Many young couples return to India because of their children, says Nandini Sundar

With India opening up her shores and laying out the red carpet for foreign investors, a lot of young NRIs seem to be coming back home. Is it an inherent need to be back in your own country, close to your roots? Or is it a cultural feeling - wanting your children to grow up amidst the Indian culture with strong family ties?

While many youngsters are still leaving the country for better prospects abroad, we found a few odd balls - young, NRI-returned couples in Bangalore city and decided to find out what really prompted their return, and how they're coping with it all.

Kranti, who has done her masters in computer science and worked in the US for more than 10 years but chose to come back two years ago, says, "We came back because our long term goal had always been to come back and settle in India. We were very happy there but, from the children's point of view, we felt coming back would be better. Also, we wanted to be close to our parents, they are getting old. We can take care of them better if we are here as any city would be just an hour's journey away. " ( Do you think that children growing up abroad lack Indian values? )

Says Padmaja Bobba, a finance consultant, who lived in the US for a decade and a half, "We are here for a short time, and we'll be going back. But I think coming back has been good for the kids, they got to know the family better. Earlier they were like aliens, my son Nihar would greet his grandmother with a 'Hi'. Coming back to India they can understand our culture and values, and this is certainly good for them."