Popular myths & wrong notions about NRI’s

There are many myths about NRI’s & immigrants amongst the general population. Most of them are based on assumptions, stereotypes & uninformed perceptions. There are many reasons why foreign citizens immigrate to other nations but a raise in the standard of living is a desire that most have.

This is our attempt to bust myths for the enlightenment of the general public.

Myth 1: NRI’s do not pay taxes

All immigrants pay taxes. They range from property to sales tax. Even undocumented immigrants pay income taxes.

Myth 2: NRI’s slog it out day & night & then send all their earning back to their home country, causing the host nation’s economy a loss.

There is great dissension in a given company where one national is irritated that an NRI works overtime & raises the bar at the workplace, thus causing undue competition. He works extra, earns extra & later collects a hefty sum to send to India. There is no doubt that immigrants send their earning to their families back to their home country. But they do so in addition to their expenditure as an immigrant in the foreign country. Their business contributes $162 billion in tax revenue to U.S federal, state & local governments.

Myth 3: Job opportunities for Americans are taken away by NRIs & other immigrants.

There are various American citizens today who started off as immigrants in the host country & today have reached a position where they are creating jobs for the public- Americans & immigrants alike. The truth is, jobs are created as well US as well as foreign workers by immigrant entrepreneurs. They posses a skill which help them thrive in competition. This does not mean that jobs are stolen, they are simply achieved on the basis of merit.

Are there any other popular myths you know of & would like to bring to our attention? What is your view on the topic listed above?

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Monsoon memoirs!

Yes, it’s messy, muddy and often plays spoilsport but there’s another side to the season. A side that we reminisce on; the romance of the rains that brings out the philosopher in each one of us. This evening, as it pours, we will etch you a fantastic tapestry of the Indian monsoon, woven with threads of nostalgia. So you can enjoy the weather and culinary experience it brings to us with the onset of the season, sitting a thousand miles away!

You wake up at 7. Snooze the alarm and fall asleep again. Everything else in the world falls back before your comfort and the love of your comforter. You want to sleep like a baby while the rains sing a lullaby for you. For us, Indians, monsoon means comfort, fun, colors and happiness. Walk out on any typical rainy day and the streets are a riot of colors. Somewhere within, it instills hope. Why else would someone buy an umbrella with the color of a rainbow if not to battle a grey day!

As you walk through the same lane, fulfilling your responsibilities- the usual of an everyday mendicant- you pass through a familiar smell. Smell that spells rain. Fried food from the ubiquitous vendors that seem to pop up in every office lane. Mouthwatering. Ignoring it as you walk pass, in a very old wall maybe, you look carefully and see moss. You awaken the child within and run your hand along for that velvety feel. Smiling in the rains for no reason is absolutely justified.

While at work you keep looking at that big window and feast your eyes on the torrential downpour, a sudden splash drench you as you step out after a busy day. Quite surprisingly it brings a smile across your face. You hail a tuktuk and sit in it refreshed. The driver draws the plastic curtains in order to save you but you push it away instead- loving the feeling of the cool wind full of water droplets. Maybe stop somewhere for a bowl of hot soup!

You reach home and take little pleasures in all the rain related culinary delights, pull a shawl over you and read a book and fall asleep with the heavenly lullaby. Thank God for the rains.