JC in India

I am rapidly closing in on completing my second year here in India. I first arrived on 4^th January 2022, so as near as makes no difference the end of the calendar year will mark the tick box for two years here. Admittedly I will be in the UK for Christmas, so not technically ‘in India’ at that point, but when I return on the 7^th of January, I will arrive back to the country already into year three. 

The next year will be very different to the first two. Each passing date will be the last of such for my time in India. It will be my final Holi, my final Diwali. It will also simply feel different, knowing that I am approaching the conclusion of this adventure. It will be a more isolated year, as my two main friends here will both have gone. Thibaut returns to Paris in the coming weeks having completed his term here, and Gordon will also depart for pastures new early in February (well, very hot and sandy pastures in practice). Patrick, one of the other expats who we hang with is also leaving at the end of January. It will mean that there will only be three of us expats left for the time being. A much smaller group and given each of our remits and lifestyles will likely mean less social interaction.

I will soon start mapping the year in terms of both business and personal schedules and start to plan accordingly. Flights will start to get booked, and at work business strategies and focus areas will get coordinated. 

This last week has seen the conclusion of the main events planned during 2023, with a route development seminar held in Goa. This saw about 25 people from our wider Group businesses travel to Goa for a two-day workshop and planning session.

I was playing host, and so it has been a major focus area of mine for a few months now, and I am delighted it ended up going well and all running smoothly. Aside from the business elements, we also held an afternoon of leisure interaction and took the delegates on a mini tour of Goa. I wanted to show the other (non-beach) side of Goa, and so we undertook an excursion into the inland areas and savoured some local customs of food, dance and other similar ‘team building’ activities.

Although the pesky mosquito bite I got that caused a major swelling on the back of my hand for the last few days was not deemed a highlight! We did do dinner on the beach the night prior though, so they did get to see that more reputed side of Goa too.

When everyone left on Friday, I breathed a sigh of relief that all had gone well, and for the first time in a while I can now focus on a normal few weeks in Delhi, before the Christmas break.

Having visitors come in from overseas, most of whom had never been to India before, did reawaken the memories of similar awe in first encountering this unique country. Watching them view the evident mix of poverty and wealth and the convergence of such, was as always fascinating to see in their reactions. This country is an amazing array of differences and is often a notorious culture shock to first time visitors. Goa is less of a shock in the main due to its influx of tourists at this time of year, and is catering to a more diverse and international audience. But even so, compared to New York or to Paris where some delegates were coming from, it is still very different. A few of them are staying behind for a few days and heading to Varanasi, and then to Agra for the standard Taj Mahal visit. I shall meet them this coming Tuesday evening when they get to Delhi before they head out of the country. It will be interesting to hear how they found Varanasi – a place known for its hardship and challenge. So much so that some tourist guides advise against going there until you have immersed into India for a month or so prior to understand the country better, to reduce the culture shock. Having been there myself a few months back I can relate.

India is a country of highs and lows, of clashes and resolutions. Of innovation and workarounds. Indians knows how to make the best of a situation and find a way to solve problems. There is a reason why India is reputed as a place of innovation, and that stems from the sheer persistence of the population at finding ways to get things done whatever it takes.

This last year for me has similarly seen highs and lows. Professionally there have been some good achievements, and I am proud of some of the results we have seen. Personally, the building of friendships here, and the further evolution in the way I feel comfortable in this country has been rewarding. Simply reaching the two-year point, with a reasonable professional accomplishment is a high point itself. Feeling almost ‘Indian’ and totally at peace in the way of living here is actually an exciting sensation. It is a feeling of pride in having managed to get this far and immerse in such a positive way into this initially overwhelmingly different environment. My biggest fear in embarking on this journey was failing to adapt and to simply having a horrible time of it with illness and not succeeding at the job, and it all falling apart and exiting early. Now I know that has not happened. Even if I were to leave now, I will have achieved the two-year mark – a milestone I have always held as a key signpost moment.

