Bengaluru tech leader Ramesh NN shared why he left a successful career in Canada and returned to India to spend more time with his ageing parents.
He said the decision involved choosing family over comfort, adding that being physically present for loved ones changed his perspective on success and life.
His post struck a chord online, with many people sharing similar experiences of returning from countries like Canada and the US to be closer to their families.
THE INDIAN DIASPORA is one of the largest and most successful communities in the world. From Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to People of Indian Origin (PIOs), many Indians live outside the country to build their careers, pursue higher education, achieve financial stability, and improve their quality of life. Canada is one of the countries where many Indians move for education and work opportunities. Going to another country for education and career growth is common in India, but leaving a successful life abroad to return home is a much rarer story.
One such story is that of Ramesh NN, a Bengaluru-based techie and Director of Engineering at IT firm Corcentric. Ramesh has extensive experience working in both Canada and India in engineering and solutions architecture. He has worked at the National Bank of Canada as a Solutions Architect and at SAP Canada. In India, he has also worked at Solera Holdings, LLC, before joining Corcentric in January 2026 in Bengaluru.
A week ago, the tech leader shared his life story and explained how making this decision was difficult, but he moved forward by focusing on what mattered most to him. Whether to stay in Canada, continue working there, or return to India for his parents was a decision he kept thinking about until he finally chose to come back and spend time with them in person instead of through video calls.
He started his post by writing, "Close to 6 years ago, I made a decision that many of us in the diaspora quietly wrestle with — moving back from Canada to India to be closer to aging parents." He said that deciding what to do was not easy. According to him, every decision involves choosing one thing over another—comfort or connection, predictability or responsibility, global exposure or being present where it matters most. He said making that trade-off was difficult, but he ultimately made the choice based on what mattered to him.
"For a long time, I tried to balance both — but at some point, it became clear that time with family isn't something you can defer indefinitely." He said that because of this realization, he decided to move back to Bengaluru, and that it turned out to be a better decision than he had expected. While it may not be perfect, he said, it gave him a sense of fulfilment.
Ramesh added, "Being physically present for my parents, being part of everyday moments (not just video calls), and having that sense of rootedness again — it changes your perspective in ways you can't fully anticipate." He said it was not just about family. Professionally too, Bengaluru felt more energising. The speed, talent, and work ecosystem made his career even more exciting. "You don't feel like you've stepped back; in many ways, it feels like stepping into something more dynamic," he added.
He said that changing countries was not easy and required several adjustments. First came the infrastructure trade-offs, followed by the lifestyle shift. During the initial days, he found it difficult to navigate the systems. However, he said the benefits of his decision far outweighed those adjustments. "If anything, this move has reinforced a simple truth: Success isn't just about where you are in the world — it's about being where you're needed, and where you feel most connected," he wrote.
Ramesh then offered advice to others who might be considering a similar move. He said it is not just a career decision but also a geographical and life decision. "It's not just a career decision. It's a geography decision. It's a life one. And sometimes, the 'right' decision isn't the most obvious one — it's the one that aligns with what truly matters," he wrote. He further asked others to share their own experiences of making similar decisions in life.
As Ramesh invited people to share their experiences, many responded in the comments with stories of their own. One person, Krishna Ravi Shankar, described his move from the United States back to India in 2015 and said the first year after returning was the hardest. He wrote, "I compared everything. With time I made peace with it and began raising a family here. Whatever time you get with your parents around, you couldn't trade that for anything."
Another commenter wrote, "Civilizations measure prosperity by what they build. Life measures prosperity by whom we choose not to leave behind. Some returns can never appear on a balance sheet. They are recorded only in the heart.” Another person commented, "This is a great reminder that success isn't defined by geography alone, but by the impact we create and the relationships we nurture."
Many others in the comments shared similar stories from the United States, Canada, and other countries. Several said that while leaving India for better opportunities is often an easy decision, returning home is much harder and requires courage. One commenter wrote that living abroad is sometimes overrated, "Despite opportunities earlier, I made the same decision to stay back in India to be with my parents who had cancer. If one is capable, opportunities will come again, but family is one."
[VP]
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