Is it better to go abroad or work in India? || Acharya Prashant (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

00:08year from National Institute of Technology, Warangal. Sir, actually, I'll be studying

00:13for a PhD in the United States of America at the University of Minnesota. Just after

00:18four months, I'll be starting my PhD. So first thing first, it's a long program. And I think

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

00:30like, it is actual for settling abroad. Obviously, I'm going for study, but I'm talking about

00:35actually the settling abroad by like, my motivation for now is to come back to India after completing

00:42my studies. For now, it's my motivation. However, when I tell to my teachers, my parents and

00:48my relatives about it, so they usually tell me that you will definitely stay there. Because

00:53I spoke with one of my teachers the day before yesterday, I spoke with him. And he had returned

00:57from a postdoctoral fellowship from Israel. He's a very experienced guy. So he said that

01:02it is extremely rare for people to return to their country and most students stay there.

01:07So if I conclude my question, like being a nationalist, how can I contribute to my nation,

01:13either by coming back to India or being settled there myself? Like if you see Mahatma Gandhi

01:18studying abroad, coming back to India and helping the nation, then what should be my

01:23motivation to come back to my mother country after completing my studies?

01:33There's too many assumptions, too many definitions in the question. I cannot

01:40just admit those assumptions and definitions and base my answer on that.

01:53What is nationalism? What 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

02:05or something. So for me, it's like kind of designing something or product,

02:10maybe a pharmaceutical something which can be cheaply available and that can afford

02:16all the sets of people and can cure any sort of diseases.

02:22So 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.

02:31All right, what stops you then?

02:33So, I think the financial aspects and they even give some all sorts of facilities,

02:41especially the research things and economical, mental, peace and all those things. Work ethics,

02:47the culture of work culture, I heard of in US and even when I used to discuss with my relatives and

02:54the people who are already experienced and went for the studies, they usually tell that your

03:00mentality will be impacted in the long course of life.

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

03:10What stops you? So you go there, you complete the program, right? And that empowers you

03:18and using your knowledge and your resources and your network,

03:23you then bring those benefits to the Indian people. What stops you?

03:30Sir, I think like they say usually in the discussion sort of people, they say that.

03:35I do not know what they say. Thousand people say a thousand things. You tell me what stops you?

03:42So, I think their financial aspect and the respect to the research and culture and both.

03:46What do you mean by financial aspect? What do you mean by financial aspect?

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

03:56Yes, sir.

03:58Yes, and India is no more a starving nation. There is enough money here as well.

04:06So, what do you mean by the financial aspect exactly?

04:12Sir, like if you say about the earning things, I mean respect of the work culture they provide.

04:20No, no, no, work culture, work culture, we will come to first of all the financial thing. What

04:25do you mean by the financial aspect? Is that what stops you? How?

04:31Sir, I think that might stop me. I am not sure about that because it is a fancy.

04:36How can we just speculate about something without knowing it? What do you mean by a financial

04:45aspect to the blockage? How much money do you need and will that money not be available in India?

04:53Available, sir.

04:54So, there can presumably be no financial aspect. Why is this still a concern with you?

05:05If you want to come here, money is hardly a problem. Greed can be a problem, money is not a

05:11problem. Money and greed are not the same thing.

05:16Definite.

05:20The money that you need is definite. Greed is obviously indefinite.

05:29So, money is taken care of. What next?

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

05:38facilities and the research arena, the work culture they do provide for the respect for

05:46resource things and the funding they do provide on the project, we work on that.

05:54I am not sure about that. See, I do not know your field. So, I do not exactly know

06:00the kind of disparity in research avenues in your field between the US and India.

06:10So, I cannot really comment on that. But what I know is that India is fast catching up.

06:21Every five years, things are changing. Today, things are not what they were like in 2015 or 17.

06:31So, the gap is narrowing. Another five years, the gap would be still narrower.

06:41And not only does the gap narrow down on its own, we do require able people to consciously

06:51narrow down the gap. First of all, there are the market forces that bridge the gap.

07:03And then there are people. Think of, let us say, somebody like Homi Jehangir Baba.

07:10Think of all the architects of the Indian technological renaissance, post-independence.

07:22India hardly had any facilities, any institutions. They helped build it up.

07:32Build it up. They did not 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,

07:58institutions 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?

08:17So, but that is, you see, an individual decision. You can choose between the

08:25comfort 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

08:47of the building a process.

08:54It depends on your love. That was the first question I asked you. What do you mean by

09:03love for the mother country, in your own words, and nationalism? You must be clear about that.

09:12What is a nation? Is the nation really a valuable entity? And if you know

09:24about nationalism, if you understand India, you'll also know whether India deserves to be served.

09:33And then the decision would be easier.

09:40Right? People don't return because they never belonged in the first place.

09:48It's not as if they went away. They were actually never here.

09:53Just being coincidentally born at a certain place does not make you a native.

10:03To be an Indian is a tough ask.

10:09I do not think of India as having 140,000 people.

10:17I do not think of India as having 140 crore Indians.

10:27That's the population of the state.

10:34That's not the number of Indians.

10:37You want to have an official stat, you could say, well, demographics 140 crore. That's all right.

10:46Indians really, however, are probably no more than a few hundred alive,

10:55maybe a few thousand, and an equal number dead.

10:59And these Indians are scattered all over the world.

11:06Many of them have never even once come to the geographical position called India.

11:17They are still Indians.

11:19So, you have to know India. You have to know India.

11:32Just by

11:36being born here, you won't develop love.

11:40You can develop some kind of an attachment to your territory, but that is not love.

11:49An attachment does not have great power.

11:51So, you have to know India.

11:53You can develop some kind of an attachment to your territory, but that is not love.

12:02An attachment does not have great power.

12:05So, when America leaves, attachment is overpowered and people fly away and settle in the US.

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

12:24You do not really grow love for India because love requires understanding.

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

12:38or sloveneering against rival countries.

12:54That's not what nationalism is.

13:08So, if you just want to return to the place where you were born,

13:18there is nothing great or sublime in this desire, this intention.

13:27Being territorial is something all animals have.

13:31All animals in existence have a certain feeling for their own territory.

13:42So, there is nothing great about the desire to return to your birthplace.

13:51If India is just the birthplace of your body to you,

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

14:05What is India really?

14:06Figure that out and then you will know whether it is of importance to serve India.

14:12And when you know something is important, then you devise means.

14:29Then you need not necessarily be present within the geographical limits of India.

14:37You probably could be anywhere.

14:43Equally, you need not be at other places for reasons of greed.

14:50A missionary travels across the world.

14:56That's very different from somebody migrating to another place

15:03in search of better financial opportunities.

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

15:12Missionaries too are globe trotters.

15:18They leave their birthplace.

15:28Is it all too abstract?

15:32I am not even attempting to solve it in these 5-10 minutes.

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

15:50Think on these things.

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