Wanted to share my trauma when I was living in India. I didn't have a great childhood at all. I grew up dirt-poor, we had constant fights with neighbors and relatives, didn't have close friends growing up. I went to the USA for my Master's in August last year and it's been great so far.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't miss home or my parents or anything. Was lucky to get an internship and I'm doing a couple of really cool projects for my university. Will be graduating in May 2025 and will look for full-time roles.

However, I just don't want to go back to India because of all the trauma that may come back to me. It's a little too much to handle. I'm usually a strong person but the trauma around people of higher status (my relatives and neighbors) abusing their power over lower-status people (me) is a little too much to handle. I'm not sure how things will change during Trump's administration for legal immigrants, but I really don't want to go back. My relationship with my parents also has deteriorated over the last year and half. I just don't feel connected to them anymore. However, I want to make them proud of me. It's super complicated and I'm not sure if I'll ever go back to being normal.

That's my trauma about India I wanted to share. Please let me know if there are any coping techniques. Thanks!

In India, many government jobs come with reservation quotas that go up to 60%. While the intention behind reservations is to address historical injustices and provide opportunities to marginalized communities, the implementation often results in deserving candidates being left out. This, in turn, allows some undeserving individuals to secure key positions, leading to inefficiency in governance and instances of corruption, like the misuse of funds or power for personal or political gain (chanda collection being one example).

However, reservations are just one part of the problem. At its core, our outdated education system is failing us. By the time most students graduate, their knowledge and skills are obsolete for the current economy. A transformative Education for All movement is urgently needed. Every child must have access to quality education, and to ensure accountability, government officials and bureaucrats should be required to enroll their children in government-run schools. This will naturally create a push for reforms and higher standards in public education.

But systemic reform alone isn't enough. A larger challenge lies in our collective mindset. As a society, we often exhibit a crab mentality—holding each other back instead of lifting each other up. Many business owners prioritize short-term profits over long-term ethical practices, creating a domino effect where entire industries are forced into illegality to stay competitive. Similarly, some employees focus on giving the least effort possible while expecting maximum pay, fostering inefficiency.

The government, as a reflection of society, inherits these dysfunctions. Corruption, inefficiency, and populism dominate policy-making. For instance, while over 70% of India's population is still considered poor or low-income, a small fraction of taxpayers (about 2-3% of the population) is expected to shoulder the burden of funding not just the nation but also corrupt officials and politically motivated freebies distributed before elections.

My two cents? The path forward requires a dual approach:

1. Systemic reforms—Starting with education, healthcare, and public accountability mechanisms. Reservations should be reviewed and refined to focus more on uplifting the economically disadvantaged rather than solely on caste or community.

2. Mindset shift—As individuals, we need to take responsibility for our actions. Ethical business practices, fair contributions as employees, and rejecting short-term populist schemes as voters can collectively create a culture of accountability and progress.

India has immense potential, but without introspection and action, we risk remaining stuck in cycles of inefficiency and inequality. Change begins with each of us.

After demanding 14 hours a day and 7 days a week work culture as weekend is a foreign concept to reaching a point where demanding to work without pay for a year for COS and now firing ppl who submitted as stressed in an internal survey(which is ethically supposed yo be anonymous) Indian work culture is more toxic and cancerous. Its spreading from corporates to startups, creating workplace autocracy- lay low and work

A Grade C - cook/ halwai in GoI has to only work for 48 hours a week and has one day work 2 day off, rotational shift getting Basic pay and allowances to upto 80k a month. Qualification- matriculation

So the same GoI collecting our taxes, sucking us dry like a vampire n making themselves and Corporate gods immortal, we are just fodder to their egomaniacs.

If we stop paying taxes like India did in our fight for independence to free ourselves from the clutches of slavery, what should v do now- slavery is the same.? Trials and tribulations- same. Justice - same. Corporate accountability- zero

Isn’t it a tyranny? Are we disposable like tissue? What are the chances the next org wont be the same?

TLDR :

me: give me card "A" pls.

SBI: hold on.

me: now?

SBI: ....

me: now?

SBI: here's card "B"

me: RBI knock knock. 7k pls.

SBI: sorry uwu

RBI: 7k + 30% tax = 10k. Gavel bang.

https://cms.rbi.org.in

Bajaj, Airtel, Navi, JioFin etc all are regulated entities under RBI ombudsman scheme.

I had a debit card issued to me which i liked because of its zero cost and the metro functionality (NCMC) but it got lost. So I tried reapplying on the web, the app, and customer care all of which the god-like "system" rejected with error 'card already issued to the customer'.

