R2I Checklist - 25 things to do

Good to know that you are thinking of Returning to India (R2I). R2I is indeed a hard decision and requires meticulous planning. (Also read: R2I Planning Guide) There are lots of things to take care of, during R2I. This blog post makes your R2I planning, easier. It captures the list of things to do before your move to India.You can treat this as your Return to India (R2I) checklist.

1. Join the R2I Club Forums. This has lots of useful discussions on returning back to India. You can also look at Garamchai.com, which is a portal for Indians in US, and also has a number of R2I related articles/blogs.

2. Start preparing a to do list. You may not be able to get all the things in one shot. Keep updating the to do list as & when you remember/realize that something was missed out.

3. Start looking for a job in India. Update your resume & circulate it through your contacts. You should *get* a job before moving to India. A person in US who is moving to India would get a better treatment/package when compared to the local-ites. Many folks may have the question - what is the right pay? A rough ball-park is "You should get at least 1/3rd of what you are getting in US". The package varies significantly based on the city, your interview performance, your negotiation skills etc., So, talk to your friends in India to get ball parks. (Also read: List of MNCs (Product & Software) Companies in Chennai)

4. Tell your employer about your move. When to inform your employer is a tough question to answer. It depends :) I told my employer the next day after I decided to move back. They were very co-operative through-out the process & they helped me to the extent possible.

5. Consolidate all your bank accounts. Maintain one bank account with online access. You can use that to pay your bills or to file tax returns. Keep your ATM/debit card with you, safely.

6. Close all your credit cards. You can use your debit card for all the expenses during you travel. (Note: Your credit score shouldn't get affected when you close your credit cards in good terms. Talk to your financial advisor for details). I closed all my credit cards during the last week before my return.

7. Lock your SSN/Credit. If you want to prevent the fraudulent usage of your SSN, lock your credit. You need to apply for credit lock/freeze through all the 3 credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian & TransUnion.

8. Close all your utilities accounts (phone, TV, mobile phone, PG&E etc.,) at appropriate times. Have your mobile phone till the last day. You may need it for emergencies. I called & closed my mobile phone account on the last day.

9. Give "Change of Address" to your post office. It is recommended to give the address of a friend who owns a house (A friend who rents a house may move around). Also, the friend has to be very reliable. He/she shouldn't miss important mail communications to you. Give "Change of Address" to people from whom you may receive some correspondences (Banks, Utility providers, USCIS, IRS, DMV, etc.,).   (Also read: R2I Change of Address - Checklist)

10. Decide what you want to do with your 401K account. You don't have to close your 401K when you leave the country. You can maintain the account till your retirement, also. Talk to a financial advisor to decide which option is best for you. I had very little balance in my 401K (I started with 401K very late). So, I sold all my possessions. Yes, there will be a 10% penalty for early withdrawal (paid during the time of filing tax returns) + 20% tax deducted at source. When you file your tax returns, you can calculate/settle the actual tax that you owe to the government. (Note: On the last day of your employment, you'll fill a 'participant distribution' application which instructs what your 401K provider should do with your account. You have an option of selling all the positions & wiring the money to your bank account. Just talk to your 401k provider/HR about the available options well in advance). Read the "R2I - 401(k) closure FAQ" for details.

11. Decide what you want to do with your stocks/bonds. I had very little money in stocks. So, I sold all my stocks. (Read: Stock Trading Lessons)

12. Track the USD -> INR conversion rates. When I returned to India, the conversion rates were at their best levels. So, I moved all my USD to India (INR), right away. I left some minimal balance in the bank to take care of the tax payments, next year. (Note: I had the practice of sending money to India on a monthly basis. So, I normally don't care about the conversion rates. If you are transferring money to India on a regular basis, it would get Dollar Cost Averaged out). Also read: US to India money transfer strategies

13. Decide what are some of the items that you want to take back to India, with you. You may need to arrange for containers to ship your personal belongings. There are several folks who take care of shipping items from US -> India. They'll take care of door-to-door delivery. It takes about 2 - 3 months for you to receive the shipment in India. You can get a price quote online. I didn't send any items through containers. All I sent/brought from US is just 7 suitcases. Rest of the items were either sold or donated to someone.

14. Sell/Donate the items that you don't want to take with you to India. Take pictures of items & put them in Craigslist for sale. Donate items to Goodwill. You'll get a tax credit for the items that you donated, when you file your tax returns. In order to avail the tax credit, get a receipt from Goodwill & keep that safe.

