In an open letter shared on X, Zoho co‑founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu has called upon Indians in the US to return home to India and contribute to building the nation’s future.

The letter has sparked an outrage and mixed reactions among the diaspora, throwing up questions on opportunities in India to tackle brain drain.

Vembu had outrightly said that NRIs must return to India ‘with a missionary zeal’, and use their skills to serve the country as political sentiment in the US is hardening, leaving Indians at risk.

While the comment invited certain responses that did not totally agree or disagree with Vembu’s point of view, an NRI IT architect Shivashankar’s view on return migration painted the stark reality confronting NRIs today.

He wrote: “Indian infrastructure and cities need to be fixed for the sake of Indians who decided to stay back, who decided to work hard, build something in their own country despite having challenges around corruption and lack of governance.”

Having lived out of India for close to three years now, Shivashankar said that though racism and second‑class treatment of immigrants do exist abroad, there were also tangible benefits in terms of infrastructure, clean air, clean water and governance.

Another X user was quick to acknowledge this, saying, “Agree with you on cities + infrastructural: critical part of the equation to stop future brain drain, let alone reverse it.”

Yet another one wrote: “As a taxpayer, I get nothing in return from the government. Everything is expensive. Also, the system is very corrupt.”

Shivashankar concluded: “I am not sure how long I will continue to be one, but I am emotionally connected to what’s happening in Bengaluru/ Karnataka/ India more than anything else. Life is a package, and there are good and bad things in every part of the world.” – editor@nrifocus.com