The NRI Vacation

Recently I came back from my vacation in India and sitting back in my rented apartment in Dubai, I came to a conclusion that I was even more tired and exhausted than the whole year of work put together. We NRI's (at least in Middle East) are given specific period to take break from work, relax and come back refreshed for the next 365 days. If the ‘I’ in the NRI is replaced by any other alphabet or combination of alphabets then the resulting breed would smartly utilize their time for an eventful break. Since I belong to that ‘I’ class, I like every other ‘I’s’ always opt to go to our nativeland year after year, a big mistake if you think you can relax your break period.

I always prepare my mind before every vacation to not repeat the same mistakes I did year after year, but in the end fall to the same trap. Not many would understand this situation unless they have experienced this sort of pressure. I counted the days I’ve been in India and the days I was at home. 25 days went by enjoying my foot firmly pressed to the soil of my homeland, but hardly 4 days passed by enjoying the comfort and warmth of my own house before coming back to the rented house in Dubai. The more time I spend on roads and visits than relaxing at home. The day an NRI sets foot on the home soil, a lot of expectations also set foot on his shoulders. He is expected to meet those expectations rather than the priority of being with his own family. In the end you end up more time on transport buses, trains, taxi’s, autorikshaws or to say more time spend on movable assets than immovable assets.

I know I will repeat the same mistake in spite of writing this blog, but sometimes I feel people do not understand what it takes to get a deserved break. We NRI’s spend majority of our lives in rented apartments, away from our loved ones and away from our motherland. 90% of the time is sacrificed to live the balance 10% in quality. Huge amount of savings are spend to set up a house so that a few days of the year can be spend in it, sometimes even that becomes a distant dream.

People living in India can be so demanding that they expect those coming from abroad to come and visit them, it is a kind of right to their very existence. If the visit is not made, then it becomes a matter or pride and status and I myself make many of those visits not out of a sincere reason, but to seal the revolting mouths. At times I have prayed that if and only if those expecting me to come and visit them would understand me and people like me, our position, our valued time, our intentions, our cravings and our desperations.