15. Plan well in ahead to sell your big ticket items (like house, car etc.,). My costliest asset was my car. I sold it to a friend of mine. I didn't have the pain of going through multiple prospects or the car dealers. (Note: Some of my friends, bought houses just before the housing market touched bottom in 2008. Their home values lost nearly 10 - 20%. If you are thinking of returning to India, don't make risky bets. Otherwise, you may be stuck in USA for a while).

16. Make proper long-term investments in India well-ahead of (years before) your move. I had made sure that I get continuous income in India. That way, you don't have the pressure to 'work' immediately. You can take a short break. Also, having worked in US for several years under stress, it is time for you to relax a bit. (Read: Power of Attorney for NRIs - FAQ, if you are thinking of buying properties in India)

17. Purchase a VOIP phone (such as Skype, Magic Jack, or Vonage) and take it with you to India. You may need that to stay in touch with your US friends & to communicate with people who maintain your US accounts. Magic Jack seems to be the cheapest at the time of writing this blog (But, your computer has to be kept ALWAYS ON for you to receive calls). I bought a Skype phone with SkypeOut number. The voice quality is good & the calls are very reliable. (Read: IP Phone - Magic Jack vs Vonage vs Skype)

18. If you have school going kids, you may have an additional responsibility of planning the move around the time the academic year starts in India. Some of the schools finish their admissions in Dec/Jan time frame. You should plan your move, accordingly (Read: Getting KG admission for a kid in school - the math behind it &  R2I school admissions - FAQ)

19. Get medical documents for your family from your health care provider. Some of the providers make them available online. You may need to just take printouts. Complete your regular health checkups, dental appointments etc.,

20. If you don't know anyone in the Indian city where you are going to move to, you may have to arrange for a house, basic stuff for your move, well in advance. In the worst case, book a hotel for your stay for the first few weeks or so.

21. Send your family first to India. You can find out if they are getting adapted to India or not. Also, it will be easier for you to clean-up things in US, if you are alone (For ex., you can stay with your friends/some bachelors during the last few days in US)

22. You should have some "significant" money when you are in India. The cost of living in India has gone up, quite a bit. You would need money to settle down, comfortably. The amount of money that you need may vary based on your family size, life style, commitments etc.,

23. Scan all your important documents & convert them to soft copies. It is easier to maintain soft copies of documents (like tax filing documents, bank information, visa related documents etc.,).

24. If you have been in US for 10 years, you would've earned 40 credits for social security. You will be eligible for Social Security benefits after your retirement. From what I read, US government would send you the 'check' wherever you are. You have to just keep IRS updated about your whereabouts. [Also read: How can I get my Social Security benefits?]

25. If you have kids who are US citizens, you may need to get a PIO card for them to visit India. After reaching India & after being in India for 6 months, you need to submit a 'registration' application to extend the stay of US Citizens. Visit your nearest passport office (or) refer to the passport office web site for more details. [Recommended reading: "The OCI Hoopla" "Extending stay of a PIO card holder"]

My planning actually started 6 years back. Yes. I was preparing to go back to India since I landed in US. I was very conservative since day one. I made sure that I buy only the *mandatory* things. Whenever I visit India (or) if someone from India visits me, I send a lot of unused household items through them to India (such as books, mementos, gift articles etc.,). We started visiting important places in US, ~2 years before our move :)

Always, keep your options open. You may decide to return back to US, if you can't get adjusted to things in India. So, keep that in mind when you are planning for your move. I burned all my boats before I left US. That way, the only option for me is to be in India :)

If you think something is missed out, please drop me a note. I'll be happy to include that to the list.

Wishing you all the best for your move. India needs people like you.

Related posts:

Things to do after your R2I
100 reasons to R2I
Green Card vs. US Citizenship

11/45 - The rarest size

What happened to Chennai? What happened to all those tall folks with long feet? I suddenly felt singled out. I couldn't believe that I'm abnormally tall.

(Also read: Shoe Trees - the life extenders for your shoes)

I wanted to buy a pair of 'formal' shoes (My old pair retired after 4 years of service). I used to wear Lee Cooper in the past, when I was in Chennai. So, I decided to buy my favorite Lee Cooper model. I started my search at Khal's foot world in Nelson Manickam road. They told that they don't have size 11/45. They called a few other branches and confirmed that they couldn't find the size + model combo, there as well. They were trying to convince me to buy size 10/44. I told them a big NO.

