‘Life is better in western countries’, says NRI in viral post sparking debate

A Reddit post by a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) has sparked widespread discussion after the user claimed that life in Western countries is far better than in India and questioned why people continue to glorify life back home.

In the post, the NRI, who said they lived in Chennai for 25 years before moving to Sydney, described how they avoid discussing their life abroad when visiting friends and relatives in India. The user said that many assume NRIs are ‘puluthis’, a Tamil slang term for those who boast about their foreign lifestyle and that they refrain from glorifying NRI life to avoid making others uncomfortable.

However, the Redditor recounted a recent argument with a friend who accused them of being an ‘elite puluthi’ after they pointed out that conveniences such as fast delivery services and domestic help in India exist because of cheap labour and inequality.

The post concluded with a message to young Indians, “If you get a chance to live or settle abroad, take it. Don’t listen to your friends and relatives. In Western countries, you can walk freely, breathe clean air, and live without being judged by caste or class. That’s not boasting, that’s reality.”

The post has since gone viral, with many users agreeing with the sentiment. One commenter, identifying as a British Indian, said they faced similar criticism, “Even if we don’t talk about it, people find a way to get annoyed. It’s the scarcity mindset.”

Another user who had lived in England for eight years before returning to India echoed the view, writing that despite earning well, the quality of life in India cannot compare to that in developed Western nations.

The discussion has reignited debates around NRI identity, privilege, and the gap between perceived and actual quality of life in India versus abroad.