After 10 years, I came back to India this December, and I am still here on vacation. It has honestly been an experience. I was born in Kerala, and growing up, I visited India every year to see my grandparents and other relatives. I liked those trips, but they were never really “vacation” vacations. It was a lot of traveling around, visiting family nonstop, and very little actual relaxing. Definitely not the kind of trip where you sit on a beach and do nothing.
Coming back now as an adult feels very different. You can really see how much India has changed. Some things have improved a lot, while other parts of society feel almost frozen in time. Before I get into it, I should say this. I experience India from a very privileged position. I live abroad, I come here on vacation, and then I leave. Everything I’m sharing comes from that lens.
One of the first things that really stood out to me this time was convenience. Shopping is incredibly easy. Between malls, small local shops, and delivery apps, you can get almost anything you want. Fast food chains are everywhere, and delivery apps will bring you food, groceries, or random items at almost any time of day. You open your phone, order what you need, and it shows up at your door pretty quickly. Of course, I know why this works so well. There are a lot of people looking for work, and the gig economy makes this level of convenience affordable for customers.
Infrastructure is another area where I noticed real change. I remember the drive from the airport years ago being rough, with bumpy, unpaved roads. Now there are long stretches of clean highways that honestly feel similar to what I’ve seen abroad. That said, not everything has improved. City roads and sidewalks, especially sidewalks, are still in rough shape. But even there, you can see small improvements compared to the past.
At the same time, some things feel exactly the same as they did 10 years ago. People can still be rude at times, and once some realize that I am not from here, they may try to take advantage by charging more. There is also still a lot of trash on the streets, even in areas considered some of the cleaner parts of India. It’s common to see people throw garbage on the ground, which sucks to see. Little everyday frustrations also haven’t changed, like people cutting in line, not waiting their turn, and driving that feels completely chaotic.
Even with all of that, one thing is very clear. India has changed a lot. In Western countries, there’s often this idea that India is stuck in the past. While it’s true that many people still live in poverty and struggle to meet basic needs, progress has happened. Whether that progress has actually helped the average local person is a much harder question, and honestly, it’s not one I can answer.
From my own experience, coming back to India has been fun. Going to malls, traveling around, and even feeling the strength of my currency has made things easier and more enjoyable. I don’t know what the future looks like for India, but I do hope that over time, inequality becomes less extreme and more people get to experience the kind of comfort and stability that I do when I’m here.