I then went to Spencers Plaza. I visited a few showrooms there and none of them had size 11 (everyone had size 10 and below). I was disappointed very much. I visited a few shops in T. Nagar, but in vain. I couldn't find my favorite model & size 11/45. I then went to the Bata Showroom in NM road & asked them regarding the availability of formal leather shoes of size 11. They didn't have any. I then went to Anna Nagar Woodlands showroom and bought a pair of shoes (semi-formal) for INR 27xx. This is the costliest of all my shoes. I didn't like the model much - but I don't have much choice.

It took me the whole Saturday evening to find a pair of shoes of size 11/45. I used to buy them when I was in India 6 years back. Something has happened in the last few years and it appears to be strange. Anyways, good luck guys who want to buy shoes of size 11/45.

Also read:  

Shoe Trees - the life extenders for your shoes
Goods in US - lots of options & cheaper price

Why am I a Vegan?

Today we had a Pizza party at work. Everyone seemed to enjoy the hot & delicious Pizza. A colleague asked me "How are Indian Pizzas?". I told him, "They look great. But, I didn't eat them". He asked me "Why?". I told him that I'm adopting a Vegan diet. He then asked me "Why are you a Vegan?". Many folks have asked this question, in the last 3 weeks. Many folks have asked this question, in the last 3 years.

(Also read: A Journey from Non-Vegetarian to Raw-Vegetarian)

Why am I a Vegan? I don't think there is one specific answer to this question.

During my childhood days, I used to visit my grandparents' village. I've seen innocent little creatures dying in front of my eyes. I've seen goats getting 'chopped-off' in the name of 'sacrifice to God'. There were instances where I was asked to hold the legs of the goat tight, when its neck was cut. I've seen blood oozing out of the goat's neck after its head was chopped-off. I've seen the body of the goat shaking for a few seconds before it died. I've seen men killing chicken by twisting their neck. I think these things had some impact on my decision to be a Vegetarian. (Also read: Sunday - a day of mass murders in India)

Wanna see what happens to these poor creatures before they get into your burger or chicken 65?



I was a Vegetarian for most part of my childhood. I used to eat "egg", though. I lost significant weight when I went to college. Some of my friends told that I can regain the lost weight & develop muscles if I become a meat eater. I started eating meat again in 1997.

I was a meat eater till early part of 2000. During that time, I had a chance to read Gandhi's autobiography - "My experiments with truth". I got motivated by Gandhi's determination to be a vegetarian. He got closer to death, because of not eating meat & not drinking milk. He then started consuming goat's milk. Poor guy, he didn't have alternatives to milk-based diet, at that time. I decided to be a vegetarian. This time, I gave up eating egg also. I continued to consume milk-products.

I'm a vegetarian since 2000. I was able to stick to my eating habits. I got married in 2005, and luckily, my wife is also a vegetarian. Having been a vegetarian for quite sometime, I got bored. In mid 2006, I got a desire to 'experiment' a new eating style. I wanted to put my self-control to test. I wanted to go to the next-level of diet. I decided to adopt a Vegan diet. I told myself that I should give up only when I run into health issues because of not consuming milk products. Fortunately, there were milk-substitutes in USA. I started consuming 'fortified' Soy milk. I included spinach & more vegetables/fruits in my everyday diet. I managed to be a vegan for 3 years.

I returned back to India in May, 2009. I was doubtful, if I would be able to continue my Vegan diet in India. I was surprised to see that 'calcium-enriched' Soy milk is available in Chennai. I'm continuing to be a Vegan. I've also substituted my favorite 'Soy Cafe Latte' with 'Lemon/Black Tea'.

My wife takes good care of me, by cooking healthy vegetable food. I'm very thankful to my wife. If not for her, I cannot continue to be a Vegan & at the same time maintain my health. The journey continues ...

Also read:

What can you do to reduce the impact of climate change & global warming?
Subway experience - How much can you change?

I'm Back ...

Hey India... It's me. I'm back again.

I reached Chennai on the 1st of May. The SQ flight landed at 10 pm. It took me just 10 mins to clear the immigration. They've renovated the immigration area. The area was clean & cool. I was quite amazed. But, it took nearly 30 minutes to get the baggage. I took my baggage and cleared the customs. My entire family was eagerly waiting outside the airport, for my arrival. My daughter jumped in joy, on seeing me. I could see nothing but smile on everyone's face. We reached home by 11.30 pm.

