1.Why did you leave India?
Sent abroad by company.
2.Do you plan to return to India to settle down?
No
3.What do you like most about being abroad?
Good infrastructure!
4.What do like least about being abroad?
At the end of the day, you are still a foreigner.
5.Would you be concerned about raising your family outside India?
Yes.
6.What are your thoughts about marrying outside your immediate community, someone who speaks a different language or practices a different religion?
No problems.
7.What would be the first thing you would do if you became the Prime Minister of India?
I would dedicate 15% of the budget to family planning.
8.What do you think are India's greatest strengths?(max 3)
Good educational infrastructure, abundant natural resources, cultural diversity.
9.What do you think are the biggest problems facing India? (max 3)
Population, population, population.
10.Do you think that a presidential form of government would better serve the needs of India's democracy?Yes
11.For whom do you have the highest regard amongst living Indians?
Nobody springs to mind.
12.Do you think that the national obsession with Cricket has helped or has it hurt India as a sporting nation?
Definitely helped.
13.What do you think are India's greatest achievement since Independence (max 3)?
The space programme, self sufficiency in agriculture, staying a democracy for the past 50 years.
14.What is your favourite pastime?
Vegging out!
15.What is your happiest memory?
Coming back from Elephanta caves to Bombay on the steamer, after listening to Parveen Sultana's open air concert.
16.What's your most memorable journey?
From Ahmedabad to Mandvi (Southern Gujarat) by car.
17.What is your ultimate food dish?
Kosha Mangsho (a kind of Bengali meat dish)
18.What are your favourite movies? (max 3)
Shawshank Redemption, One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest, Saving Private Ryan.
19.What are your favourite books (please list authors as well)? (max 3)
Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien), The Foundation-Trilogy (Isaac Asimov), any book by PG Wodehouse.
20.A message from you to other NRIs-
He's an investment banker with Chase Manhattan. Originally from Delhi, Shankar has lived in London for the past six years.
Published - 1999
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The views of this column are the author's own, and do not necessarily represent the views of NRI Online.
