Call it effect of globalization or a by-product of outsourcing, Hyderabad has truly turned global. More and more people from everywhere as far as Brazil are calling Hyderabad Home. The growing size of American expats in the city is an evidence to a new breed of Hyderabadis.
"As an outsider who has come to work in Hyderabad I must say that this is a very accepting place much more than several cities I have been to" - Cohen
One such expat is Ed Cohen, His story really stands out. A headhunter contacted him two years ago, offering a job without giving too many specifics. As the negotiations became more serious, the recruiter dropped the bomb: The job was in India. "Indiana? No way, Indiana's too cold."Two years later, Cohen finds himself in much hotter place, literally and figuratively. He's now a senior vice president at Satyam who will head the Satyam School of Leadership expected to come up by mid-2007. After an eight-year stint as the chief learning officer at an American company, Cohen has joined Satyam on the mission to train trainers.
His wife, Priscilla, 58, is also working as an executive at Satyam. His 16-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, is thriving at the international school in Hyderabad where the education he says is "fantastic, exceptional". She struggled at first due to the higher workload over here. "Jasper, he absolutely loves everything about India and adapted first and sits like a prince in the front seat of our car." Says Cohen about his dog.
Cohen's social life is literally rocking! Soon after they landed here "everybody was reaching out and our social life which was virtually non-existent in the US came to life here. Now, that might sound all sweet and nice -- and but Cohen insists that he is truly loving his time in India -- but it's hard to even begin describing the differences between northern Virginia and Hyderabad. The cultural differences surrounding religion, food, clothing and so on, None of it seems to faze Cohen, who plans to live here until his daughter graduates high school when the family will return so she can attend college in the States.
During Times of India's Hyderabad 2020 conference in April last year he said "As an outsider who has come to work in Hyderabad I must say that this is a very accepting place much more than several cities I have been to". He also adds "If Non Indians are allowed to invest in India, I would buy Land and stocks in India"
"Hyderabad is one of the safest places to live in the world," says Cohen, in a statement that speaks volumes about the nature of the Indian people, considering the crushing poverty that dominates the country. "I can leave my house unlocked and I feel safe. I feel comfortable with my 16-year-old going out and not worried she'll be exposed to bad influences."
Cohen has an interesting blog which captures the growth of the Satyam School of Leadership. Also gives interesting insights into a senior level expatriate settling into a role in an Indian company and his family lifestyle in Hyderabad.
While Cohen and his family are some of the few Caucasian expats you'll see in Hyderabad, many NRI's are taking that flight back to rediscover thier roots in Hyderabad. Hari Thalapalii, director and senior VP of human resources at Satyam, says the idea of moving to India for work and life is no longer a crazy idea for U.S. residents. "Five years ago, if you asked me whether you could get someone to come work here, I would have said no," said Thalapalii. "Today, I'd say yes."
Now there is The Twin-cities Expatriates Association which was formed in 2003, to provide a contact point, a support network, an information service and an opportunity for expatriates and their families living in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad to meet and get to know each other socially. It is a non-profit registered Association run by a committee of resident expatriates.
Credits: Ed Cohen's Blog, SFgate, The Hindu, The Times of India