The next morning, I took a walk on the streets - just to get a hang of Chennai. India hasn't changed much in the last 6 years. Trash piling up along the sides of the road, groups of people near tea stalls talking politics, folks who 'drink' in the morning, children using the walkways as 'open-air' restrooms. India hasn't changed much. At the same time, I was happy to see the city in 'action' at 6 am. Group of boys sorting the morning newspapers for delivery, folks boarding buses to get to work/school, ladies cleaning their front-yards, people doing exercise at parks. India hasn't changed much. Have you read the story where a princess was cursed by a witch and the princess + the whole kingdom goes into a deep sleep for many many years? Similarly, everything has been preserved 'as-is' in Chennai.

Chennai is so 'lively'. It is good to see people 'everywhere'. I don't have to take a 'Google Map' before leaving home - I can ask the road side shops for directions. There is good 'veggie restaurants' everywhere - I don't have to drive for hours to get to one. I've ditched my favorite 'Soy Cafe Latte' for 'Lemon/Black Tea'. I love the fresh juices that we get along the road side. (Also read: Why am I a Vegan?)

Gone are the days when I drove my Honda Accord to work (with 4 empty seats). I now commute to work in a 'share auto' with 10 other passengers squeezed-in. I don't have to worry about 'credit history' - still able to survive without a credit card. I got a new toy - Nokia E63 for INR 13.5K. Prices have all gone up - but, I now do the math in dollars & it seems very affordable now :)

I'm enjoying the ride so far. Hopefully, it will get more exciting soon.

Also read:

Post R2I life in India

Bye Bye USA ...

29th April 2009

Well, the time has come for me to say "Bye Bye". It is Apr 29th, 2009 - the day of my return to India. I was dreaming about this day for the last 6 years. My countdown for this day started 3 months, back. "Are you happy or sad? Do you feel excited or worried? Are you sure, Saro? Do you want to leave USA?". My friends were curious. My response was simple... "Yes, I want to go back. I'm determined & very excited !!".

The last 3 months brought-in significant changes in my lifestyle. Hope they are just exceptions and not the norm :) I gained 5 pounds in the last 3 months. Thanks to the send-off parties. I'm going to disappoint my wife who has been thinking that I'll lose weight, because of her absence. I'm working hard these days - trying to complete my deliverables at RBAK & trying to pickup the basics of the future job @ Nokeena. I couldn't keep up with my regular morning walks, book reading, temple visits etc., We vacated our house and I moved to my brother's place in March. These days, I spend very little time with my pillow & comforters. They hate me much.

I'm eagerly looking forward to meet my wife/daughter. I miss my daughter much more than I miss my wife (Hope my wife doesn't read this blog :)). I call them every day. I've become Reliance India's preferred customer.

My last day in Redback was 24th Apr. In the next few days, I closed my 401K account/credit cards/insurance, changed my bank account, etc., I did some limited shopping and packed my stuff.

Finally, it is the D-day - Apr 29th, 2009. I don't feel the same way ... like what I felt when leaving India, 6 years back. I realize that I haven't created an emotional attachment with the country. I'm sad to leave my U.S friends, but glad that I'm going to meet some of my old friends in India. In retrospect, I feel that I made a wise decision coming to US. I gained a lot of exposure. Today, I feel that I made a wise decision to go back.

Thank you USA for all that you gave me... I'll never forget that ... See you ... Bye Bye ...

Also read:


First R2I Anniversary - The journey continues ... 

Don't Bottom Pick Stocks

Did the stock market bottom out? It is a trillion dollar question. The stocks lost nearly 11 trillion in value since October 2007 and lost nearly 2 trillion since the beginning of 2009.

It started like a shower, then became a rain, then became a thunder storm and now it is a hurricane and there is flood everywhere. The March'08 lows (caused by Bears Stearns fallout) were beaten by the July'08 lows (caused by Fannie/Freddie government takeover) which was beaten by the October'08 lows (caused by Lehman fallout) and that was in-turn beaten by the Nov'08 lows (caused by GM/Citi insolvency concerns) . People thought "That was the end of it" and breathed a sigh of relief. Optimism developed when Obama was sworn in. The stocks rose in Jan'09. Everyone thought, they missed the stock market bottom in Nov 21st, 08. Then came the huge blow in Feb'09. The marked tanked another 20% since the new year. It created new bottoms everyday.