It has not of course always been smooth sailing. I still find some areas challenging, and as much as I am used to witnessing the poverty, the street dogs, the cows and to constantly watching out for risks in food and water, it does not mean it is always easy. While my digestive system seems to have now fully adapted to the Indian consumables, I still need to exercise degrees of caution. I am much less picky now in my eating and drinking and am materially more relaxed than I was in my first year, but that does not mean the guard can come fully down.

There have been some significant lows this year also. Being away from home continues to be hard, although is helpfully mitigated by modern communication ease, and the propensity to travel which enables me to still get back reasonably frequently. Being away when Bailey passed away earlier this year was hardest of all though. I shall never forget the pain of not being with him at the end. But there is always the comfort that he had an amazing life and was with family to the end in peace and comfort. Miss you always my little old four-legged boy. Looking forward to being back with his brother from another mother, Barney, in a few weeks.

India requires you to keep pushing forward. To get ahead and survive requires adaptation to the environment around, and to making things happen. One thing I will take away with me is an extra level of confidence in approaching challenges, and being forceful when needed to make things happen. It is a trait of more senior leaders here, that there is an underlying level of dominance and exerted confidence. The air of superiority and admonishment of juniors being the norm with some, all of which can be more understood when viewed in the context of India overall, and the need to push hard to get doors opened at times. Figuratively speaking of course.

This year will be remembered in part through these writings when I look back on them in the years ahead. I write these posts in the hope of being interesting to some, but also as a kind of journal which I can revisit in the future. In parallel I am writing some more practical guidance for anyone following a similar path and moving to India. My goal being the two will complement each other. These posts being the story of my journey, accompanied by the insights I can offer. And the practical section hopefully being of actual value in helping others doing likewise. When that is ready, I shall publish it on the website in a different section rather than post it in this manner.

As I move towards the third and final year here, I am now making the preparations for the different year it will be. I have renewed the lease on my apartment in Vasant Vihar for a further eleven months (the standard lease term here), so this will see me through till the end of October next year. I remember I originally had a conceptual plan that I would live in this apartment for the first two years then go higher end to a more luxury style apartment complex in Gurgaon for the final year. But now I am comfortable here I do not need to, or want to, change that. I am used to my little apartment now. Plus, I wouldn’t want to say farewell to the 5 pack of dogs who still live outside, and the cows would miss me! Also, Gertie the Gecko would have to make friends with a new flatmate if I was to go. She is used to me now, and we have a mutual understanding about our cohabitation. She eats the flies and spiders, and I leave her in peace. Simple.

So, I will stay here. Renewing the lease did come with its challenges though, as the landlady was adamant I renew direct with her, not via my broker. This was easy in theory but after a couple of months of chasing her to provide me with a new lease I was getting worried there was not actually the intent to let me stay, and she was just drawing it out. With a week to go though, and as I was starting to consider my alternatives, I managed to get her to send me the lease renewal. But all she was sending was the original PDF scanned original documents and asking me to update it. She did not seem to understand the requirements so eventually I got Vijay the broker to sort it finally. And with one day to spare before the technical expiry of the previous lease I was signed up. Bit a of a relief if I am honest. We have agreed to a two month notice clause at any time though for both of us to have additional flexibility. Just in case.

My contract sees me here until the end of next year, and if I see it through would mean a full three years here. As mentioned earlier, I am completely at home here now, and well used to the lifestyle and way of managing Indian life. So, to do another year from a living perspective would be no hardship or challenge. But I cannot afford to end my three years here without a job to go to following, and I will not stay here beyond the three-year term. So as we enter the coming year, I will start being more proactive about considerations of next steps and will start engaging accordingly to plan for such. Although there is a direction of travel right now which could see changes occurring sooner, and this is something that should resolve one way or the other soon. While the end of this year does feel very much like the conclusion of another chapter it also has the potential to be a bit of a crossroads. But a good crossroads either way. Let’s see how things play out.