Indian man who moved back from US highlights parking, crowding woes: ‘Don’t move back for convenience’

An Indian man who recently moved back to India from the US has opened up about the challenges he experienced after returning, saying that the country’s population, traffic and parking woes made him realise the trade-offs involved in moving back.Vanraj said that living abroad can create an expectation that everyday activities will be relatively smooth. (Instagram/@theabroadlab)Sharing a video on Instagram, user @theabroadlab said that certain aspects of life in India become more noticeable after spending years in a less populated country. “Don’t move back to India for convenience. It’s a myth,” the text on the clip read.In the video, Vanraj described being stuck in a parking queue for around 25 minutes while visiting a mall on a Sunday evening. He said that he and his partner had debated whether to go out, knowing that weekends could mean larger crowds, but decided that Saturday and Sunday were the only days they had to go out and enjoy themselves.He clarified that he did not believe the issue was simply about the management of a particular mall. “It’s just the population,” he said, adding that returning to India after living in a less populated country made the difference more apparent.Vanraj said that living abroad can create an expectation that everyday activities will be relatively smooth. “Aapko ek aadat si ban jaati hai… wahan pe cheezein kaafi smooth hoti hain. Yahan pe woh smoothness chali jaati hai,” he said.He also pointed to the difficulty of finding parking in cities, saying that the sheer number of people and vehicles meant that suitable parking spaces were often unavailable. He added that parking elsewhere could result in vehicles being towed.”These are the things that you have to trade when you move back,” he said, arguing that people returning to India have to adjust accordingly.(Also Read: NRI reveals ‘single biggest difference’ between India and Norway: ‘Isn’t money or wealth’)What did social media say?The video sparked a debate in the comments, with several users sharing their own experiences of moving back to India.One user wrote, “Wish I knew it before moving back.. no quality of life, only survival! Going out any day in the week is like living ‘Final Destination’ moments. Can’t wait to move back.””Your life is the same wherever you live. It totally depends on your financial status. It is easier in India in many ways,” commented another.”Colonial hangover syndrome. Indias issue is different. Try find parking in new york and if you do try pay for it. Population is not the problem learn from japan. Its about civic sense . This is where india is lacking,” wrote a third user.”Frustrated all the time after moving back to India. Because of small small issues like parking, civic sense, noise pollution, no proper parks, no footpaths everything becomes a challenge,” said another.