (if not Kinley or Aquafina directly), give them a deposit for the jars and start ordering. Usually they deliver the same day that you call and collect the empty jars on their way out. In Gurgaon, we use a major supermarket near us as our water supplier and use the water for cooking, drinking and brushing.

The 20L jars are heavy and you’ll need a water dispenser for it:

• The open bucket with a tap option: Costs $3.5/Rs.150. You clean the mouth of the big water jar and overturn it into the bucket. Replace jar when empty. Works like a charm. This bucket is sold in most stores selling household goods. The picture above shows what it looks like when in use.
• The water cooler option (like in your office): Costs $133/Rs.6000 to rent the cooler (the supplier continues to own it and is responsible for all maintenance). Provides instant hot/cold water and can be useful for larger households since it’ll save you the trouble of constantly filling your fridge with bottles of drinking water. My mother-in-law just got this after calling Aquafina directly and is happy with it.

• Audio Recording: iPhone
• Photos: Canon XSi with 1.4/50mm prime lens
• Audio editing: Audacity
• Photo editing: Adobe Lightroom
• Slideshow: SoundSlides (currently in free demo)

This email is NOT from an exiled African king asking for your bank account number. I hate hearing about royal problems but it is a compliment to the U.S. economy that even fake deposed kings want to park their fake loot in our bank accounts.

You have the power and obligation to keep the US attractive for these kings. Please CONTINUE PAYING the interest on US debt and other government obligations. If you don’t like high levels of debt, please start paying it down instead of making it a Ponzi scheme where new debt services old debt. If high levels of debt are unsustainable, please cut government spending in defense, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. If lowering our debt requires more money, please raise my taxes. America’s living constitution, intellectually rich colleges, lush green mountains and vibrant economy makes my life beautiful and I expect to share the pain of our joint mistakes.

Speaking of the constitution, an amendment to limit US debt in the future sounds like great insurance. Just make sure that the amount of debt allowed is neither too comfortable nor too constraining. Heck, it may forever keep our government from making dumb financial choices and our children’s bank accounts can remain the envy of foreign kings. Reading our children’s copy of exiled-royal-needs-help would make for a very satisfying read indeed. And a collection of these letters could easily make the New York Times bestseller list of 2050.

Until then, we owe people money. Please use your power to pay it without delay.

Sincerely,
Prashant Jeloka

No, it’s not like your grandmother told you. You can’t just drop by anyone’s house at any time. People work, tend to kids, go shopping, do household chores, catch up on Bollywood movies, travel for work, get stuck in traffic and have family obligations like any other place in the world. Organizing a party or a meet up with friends isn’t much different than America – you have to set a date and let people know in advance (texting is preferred). In some respects meeting up can be harder – people work longer hours, have really long commutes and have many family obligations. Additionally, the city either doesn’t offer many activities to do (outdoors, walking paths, etc.) or we don’t know Delhi well enough. Still, we have started having regular parties …

They are fairly easy to organize with help at home, ordering out some of the food and asking guests for help where required. We serve local wines (Sula/Grover’s/Seagram’s ~$13/Rs.600 per bottle) and local beers (Tuborg $1.5/Rs. 60 for 375 ml, $2/Rs.90 for 650ml). Sometimes I get excited and make a cocktail or two using the local stuff. Aditya S. gifted us 2 stylish candles (the 2 long bright lights in the picture) and they add a lot to the ambience. The small white circles you see in the picture are from a disco ball that I bought for $6/Rs.280 and a flash light for $3.5/Rs.150. Music is streamed from NPR music’s 24/7 channel.

Finding interesting people to attend – now that’s the hard part.

Akshay moved to India from Boston in 2010 and has had to answer these and many other questions. Over the course of the last year, we have seen Akshay be there for his family during a very difficult time and shuttle between Ajmer and Mumbai to establish a new career in India. Last month, he moved permanently to Mumbai to become the Senior Geo-economics Research Fellow at Gateway House think tank. He also published his first editorial in the prestigious national newspaper – MINT/WSJ. We are extremely proud.

Background

Akshay, Meenal and I went to college together in Amherst, MA. We’ve been friends since we were teenagers, experiencing many things together – our first jobs, our first beatup cars, first silverware from WalMart, second job, second cars (Hondas obviously) …

Visiting Akshay in his Ajmer, Rajasthan farm in 2011

Vacationing north of Boston

Soon after moving to Boston from Amherst

Diwali party in Meenal’s off campus apartment a long time ago