2 Years After Moving Back: Anish & Swati's Honest Update on Life in Pune
Anish and Swati return for a 2-year update after moving from Bay Area to Pune. They share honest insights about serious health challenges that reinforced their decision, their daughter flourishing in India, navigating work culture differences, and the unexpected challenges of co-parenting with extended family.
Key Takeaways
- Family health emergencies validated their decision to be physically present in India
- Their daughter is flourishing socially and personally in India's environment
- Indian insurance is more limited than US coverage for preventive care
- Co-parenting with extended family means losing some parenting autonomy
- Hybrid work culture in IT companies works well for parents with young kids
Two Years Later—Was It Worth It? Anish and Swati moved from Bay Area to Pune over two years ago. Now they're back to share an honest update: serious family health challenges, their daughter thriving, work culture surprises, and the unexpected trade-offs of raising a child with extended family involvement.
Family Health Challenges That Reinforced Their Decision
In the past two years, Anish and Swati's family faced serious health issues and multiple hospitalizations. While these were stressful experiences, they ultimately reinforced their decision to return to India.
Being physically present during medical emergencies gave them a sense of fulfillment they wouldn't have had from abroad. The thought of not being in India during these health crises was scary—being present gave them comfort and satisfaction that they made the right choice.
Their Daughter: The Biggest Beneficiary
Their daughter has been the biggest beneficiary of the move. She is flourishing in India—she's a social person who loves company and needs people around her. The family can see her thriving in different areas of her personality.
She started school in Pune at a no-bag school with a different approach than traditional schools. She's adapted well to the environment and is loving her life in India.
Healthcare: India vs US Comparison
Hospital Quality
Pune has very good hospitals with doctors at par with those in the US. Treatment quality has been satisfactory for their family's various health issues.
Hygiene Standards
US hospitals are probably better in terms of cleanliness due to operational standards.
Insurance Coverage
US insurance was more comprehensive—covering annual checkups, blood tests, preventive care, dental, and vision.
Indian insurance is more limited—doesn't cover many pre-existing conditions, limited preventive care, and limited dental/vision coverage.
Work Culture in India
Hybrid Work
Many IT companies offer hybrid culture, which works well for parents with kids. Anish works with a startup, and Swati has been working from home for 2.5 years—ideal while their daughter is young.
Job Market
There's some slowdown with companies not proactively hiring, but good networks and connections still work well. Startups offer the biggest opportunity to learn and grow.
Compensation
Companies offer decent hikes (upwards of 10%), bonuses, sign-on bonuses, and some manufacturing companies offer Diwali bonuses.
Commute
People who need to go to the office daily face logistic challenges—traveling can take 30+ minutes one way even in Pune.
The Parenting Trade-off: Co-parenting with the Village
One of the biggest challenges is losing autonomy in parenting. Their parenting style gets diluted when the entire extended family is involved.
The trade-off: While they can leave their child with almost any relative or friend (which gives them freedom), it comes at the cost of their parenting skills and styles getting diluted.
This could be a showstopper for someone who values complete autonomy in parenting decisions. They acknowledge this is a subtle but very valid point that needs to be discussed before making the move.
Final Verdict: Do They Regret It?
No, they definitely don't regret their decision. After 2.5 years, they feel they made the right decision at the right time.
Their assumptions have been validated—India has given them more opportunities to expand their passions and hobbies (Anish's Indian classical music/sitar, Swati's sustainable living).
The health issues in their family reinforced their decision, as being present for family during medical emergencies gave them satisfaction and fulfillment. They emphasize their experience is very personal and cannot prescribe generic advice to others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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Social Life: Unexpected Challenges
They get swamped with social events, all revolving around food (especially sweets and carbs). This made it difficult to maintain the workout routine and healthy eating habits they had in the US.
Life in India is very busy, making it easy to postpone calls with friends from the US. They now understand why people in India found it hard to stay in touch when they were abroad—proximity matters.
They had to learn to put events on the calendar and convince themselves it's okay to miss certain gatherings. The approach depends on personality—extroverts gain energy from these engagements while introverts need more alone time.