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Indian migration blues: 'West pulls people and India pushes away'
An Indian origin software developer takes a deep dive into the issue and lists reasons like corruption, lack of meritocracy and above all, women's safety
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Staff Reporter - Sun, 03, Aug 2025
- 00:36 EDT
- 16
Representative image / Pexels
An Indian man living in Sweden has reignited the age-old debate of India vs West and why Indians who leave the country refuse to come back.
A Sweden based software development consultant who goes by the name Ankur, on X, has sent Indians in India and outside India on a soul-searching mission with his take on why "Indians don’t come back permanently and why it’s easier to stay abroad."
His comments came in response to a post by Indo-American Dr. Rajeshwari Iyer. Iyer, in her post, had compared Indians and Chinese immigrants to the west and claimed that the Chinese immigrants prefer going back to their home countries while Indians prefer to stay in the West.
ALSO READ: India Responds to Diaspora Demand with New US Consular Facilities
Ankur came all-guns-blazing, giving a list of reasons that attract Indians in those countries and also a list of reasons about what pushes them away from India.
The 20-point list opened with a reminder of the pay difference and the difference in standard of living. Ankur also noted that the west has "Reliable basics: 24×7 power, clean water, fast internet."
It’s very HARD to return to India because life is much better in US and Europe.
— Ankur (@TheAnkurTyagi) August 1, 2025
a quick reminder why Indians don’t come back permanently and why it’s easier to stay abroad
- Higher paychecks and better living
- Reliable basics: 24×7 power, clean water, fast internet
-… https://t.co/4tqqMO8p74
Ankur argued that Indians prefer living in Europe or America also because of the health and safety these countries offer. The difference in air quality, safety are key concerns while prioritising the West over India.
He also noted that there is a significant gulf in economic offerings that go beyond the paycheck. He listed "Dollar savings + stock options supercharge wealth compounding" as an economic reason for the choice.
Ankur believes that while the West is pulling people towards itself with better facilities, meritocracy and a strong passport, India is actively driving its people away, giving weight to the idea that Indians are merely waiting for an opportunity to immigrate.
First on his list is India's red tapism that "burns weeks/months for one stamp." He also noted that the red-tapism woes are compounded by bribery and bureaucratic flip-flopping on "policy, tax, and import rules"
Ankur also blamed the lack of civic sense in the general population which finds it acceptable to litter and spit in public.
Ankur noted that infrastructural issues like broken pavements, power-cuts, poor public transportation and water shortages are also factors that are actively considered by the diaspora when it chooses to not return.
The absence of meritocracy in India also featured in Ankur's lists.
Social challenges like Hooliganism and moral policing also feature on Ankur's list.
Saving the best for last, Ankur compares the two choices and claims that the West offers better women's safety, he says, "The MOST important No safety worries for women after dark - 99% Indian women never want to come back permanently."
He summed up his argument by balancing the emotional weight of the choices made by the diaspora community. He said, "Net result/ magnets abroad feel stronger than the anchors at home and hence as an NRI it’s an emotional yet balanced decision most of us have to make."
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