So I visited the branch, submitted the form, and mentioned the card that I want. I heard nothing for days and weeks. Meanwhile, I visited the branch, mailed the manager, and raised a complaint too. They assured me that it will be solved soon and closed the complaint.

After a month or so I mailed the manager again and without any email reply, I got an SMS the next day that a card has been issued. Except when I asked customer care it was a different variant which costs more and doesn't have the metro feature.

Frustrated, I closed the account in person.. which isn't pleasant coz I had to go home to bring back the passbook and stand in a queue to get my balance back (should have transferred it beforehand via UPI lol) and filed an ombudsman complaint. Asked for 500 commute cost and 6500 compensation for the trouble.

Next week I got calls requesting me to withdraw it, how there was no mal-intent, how one mistake shouldn't cost the poor employees money out of pocket and how the "system" doesn't allow same debit card re-issuance for 20 days( Even though my card was issued 30 days later.), how they wanted to help me with a card as soon as possible and acknowledged that miscommunication happened.

After much deliberation on whether it was justified, whether I am the bad actor here, whether I should let it go I did not withdraw it and let the ombudsman decide whether it was a substantial complaint.

I got 10k instead of 7k. 3k will go to taxes though.

meanwhile I had opened an account in a different SBI branch, got the same card variant issued, and used it heavily in Delhi & Bengaluru metro where internet doesn't work underground or the queue is too long or even the whatsapp/ app booking is cumbersome compared to the NCMC card tap.

I have recently given Mba entrance for one of the NMIMS, for which my score is not sufficient for mumbai but it is good enough to get admission into NMIMS Banglore. I have been working for 3 years in a job while preparing I have given yhe exam 3 times before out of which 2 times I got selected for banglore but I wanted to try for Mumbai but I have figured out that they I am just unable to do it and I should settle for it. But parents want me to continue with job only my mother is creating unnecessary pressure for Job only, it is not that they cannot afford my tuition fees and all it is just they want me to work but I want to do an MBA now as I am already 22 and want to start my business by 27-28 anyhow and only after MBA I could have salary enough to go accumulate capital enough for a business

The reason they are giving is "Karna tha toh pehle kyu nahi kiya", I had clearly told them ki this year I will settle down with whatever comes. I am feeling like I don't this much money to pay my fees or I would have done it nor will they let me have any collateral for an education loan it feels like I am stuck and powerless

I was reading this book and came across this particular portion, which I thought was worth reposting, especially as since 2020, our country has been at the brink of war with our neighbour to the north. History teaches us hard lessons, and those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. 

Bajpai, K. (2021). Perimeters: From cooperation to conflict. In India versus China: Why they are not friends (pp. 82–85). Juggernaut

Despite the failures of the 1960 summit and the officials' discussions, the two sides held 'unofficial talks' in Beijing in July 1961 (talks that have largely been forgotten). At the talks, the Chinese argued: 'one cannot get tangled up in the details. The relationship between our two countries is too important; we should view from a greater distance, from an elevated height, considering the big picture, and seek resolution.' The Indians agreed saying the 'two sides have sharp differences . . . one method is to place the [officials'] reports to one side and ignore them, while both sides proceed from a political angle to reconsider [the issues].'

Significantly, the Indian team added: 'But the difficulty lies in swaying popular opinion.' That both countries should be mindful of the strategic-diplomatic 'big picture' had been expressed by the Chinese before. In 1954, in a meeting with Nehru, Mao had said, 'We are a new country. Although we ar counted as a large country, our strength is weak. Confronting us is a larger power America . . . therefore we need friends. PM Nehru can feel this. I think India also needs friends.' In a démarche to India in May 1959 over its supposed role in the Tibet uprising (a démarche that was written by Mao personally), the Chinese had urged India to recognise the strategic challenges facing both countries:

The enemy of the Chinese people lies in the East . . . India is not an opponent but a friend of our country . . . China will not be so foolish to antagonise the US in the East and again to antagonise India in the West. Our Indian friends! What is your mind? Will you be agreeing to our thinking regarding the view that China can only concentrate its main attention eastwards of China but not South-West-ward of China . . . Friends! It seems to us that you too cannot have two fronts . . . Will you please think it over?

In 1959 and then again in 1961, India failed to be persuaded by the strategic argument that China advanced.

