2. Do you plan to return to India to settle down?
No, but I would like to live in scotland....

3. What do you like most about being abroad?
Todas las cosas!!! everything.

4. What do like least about being abroad?
The fact that NRI parents are much more stricter than indian ones...

5. Would you be concerned about raising your family outside India?
Not really, it doesnt matter where you raise your kids as long as you know how and feel confident enough to instill our cultural values in them.

6. What are your thoughts about marrying outside your immediate community, someone who speaks a different language or practices a different religion?
Hell no!

7. What would be the first thing you would do if you became the Prime Minister of India?
Have you guys ever watched Mudalvan? Well... cut down on crime rates, bribery, boot criminals outta office(can we say Jayalalitha?!!), make sure taxes are paid, work on unemployment rates, health education, EDUCATION for everyone...if Kerala can do it, I'm sure we can all learn to do it! but it's also AIDS eradication and health. If you've got healthy people, you've got workers, you've got GNP, you've got a COUNTRY! but since I'm not really into politics and all that, forget it!

8. What do you think are India's greatest strengths?(max 3)
The women (trust me, i'm not a feminist)...ever watched the miss world/universe pageants? and ofcourse, the SCIENTISTS...you can take away money, you can take away food and all that stuff but education and pure genius can never be striped away from us....all Indians are smart, they just dont know how to use it in the right way

9. What do you think are the biggest problems facing India? (max 3)
Again
Healthcare, poverty, politicians...lets have a communist country! that'd be so awesome. Puritanically communist...to the core!

10. Do you think that a presidential form of government would better serve the needs of India's democracy?
Naah, go communist, fair chance for everyone

11. For whom do you have the highest regard amongst living Indians?
The scientists and the women

12. Do you think that the national obsession with Cricket has helped or has it hurt India as a sporting nation?
Don't know...but i hear good and bad things about it. but i like cricket!

13. What do you think are India's greatest achievements since Independence? (max 3)?
We started going the right way and then we got lost but the computer generation is not hurting India...so, i dont know

14. What is your favourite pastime?
Of India? the temples! they were absolutely gorgeous

15. What is your happiest memory?
Being hyper and doing crazy things

16. What's your most memorable journey?
The time I travelled from Madras-Bombay-NYC: missed the delhi connecting flight at bombay, got stuck in bombay on christmas day, wasn't present for my welcome-home Jaishree party, on top of that I got to share a room with a total stranger...not to mention at the age of 12 (grrrrrr, stupid AIR INDIA)

17. What is your ultimate food dish?
Oh dont go there...too much to choose from.

18. What are your favourite movies? (max 3)
Alaipayuthey, Dum dum dum, and Cinderella (pretty much most disney movies and anything with madhavan in it is fair game).

19. What are your favourite books (please list authors as well)? (max 3)
1) Jane Eyre-Charlotte Bronte
2) David Copperfield- Charles Dickens
3) The Harry Potter Series- RK Rowling(i think)

20. A message from you to other NRIs
Live it up while you're here! eat Sushi!

- Jaishree Manohar, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

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The views of this column are the author's own, and do not necessarily represent the views of NRI Online.