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

Acharya Prashant

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Transcript

00:00Namaste Acharya ji. So myself Anil Kumar Singh, I am right now pursuing my master's final

00:09year from National Institute of Technology Warangal. So actually, I will be studying

00:14for a PhD in the United States of America at the University of Minnesota. Just after

00:19four months, I will be starting my PhD. So first thing first, it's a long program. And

00:25I think it could have a social culture impact on my understanding. So coming to the question,

00:31like it is actual for settling abroad. Obviously, I'm going for study, but I'm talking about

00:36actually the settling abroad by like, my motivation for now is to come back to India after completing

00:43my studies. For now, it's my motivation. However, when I tell to my teachers, my parents and

00:49my relatives about it, so they usually tell me that you will definitely stay there. Because

00:54I spoke with one of my teachers the day before yesterday, I spoke with him. And he had returned

00:59from a postdoctoral fellowship from Israel. He is a very experienced guy. So he said that

01:03it is extremely rare for people to return to their country and most students stay there.

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

01:14either by coming back to India or being settled there myself? Like if you see Mahatma Gandhi

01:19studying abroad, coming back to India and helping the nation, then what should be my

01:24motivation to come back to my mother country after completing my studies?

01:28There's too many assumptions, too many definitions in the question. I cannot just admit those

01:46assumptions and definitions and base my answer on that. What is nationalism? What is this love

01:57for mother country you are talking of? So in my respect, like, I am a research

02:03aspirant and I have to do something on anti-cancer drug and something. So for me,

02:08it's like kind of designing something, a product, maybe a pharmaceutical something,

02:12which can be cheaply available and that can afford all the sets of people and can cure any

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

02:28Definitely sir. If I could learn something from there, definitely I would.

02:32Alright. What stops you then? Sir, I think the financial aspects and they

02:41give some all sorts of facilities, especially the research things and economical, mental,

02:47peace and all those things. Work ethics, the culture, work culture I heard of in US and even

02:54when I used to discuss with my relatives and the people who are already experienced and went for

02:59the studies, they usually tell that your mentality will be impacted in the long course of life.

03:04I am not getting it. You want to bring those technologies to the people of India, wonderful.

03:11What stops you? So you go there, you complete the program, right? And that empowers you

03:19and using your knowledge and your resources and your network,

03:24you then bring those benefits to the Indian people. What stops you?

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

03:36I do not know what they say. Thousand people say a thousand things. You tell me what stops you?

03:43Sir, I think their financial aspect and the respect to the research and culture and both.

03:47What do you mean by financial aspect? What do you mean by financial aspect? You have knowledge,

03:52you have a postgraduate degree, rather what a doctorate? Yes. And India is no more a starving

04:03nation. There is enough money here as well. So what do you mean by the financial aspect exactly?

04:13Sir, like if you say about the earning things, I mean respect of the work culture they provide.

04:21No, no, no. Work culture. Work culture will come to, first of all the financial thing.

04:26What do you mean by the financial aspect? Is that what stops you? How?

04:32Sir, I think that might stop me. I am not sure about that because it is a fancy.

04:37How can we just speculate about something without knowing it? What do you mean by a financial

04:46aspect to the blockage? How much money do you need? And will that money not be available in

04:53India? Available sir. So, there can presumably be no financial aspect. Why is this still a concern

05:04with you? If you want to come here, money is hardly a problem. Greed can be a problem. Money

05:12is not a problem. Money and greed are not the same thing. The money that you need is definite.

05:25Greed is obviously indefinite. So, money is taken care of. What next?

05:35I think the research facilities, the facilities they do provide, like the instrumentation

05:40facilities and the research arena, the work culture they do provide for the respect for

05:48resource things and the funding they do provide on the project, we work on that.

05:55I am not sure about that. See, I do not know your field. So, I do not exactly know

06:01the kind of disparity in research avenues in your field between the US and India.

06:11So, I cannot really comment on that. But what I know is that India is fast catching up.

06:20Every five years things are changing. Today things are not what they were like in 2015 or 17.

06:34So, the gap is narrowing. Another five years the gap would be still narrower.

06:42And not only does the gap narrow down on its own, we do require able people to consciously

06:52narrow down the gap. First of all, there are the market forces that bridge the gap

07:02that bridge the gap. And then there are people.

07:07Think of, let us say, somebody like Homi Jehangir Baba.

07:14Think of all the architects of the Indian technological renaissance, post-independence.

07:25India hardly had any facilities, any institutions.

07:30They helped build it up. They did not find facilities, they created facilities.

07:41So, I obviously do not want to put the onerous task of developing an institution on you.

07:51I am just saying that India is in a position where institutions are being created,

07:59institutions are being empowered.

08:05Indians want to be among the best, especially when it comes to science and technology and research.

08:12Why not contribute to the Indian quest?

08:19So, but that is, you see, an individual decision. You can choose between the

08:27comfort and the ready-made facilities that the U.S. offers, or you could choose between the

08:34chaos and the conflict. Go for that. And as you go for that, be a part of the building a process.

08:54It depends on your love. That is 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. What is a nation? Is the nation really a valuable entity?

09:18And if you know about nationalism, if you understand India,

09:27you will also know whether India deserves to be served.

09:37And then the decision would be easier.

09:39And then the decision would be easier.

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

09:55It's not as if they went away. They were actually never here.

09:59Just being coincidentally born at a certain place does not make you a native.

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

10:16I do not think of India as having 140 crore Indians.

10:22That's the population of the state. That's not the number of Indians.

10:34You want to have an official stat, you could say, well, demographics 140 crore. That's all right.

10:42You want to have an official stat, you could say, well, demographics 140 crore. That's all right.

10:51Indians really, however, are probably no more than a few hundred alive, maybe a few thousand,

11:03and an equal number dead.

11:07And these Indians are scattered all over the world.

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

11:25They are still Indians.

11:33So you have to know India. You have to know India.

11:42Just by being born here, you won't develop love.

11:55You can develop some kind of an attachment to your territory, but that is not love.

12:03An attachment does not have great power. So when America leaves,

12:09its attachment is overpowered, and people fly away and settle in the US.

12:20I repeat, just by being born somewhere in India, you do not become an Indian. You do not really

12:30grow love for India, because love requires understanding.

12:34So towards India is mostly about cheering the Indian cricket team

12:44or sloganeering against rival countries.

12:55That's not what nationalism is.

12:59If you just want to return to the place where you were born,

13:07there is nothing great or sublime in this desire, this intention.

13:13Being territorial is something all animals have.

13:21All animals in existence have a certain feeling for the environment,

13:30for the environment, for the environment, for the environment.

13:34All animals in existence have a certain feeling for their own territory.

13:45So there is nothing great about the desire to return to your birthplace.

13:54If India is just the birthplace of your body to you, then there is nothing great about it.

14:03There is nothing special in India. What is India really? Figure that out and then you will know whether

14:11it is of importance to serve India.

14:22And when you know something is important, then you devise means.

14:27Then you need not necessarily be present within the geographical limits of India.

14:35You probably could be anywhere.

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

14:48A missionary travels across the world.

14:51A missionary travels across the world.

14:57That's very different from somebody migrating to another place

15:04in search of better financial opportunities.

15:09You understand the difference between a missionary and a migrant?

15:15Missionaries too are globe trotters.

15:19They leave their birthplace.

15:29Is it all too abstract?

15:42I 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.

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