Why so? Indian officials in Beijing had hinted at one difficulty: popular opinion at home. Also, as we will see in the next chapter, by 1955-56, Delhi was more comfortable diplomatically with both Moscow and Washington and had concluded that the balance of power internationally favoured it in the emerging rivalry with Beijing. This too, probably, caused India to be cool to the Chinese idea of strategic necessity. Finally, as in 1947-48 on Kashmir, India felt confident - at least by 1960 - that its legal position was strong, indeed unassailable. It should have learned from its experience in the UN - that legalism only went so far and that ultimately the big powers operated on the basis of hard strategic calculations. The apparently unassailable Indian case on Kashmir had failed to persuade the international community to support India against Pakistan. Yet Delhi persisted with its historical-legalistic stance with Beijing. Perhaps this was because Nehru himself was a lawyer, and right through the nationalist struggle the Congress party had used legal-constitutional arguments against British rule even when it relied on Gandhi fasting and mass protests. By contrast, Mao was a strategist, and during the civil war and war with Japan he had constantly made hard choices in the fight against the Kuomintang and the Japanese. For him bargains and compromise more than forensic battles and argumentation were determinative.

After the Beijing 1961 meeting, as tensions boiled up along the border, both sides made a series of last-ditch offers and counter-offers. In June 1962, Delhi proposed to send a ministerial-level delegation to discuss all issues without preconditions (a significant change in its approach). In July 1962, it suggested that once tensions eased the two sides should hold discussions on the 1960-61 Officials' Reports. China rejected both initiatives - Foreign Minister Chen Yi saying that India should 'unequivocally and publicly' withdraw what he called 'all fictitious and false claims on Chinese territory' and that China could not be expected to withdraw from its own territories as a way of reducing tensions.

On 13 September, China responded with a three-point proposal which included the offer of talks on the 1960 Officials' Report. India accepted on the condition that Chinese forces withdrew from incursions in the western sector. On 3 October, Beijing suggested talks on the entire border be held on 15 October. India accepted on 6 October, again on condition that Chinese intrusions, this time at the McMahon Line, were ended. Clearly, the two sides were quite far apart: India by and large insisting on Chinese withdrawals as a precondition to talks and China insisting on unconditional talks. On the very day that India conditionally accepted China's final invitation, Mao made the decision to go to war. Two weeks later, on 20 October, Chinese forces attacked.

I’m 19, and I’ve always loved my dad. He’s never been toxic—not once has he scolded or hit me, never asked about my results, or pressured me about my career. But somewhere along the way, things changed.

When I was younger, we talked a lot—every day, without fail. We’d play chess or Ludo for hours, and no day would pass without us spending time together. But I started feeling this distance when I went to boarding school in 6th grade. Now, we only talk once or twice a day, and it’s always about something practical or work-related.

It’s not that he’s distant because he’s harsh—he’s not strict at all. I see my friends share dad-related jokes or stories, but I can’t relate to any of them. Yet, this unspoken gap between us makes me feel uneasy. Is this just how father-son relationships evolve as you grow up, or am I overreacting? Is there something I might be missing

Saw a friend clicking pictures sitting on his father lap at restaurant, and it made me wonder—will I ever have moments like that ? We don’t spend time in the same room, and I can’t even remember the last time we made eye contact while talking.

Today my dad got scammed he got a call from a scammer who impersonated as one of his friend and told him that it's his another no. And he needs money because his daughter is admited in apollo hospital he said he will transfer him 15k and there is some issue with his transaction with the hospital so he will pay 15k and my dad has to pay given 15k to the hospital no. My dad thought that he really needs help so he agreed and he got a message from the SCAMMERS NO. about 15k has been credited and there was nothing wrote about the available balance. My dad just saw the received amount and transfered the amount on the no. he gave to him. Later my dad called him again after some time and said that he hasn't received the amount so the scammer said that he will send him a ID which was infact a transaction ID...my dad has to insert it in his upi account and after that he will receive 15k he AGAIN he believed it and did what he said and my dad lost another 15k so total 30k...if this had happened in front of me I would've asked him to recheck it by calling his friends original no. But he did this late and realized he's been scammed..he filed a complaint in police station informed his bank and also reported in cyber crime. But I don't think they will do anything the police said he also once has been scammed for 1 lakh and he wasn't able to do anything bcoz the scammer wasn't from the same state..

I know that people get scammed for lakhs and crores infront of that this isn't big amount but when you belong to a middle class family even 5k looks big so 30k is a big loss for us..he is really worried and I feel really helpless..

My grandparents were from agriculture background , "but " rest of his siblings settled down in well paying jobs in Govt administrative jobs. So, we are kind of all over and generally well to do families.

