Stories
Entrepreneur's Viral Post Explains Why He Chose to Stay in India
- •Entrepreneur R Subash shared a viral post on X explaining his 17-year journey of staying in India despite having early opportunities to migrate abroad, including admission offers from NUS and NTU.
- •Subash faced significant regulatory hurdles while running his business in a heavily regulated industry, admitting there were times he questioned his decision to stay.
- •He emphasized that his deep connection to India goes beyond material comforts, citing cultural ties, spiritual fulfilment, and a unique sense of belonging.
- •Highlighting India's economic and infrastructural evolution since the 1960s and 1970s, he acknowledged the country's progress while admitting it still lags in civic infrastructure and public services.
- •Subash concluded that a nation cannot be measured solely by roads and paycheques, asserting that he prefers the soul and belonging of his homeland over a soulless system abroad.
Key Questions Answered
After taking the SAT in 2003 and securing offers from institutions like NUS and NTU, Subash chose to study mechanical engineering at CEG in Tamil Nadu. Later, instead of taking the GRE to go abroad, he took the CAT exam, stayed in India, and spent 17 years running a business in a heavily regulated industry.
Subash noted that regulators nearly destroyed his venture three times through actions like closing down MSE, arbitrarily slashing commissions, increasing net-worth requirements, and questioning the overall viability of his business.
Subash highlighted India's journey from a Fabian socialist model and high taxes to a mixed economy with lower peak tax rates, cheaper mobile data, better consumer goods accessibility, and improved expressways. However, he acknowledged that the nation still lags behind in civic infrastructure, urban planning, and public services.