There are two sets of people - the optimists and the pessimists. The optimists think that the bottom is reached and jump-in to see themselves in a new bottom. The pessimists wait on the side lines with their money to jump-in when the 'real' bottom is reached. But, the truth is, nobody knows what the 'real' bottom is. The pessimists are going to wait for ever. So, who wins - the optimists or the pessimists? The real winner is decided by time.

Those who are still trying to bottom pick - Good luck !

Returning back to India ...

I made one of the biggest decisions in my life on the 25th of Jan, 2009. I decided to move back to India. I have been dreaming about returning back, since the day I landed in US, 6 years ago. But, I never got the guts to make that bold decision. (Also read: First R2I Anniversary - The journey continues ...)

At first, I thought I should go back in 2 - 3 years, then I thought I should go back before I get married, then I thought I should go back before we have our kid, then I thought I should go back with a 'business' plan, then I thought..., then I thought ... there was no end to the list. Well, finally I had to pull the plug. The turn of events in my personal life made it easy for me.

It took just less than an hour for me to decide. I booked tickets for my wife/kid in the next 1 hour. I packed and sent them to India in the next 24 hours. I dropped my wife/kid in the airport on the night of Jan 26th (Monday). It was very late in the night and I was completely exhausted when I landed on the bed. The bed room was completely dark. The digital clock was showing 00:35. Normally, I go to sleep within minutes (at times, seconds) of hitting the bed. But, Jan 26th night was an exception. I had so many thoughts & questions in my mind. The biggest of all was "What should I do next?" I have to tell my current employer, I have to sell my things, I have to find a job, I have to take care of some financial obligations, I have to do this, I have to do that. I started preparing a list on my mind. I saw 02:00 on the digital clock. All my energy was completely drained by then. It was hard for me to even keep my eyes open. I think I slept after that.

The next 3 weeks were quite hectic. There was a very exciting thing about to happen in my career. I had to put an end to it, because of my decision to return back to India. I decided to move back in 3 months. I told my employer about my decision. They were very understanding and co-operative. I prepared my resume and sent it to some close contacts.

I cleaned up the house and sold most of the items in craigslist. Things sold pretty fast (Thanks to the recession. People love used items!). We spent years and years to accumulate those items. But they all vanished in days. The sweet memories of each of those items is still fresh in my mind. It is still hard for me to emotionally distance myself from those memories. I, not only felt the pain emotionally, but also physically when I sold my bed. For the first time in the last 3 years, I slept on the floor. I was wrapped up in my comforter like a Burrito. The next morning, all the cells in my body were aching. I vacated my house and moved to my brother's house on the 28th of Feb. That was another big emotional roller coaster. We spent the last 2.5 years in that house with my friend's family. It was hard to tear away those golden memories.

It is March 5th, 2009. I crossed half of the ocean. I now have answers to many of the questions that I had on the night of Jan, 26th. I found a job, I sold most of my things, I vacated my house, I booked my return tickets. I'm all set to return back.

I have 2 more months to go back and meet my family. When they were here in US, I hardly spent much time with them on a daily basis. However, I miss them now. I want to hug my little daughter, I want to carry her on my shoulders, I want to play hide/seek with her ... I'm longing to meet her. I'm counting every day & every second. I had always desired to turn the clock back and go to the past. But, today, I want to turn the clock forward and go to the future.

Returning back to India is indeed a big decision. Why did I feel so much pain in the last 5 weeks? Well, I tried to swallow a full apple in 'one go'. I should have cut it into slices and eaten as pieces.

The last 6 years taught me "Why many of the folks who come to US, stay in US ... forever". Unless folks have 'very strong reasons' to return back, they'll not. Your 'logical' mind can give you thousands of reasons to stay in US. So, if you want to really return back, you should not consult your 'logical' mind. You should ask your 'emotional' mind. It can give you millions of reasons to return back.

Many folks come to US to earn money. But, I left my company in India because they didn't give me the promotion that I deserved. I should thank them for that. I wouldn't be what I'm today, if not for them. I got a wonderful exposure both from a career standpoint and from my personal standpoint. If I had not come to US, I would have been like a tiny little fish in a stagnating pond. Today, I'm a shark, that can swim in a ocean. I know how to go with the tides and against them. I'm quite excited to return back to India and meet my family & friends. I'm going to begin another chapter in my life. I've just written the foreword to it.

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Recommended Reading: Returning back to India - 25 things to do