(Photo: Shayan)

Hotdogs and French Fries are good for a while, but the aroma of a hot piping dosa or parantha dripping with desi ghee will always be irresistible. Of course, that is not why Non-Resident Indian (NRI) MBA aspirants are leaving foreign shores to pursue the degree in India. They want to be a part of India’s buzzing economy, they say. While life abroad might be far jammier, theyd rather face the competitive moral fibre back home. And there is no better way of gaining lost ground than chasing the MBA dream in India.

Almost all top-tier b-schools in India have a couple of NRI students, some who have stayed abroad for generations, others just for a couple of years.

Still, why India and not b-schools of global repute?

There is a bouquet of reasons, according to the students that PaGaLGuY spoke to. Simant Goyal from National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) – Mumbai, who earned his engineering degree from Berkeley in California, admits that many b-schools in the US are much better than those in India. The only problem is that most of them want some or the other kind of work experience which I couldn’t get because of the bad job market when I graduated in 2009, so India is where I headed.

Jaipreet Singh Bindra from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, on the other hand, had begun to explore business opportunities in India two years ago, while he was still in Canada. I thought that doing an MBA in India would be the best way to learn about the Indian market in detail. Canada has some good b-schools but they would not give me the experience I am getting here, he justified.

Vivek Ram, also from NITIE, left India (with his family when he was a year old) for Nigeria and later Singapore but came to India to pursue engineering and later MBA. I wanted to get back to my culture and roots and since I knew there would be equal participation of students from different states in my class, this plan fitted best. I would get to learn different cultures first-hand, he said.

As for Angad Deep Singh from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, further studies in the US would not help him realise his ambition of becoming a social entrepreneur. There are tons of b-schools in the US, my alma mater University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is one of the top-rated schools in the US but I wanted to study MBA here because my school believes in social inclusion. This simply means that I would get to understand the thought processes of the ordinary Indian.

Piyush Vanjani and Ashwin Iyer, also from IIM Indore were in the Middle East and came to India because they wanted to study in an Indian b-school. Ashwin adds that post 2008, Dubai was struggling under recession and India seemed a better option.

Shantanu Roy from the US and now at XLRI Jamshedpur explained the calculations behind his decision. The return on investment of the b-schools in India provide interesting opportunities since the economic growth in India is heading north. And b-school fees in the US are a huge financial commitment, besides the economy is not sustainable. Shantanus batchmate Neha Patni was in Sri Lanka and working as a country representative for a German multinational. She came to India to upgrade her knowledge base and see where it gets her.

Neha Patni

Life must have changed considerably, how are they coping?

For most, life was definitely snugger abroad and the respect for privacy lifestyle (an alien concept to the average Indian) was much revered. But over the years, those privileges became diminutive and the need for family/extended family, the urge to return to the roots took over. Though no one said it in as many words, the excessively hyped placement reports of Indian b-schools in the last few years may also have played a crucial part in our subjects’ migration.

Neha Patni from XLRI, says that Sri Lanka offered more in terms of ‘quality personal life’. I had more personal space and time to enjoy my hobbies. But the business culture in Sri Lanka is not as aggressive as that in India. Sri Lankans are more laid back, she explains. Naga Abhishek also from XLRI thinks similarly. In the US, day-to-day living is very good and comfortable, though there are no maid-servants there. We have more privacy in the US but then we miss family life there. Vivek looks at the same comforts differently. Yes, life is more organised and structured abroad but that can be very boring after a point.

Those from the Middle East say that life in Dubai and Mumbai are quite similar, though Dubai is less populated and has fewer traffic snarls.

And there are those who do not like it too much here in India. Jaipreet is not one bit happy that meetings in India start much later than their scheduled time and take longer than expected and Simant says that the quality of life in India is extremely poor. The average student lives in absolutely pathetic conditions. The system of federal loans in the US helps students complete college education but there is no such thing here.

Jaideep Singh Bindra

But then is at least student-life better?

