Returning NRI slams India’s governance, hygiene & safety standards
Returning NRI slams India’s governance, hygiene & safety standards
A Hyderabad-born returning NRI's Reddit post criticizes India's roads, pollution, corruption, food safety and driver licensing, sparking online debate.
A Reddit post by a 25-year-old woman from Hyderabad has sparked a heated online debate about India’s infrastructure, corruption, and overall quality of life, especially among Indians who have lived abroad and later returned for a visit. In her post, she describes how moving to the United States after marriage changed her view of her homeland: what once felt like a dream now reads as a growing disillusionment.
She writes, 'Everywhere I see, I see how dysfunctional our society is,' citing unsafe roads, open manholes, encroachment and air thick with construction dust. 'The roads feel so unsafe… the air is not breathable at this point… I’m asking myself how did I live here for 22 years of my life,' she added.
The post triggered a heated discussion on social media. Beyond infrastructure, she paints a picture of governance and corruption. She claims she had to pay bribes for basic government work to be completed, arguing that 'Nothing gets done in this country without a bribe,' a line she says serves as a harsh reality check for young adults who grew up idealizing their homeland.
Food safety also features prominently in her critique. She describes meals made in reused black-looking oils, prepared with hands that don’t wear gloves or use soap, saying the country’s 'unhygienic food' tag is, in her view, justified. Harassment and road legitimacy come up as well. She recounts an incident of harassment in broad daylight and uses it to question the leniency of India’s driver licensing system, noting she was granted a license despite crashing a car during her driving test.
'That says a lot about how good the drivers are in India,' she remarked, calling into question road safety for everyday citizens. Despite these criticisms, she also acknowledges some conveniences of life in India, like domestic help and food delivery, while asking whether that convenience is worth the trade-offs to many people who value safety, infrastructure and accountability.
The post has stirred online debate about the realities behind the country’s reputation and where reform might be most needed.
#IndiaInfrastructure, #CorruptionInIndia, #DiasporaVoices, #UrbanIssues, #PublicSafety
