Life in India seems more vibrant than in the United States, says startup founder Astha Chaturvedi.
Astha Chaturvedi, 38, a startup founder, moved to Bengaluru with her family, including a child and a pet, leaving San Francisco behind, and now she feels she did the right thing.
In an interview with Business Insider, Chaturvedi said the decision to return to India came suddenly when she traveled to India in 2024 to hire a CTO for her startup. She and her husband had been living in the US for 15 years, had property and were what people call “settled” in the US.Chaturvedi said that when she traveled to India to start her startup, she experienced the startup culture in Bengaluru, which made her think about whether she should open her office in India.
“We had spent about 15 years building our lives in the United States, but there was still no clear path to continuity,” she said. “My husband and I were waiting for green cards, and the backlog of applications felt endless. His place in line dates back to 2015, while mine was from 2020.”Chaturvedi had an H-1B visa but changed it to an H-4 visa because she wanted to launch her own company.Before moving to India, she was apprehensive about the work culture in India but gradually realized that she would be in control as a boss.
She described how they moved from San Francisco to Bengaluru between February and April this year, and now own a $1 million apartment in Bengaluru.“It’s hard to compare the cost of living. India is not cheap if you want an upscale lifestyle. In fact, high-end goods like furniture and electronics can be more expensive than in the US. But healthcare and home help are much cheaper, so I found it balanced out. Bengaluru is an expensive city, but that’s because we budget for an upscale lifestyle,” Chaturvedi described.“Bengaluru’s traffic is annoying, so we chose to hire a full-time driver to get around. What I don’t miss is household chores. Bottom line: We make up for the chaos by investing in support systems,” she said.Chaturvedi said that as her daughter settled into her new school, their pet began to adapt to India, and they believe they made the right choice by returning to India. “Culturally, I don’t feel there is a gap at all. India seems more vibrant than the United States,” she said.