A Reddit post titled “Finally decided to leave India” sparked a heated debate on social media after a 27-year-old software engineer from Delhi shared why he decided to move abroad, not for money, but for what he calls the “basic dignity of life”.
The Reddit the user, who says he works at FAANG and graduated from a top-tier engineering college, described how repeated encounters with India’s bureaucracy, poor infrastructure and lack of accountability “broke his love” for the country he once wanted to serve.
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“I wanted to do good for my country, but I quit”
In a post shared on the r/delhi subreddit, the engineer wrote that he had always resisted the idea of moving abroad — until a recent personal experience made him feel powerless against the system.
“I had to face the state and it made me realize the terrible state of our bureaucracy and judiciary,” he wrote. “An honest, tax-paying individual will always face injustice because someone with a pen and authority can destroy you without any consequences.”
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The post continues: “For clean air we need purifiers. For clean water we buy tankers. There is no proper police for security. Even basic drainage fails every monsoon. This is life in one of Delhi’s posh colonies.”
He adds that the final straw was the constant fear of harassment, even for those who play by the rules.
“Someone can file an FIR or wrongfully file a case against you just to threaten or extract money. They know it can damage your career, so you will cooperate and pay.”
“I didn’t study that hard for that”
The post struck a chord with many young online professionals, especially those from India’s middle and upper-middle class — people who are educated, employed, and yet feel let down by the system.
“I have one life… I can’t live in fear anymore,” the Redditor wrote. “It’s better to live in a country where you have at least the basic dignity of life. I didn’t study hard enough to experience that.”
He ended his post on a bittersweet note: “I never thought the day would come when I fell in love with this beautiful country, but I did.”
Resonance and reality check
The post quickly went viral on Reddit.
One user wrote: “Good luck every nation has its own challenges but yes you are 100% right we all have one life make the most of it and do what you feel is right.”
Another added: “You won’t regret it, you might miss India at the festival, the food, but you’d still be happy. Just a word of advice, don’t stand too much with your circle of Indian friends, we bring the gossip culture no matter where we go!”
“You made the right decision. If you have no big responsibilities at home and nothing to stop you from moving, then it’s best to move out. You can’t do anything to improve this country because it’s beyond repair,” commented a third user.
Wider wave of migration
The post also reflects a broader trend: India now leads the world in migration.
According to the International Migration Outlook 2023, India was the main source of migrants to OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries in both 2021 and 2022.
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About 2.5 million (25 lakh) Indians migrate overseas every year, the highest annual number of migrants in the world.
where are they moving? For decades, the United States, Great Britain, France, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Canada and Australia have remained the top destinations – for work, education or the search for citizenship.
In 2022 alone, 2,25,620 Indians renounced their citizenship – the highest in 12 years, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. By June 2023, 87,026 Indians had already renounced their citizenship. These individuals have settled in 135 countries, with post-pandemic numbers showing a sharp increase compared to pre-2020 trends.