Simant is not too sure. Many professors are uninterested in their profession. They treat it like a burden while trying to spend more time consulting. Classes are also less organised and disoriented. In the US, the professors make it absolutely clear as to what the student should be ready for while coming to class and what he should expect to learn before going out. There is no such thing here, Simant laments.

Adding to that, Naga says that the use of technology and the extent of resources in any good university in the US are far superior. Also the interaction between students and between students and professors is subtler and less personal. It might have to do with the culture in India, he reasons out.

Piyush says that the pressure is much higher in India. The rigour is manifold. Competition is extreme but that’s understood given that the institute is churning out CEOs. There is no room for laxity and I sleep much lesser than I used to earlier, the IIM Indore student says honestly. As for Simant, The competition is higher in India. The stakes are extremely high with only a few elite seats up for grabs and this competitive experience make it easier for Indians to be successful abroad, he says.

Vivek adds that unlike in the West, in India the approach to education is relatively theoretical so students may not be able to fully appreciate the practical nature of things. Abroad, people do pursue dreams but here people pursue a career more out of necessity. The education in India allows students to mentally pull through and accomplish any challenge put before them. Shantanu believes that compared to his laid-back life in Parsippany, US, study here means too many assignments, overlapping deadlines, back-to-back class lectures and too much of rigour.

Angad argues that comparing academic life in different countries is akin to comparing oranges to apples. He explains, Each institution develops a style that best fits the need of their own country and each has its strengths and weaknesses.

Do peers see you as someone who has come back to steal their share?

No, say all the NRI students. Neha says that quite a few native students at XLRI have international exposure so there are no hard feelings. Here people learn from each other, she quips. But isnt there some air of superiority on part of the NRI students they are after all ‘foreign-returned. Angad answers, “I really can’t say I am superior as we have the brightest minds in the country here. Piyush adds to that, Yes, every student here is very talented so I am treated like anyone else.

Shantanu from XLRI informs that his peers look at him as the epitome of diversity as I have much to share about different cultures. Jaipreet adds that his batch mates are curious to know why he returned to India.

Vivek Ram

What qualities do you bring to the table?

Simant says that his communication skills are substantially better than others and his thought processes are clearer. The disadvantage is that I have become too critical and sometimes unable to stop myself from comparing everything to the US, Simant pours his heart out. As for strengths, interacting with Europeans in Dubai has made Ashwin more confident when conversing with people. Also, living alone with friends in a foreign country also gave me the ability to survive independently. But for weaknesses, I never knew that the MBA is so competitive here. In Dubai, the newspapers hardly even write about b-schools.”

Jaipreet also says that having worked in different parts of North America and South East Asia, he has a global perspective, though he admits that his peers have a better grip on the domestic scene.

Naga admits he might have an edge when it comes to having an international outlook but he might not have such a great understanding of the Indian scene. Vivek’s strengths and weaknesses are more personal. Since I have been on the move for so many years, I can adapt easily. In my engineering days, overcoming competition was a difficulty, but today I am very competitive.

Would the NRI card be an advantage during placements?

No one agrees that it will be an advantage. Neha says that some international work experience can be an added advantage but does not make for a better chance at placements. Each job requires a key set of skills, knowledge and experience, she states. Angad is sure that the NRI tag does not help. A significant portion of my batch is from the Indian Institutes of Technology and the National Institutes of Technology which are at par with some of the best engineering schools in the world, he reasons. Piyush too says no firmly. Recruiters look for quality. Being an NRI hardly means that I am better than others, he says. Simant says that he might find himself on more shortlists but in the interview, there will be no difference at all.

Jaipreet and Naga have a slightly different take. They say that it depends on the job profile and the location. Explains Jaipreet, It depends on the job opportunities. Some international or Indian companies recruiting for an opportunity abroad might find me a better choice to work internationally as visa regulations would be less stringent for me.

The biggest challenge

Is to make a place for themselves on the Indian business skyline. They are all dreaming big that in ten years they will either be a top shot in a multinational or an Indian corporate house or entrepreneurs, calling their own shots. During this time, they will also know whether their strength of will to return to Indian shores reaped benefits or not. Will the parantha win or the hamburger?