Of all, I was very proud of my grandpa. Besides taking responsibilities of educating his siblings, he also taught the villagers to read and write. Fought for women reproductive rights, farmers rights for price control , unfair canal water to farmers of Telangana (Govt abuse of water distribution which caused many farmers of Telangana to go into poverty and he won the case) . I can go on. He passed away a decade ago and I still feel proud of him.

Because of my grandpa, I learned about farmers in general. Their knowledge on pesticides, farming technologies , nature, soil,animals and water is far better than a mediocre degree holder in Engineering in their field.

When it comes to knowledge , even illiterate farmers have an upper hand in their field of work.

I find ignorance of those who believe in pseudo science is more abysmal because of their lack of interest/curiosity/ hunger for "truth" even though they have powerful tools to learn. At the comparison level, their performance is laughable.

My peer group is upper middle class to filthy rich. I am sick of their out-of-touch realities , arrogance and judgments. They are literally page 3 gossip guys with no "class" . Their comments go like " They are yek dham pakka village, we can't mix with them (talking about an alliance who happened to be farmers from educated family), their dress choices are cheap......bluh,bluh........., their lands have appreciated and they started buying good homes...............

These conversations make me very uncomfortable and out of place(now a days ,we are having online hangouts with my friends in India) I have been living in USA for 25 years, and honestly, this is something I have never heard among other ethnics.

The amount of prejudice against farmers is really profound in our country , even thought they are actually the ones carrying the burden of feeding a billion . How can this is possible if they are dumb. Just give it a thought before you say something stupid.

https://preview.redd.it/s8m98zjust5e1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c8e51e342c5ababb1650bf82c44d6c639166b86

The article being posted and circulated by right-wingers is 9 years old and is being spread without a full understanding.

Based on the 2015 PEW Report, India's Muslim population is projected to be 311 million in 2050 as compared to a 1.3 billion Hindus [1] and total populationof 1.68 billion. Please note that PEW Research is limited by the fact that India has not conducted a population survey since 2011. Meanwhile, India's TFR (measurerd in hospitals and birth records) has declined more than expected between 2011 and 2024.

Furthermore, North India has a higher population and TFR than South India. North India is also home to a vast majority of Muslims (please refer to the above chart) [2].

Instead of hatred and pushing our brothers into ghettos, we should focus on increasing India's education and healthcare spend for all citizens. We should focus on unity like Singapore, so that stability and economic growth follow [3].

#Spread Awareness

Sources:

1. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/04/21/by-2050-india-to-have-worlds-largest-populations-of-hindus-and-muslims/
2. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/09/21/causes-of-religious-change/
3. How Singapore Built a Stable Society | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwMnLpfSpgw

Coming straight to the point. I am a mobile app developer. I have a full-time remote job. And a gig on Fiverr too. Everything was going fine until a few weeks ago, I didn't have much jobs on Fiverr, I used to work for my job, and then after that, I would work on my freelancing project. 

But now, I have reached a pretty good point on Fiverr (Level 2, with 30+ 5-star reviews), and I am getting offers from very good clients, frequently. I have to reject so many of them just because I don’t have enough time. My plan was always to build a business from freelancing, I was doing job just to cover my bills until I had good reviews on freelancing platforms. So now I should be quitting my job. But I am in a dilemma whether I should do it or not. My job pays good, but not as good as my clients does obviously. But I am just scared, what if I leave my job and my business doesn’t go too well?

On the other hand, I can’t continue the current way, since I am getting overworked, and stressed. It’s been weeks since I had any free time. I have 3 projects which I need to finish, since weeks, but I can't focus properly, my productivity has decreased due to stress. Even to write this post, I had to pause my work.

I can’t continue like this. Please help me decide what should I do.

Hey fellow Redditors!

I'm a 19F student who's been through a tough time. I didn't clear CLAT this year, but I'm determined to clear either CLAT or IPMAT next year. However, my situation is complicated.

I live in an extremely abusive household, and my unemployed father (perfectly fine both physically and mentally) wants me to give up studying and take 12th pass jobs. But I'm hell-bent on pursuing higher education and creating a better life for myself.

I'm looking for advice on non-science courses like Management and Law after 12th, which can help me get loans and scholarships to move out ASAP.

Here are my questions:

1. CLAT vs IPMAT: Which one offers better career prospects?
2. What are some good colleges for IPM and Law that offer loans and scholarships?
3. How can I apply for education loans and scholarships?
4. What are some career options available after completing IPM or Law?

Some background info:

• I've done some research on CLAT and IPMAT, but I'd love to hear from people with firsthand experience.
• I'm interested in Management and Law because they offer diverse career options and relatively better job security. Open to similar career suggestions.

Help a student out!