Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

At home

Photo: A. Roy Chowdhury

Go ethnic Women check out trinkets at General Bazaar, Secunderabad

Go to any grocery store or high-end bookshop in Hyderabad, and you are sure to come across foreigners , family in tow, happily shopping, at home in their surroundings. Several thousands of expatriates and their families have experienced India up close and personal. Helping them integrate into India are a growing number of relocation experts. The relocation business has now developed as an integrated service industry offering a complete range of services to meet the needs that accompany international moves. The services include immigration, cross-cultural training, schooling, housing, city orientation and quite literally help them to set up their homes.

Shalini Jairath, of IOS Relocations believes the challenge is to turn the trauma of relocation into a comfortable and seamless process of settling into the country. Fortunately, there is an active expat association here, the TEA, which helps them to share experiences with persons from similar backgrounds. That a relocation consultant’s job does not end with just finding a home and school for the expat family is confirmed when she reveals, “Our clients have called us in the middle of the night asking for help in medical emergencies and we are there to help.”

A group of expats recently asked their relocation consultant where the elephants and snake charmers were and wanted pictures to send back home. The elephants were easy to find in the zoo but a session with a snake charmer from a nearby village had to be arranged.

The process of relocating the expats is one of constant learning. One consultant reveals, “I had my bad moments when an expat kept talking about where and how he would plan his vacation when his partner arrived. I too kept giving my suggestions and finally asked him when she was coming in. I realised my folly when he looked at me incredulously and exclaimed, ‘who is she?’ The partner turned out to be a he.

Harveer Singh Chadha of Santa Fe India - IKAN Relocation Services, believes the relocation industry in India is set up for a major increase in number of movementsAbout expat concerns, he says a recent client was concerned about the quality of education for his children and recreational facilities for his family, general acceptance in the community for a foreigner and his spouse being involved in some work related activity. A school visit was scheduled and a meeting set up with the principal and counsellors. The expat family was provided an entire tour of the school. The family was then taken to visit shopping malls, children’s parks and clubs. Harveer adds, “We also had them meet another expat family with children and they made friends. The spouse was introduced to a group called Strategic Links that supports expat spouses to find a job in India.

Global Adjustments’ COO, Rajeshwar Balasundaram, says, “All our customers are given a customer helpline number they can use throughout their stay in India in order to get in touch with us for any problem they face in their daily lives. For many of them, it is their first trip outside their home country. They need to be guided during the first few weeks to cushion their culture shock. This is where our cross-cultural services help. Special events are held where cultural capsules are presented in an easy-to-understand format. In fact, we have mapped the typical expat life cycle in India to the rasas (emotions) that we use in Indian fine arts.

He sums it up when he says, “We welcome a customer as a guest and bid farewell to him as a friend.”

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail