Non Resident Indians (NRIs) may live in the country of their choice but their roots lie here in India. The roots, which pull them back time and again, may be their parents, friends or relatives or simply a longing for Dal roti or Sambhar chawal which just does not taste the same there.
Most NRIs make trips back to India from time to time. It may be several times a year or maybe once in five years. Usually, when they come to India they have long lists of things to do ranging from visiting the old aunt to getting a copy of graduation certificate from the university. Of course they do not even manage to scroll half way down the list. Lack to time and frustration with the dealing of bureaucracy eats into their resolutions.
During the frantic two-three weeks they are here, their appointment dairy is choc-a-bloc with relatives and weddings. What they need is another pair of eyes and legs. In fact another whole person or two will be great.
To address these needs of NRIs, several agencies have sprung up to easy their trip and worries.
Let’s examine some of the common areas of concern that need taking care of
ParentsThe single biggest worry of NRI’s is that their parents are getting older and there is no one in India to take care of them. Older people refuse to move countries where they will be house bound and lonely. So it is left to their NRI kids to worry long distance.
There are agencies like Guardian in Pune, which specifically help parents of NRIs. They offer services right from arranging the parent to be taken to a doctor/hospital when required, to arranging a plumber for a leaky pipe. Satish Desai who has conceptualized and runs Guardian says, “For odd jobs we are there of course but the most important service we provide the parents is companionship and the NRI children is peace of mind”.
There are also senior citizen communes or housing designed specially for senior citizens, which offer 24 medical facilities, to yoga classes to odd jobs man. They provide a safe environment and also the company of peers. Golden Nest in Pune and Athashri in Bangalore are such communes.
PaperworkNeed that birth certificate? - And you may need it attested from the Embassy. Need a work permit arranged? Or some government form couriered to you? Well, friends may try to evade your call but not so with yourmaninindia.com. They will help you tie up those loose ends, which have left you floundering. The TTK group runs this invaluable service though out the country.
Servicesquare.com is also one such service provider who can arrange to collect marriage, educational certificates from the appropriate authority. Babu Vincent of Serivice square says, “We have several corporate and individual clients. Many of our individual clients are NRI, whereas some are extremely busy individuals who may be traveling a lot.”
Property Management ServicesDo you have a property back home, which needs taking care of? You may have a home, which you use only a few days in a year when you are in India. This home obviously needs maintenance around the year. There are specialized service providers who clean your home, keep it rodent free, pay your bills, even stock up the larder. Topsgrup, the security people have a division called Tylormade, which deals which such arrangements.
Homebasedserviceschennai.com also offers property maintenance and care of vacant or rented property but within the geographical location of Chennai
Event arrangements and GiftsWant a party thrown for your parents’ 50th wedding anniversary or want to present your finance with red balloons…no problem it can all be done. Besides the usual event managers, there are some specializing in dealing with NRIs knowing their need to carry the burden of the event to its end. Icareindia.com, nribusinesssolutions.com and yourmaninindia.com are some such organizers. P Sunder, Chief Operating Officer of TTK Services Pvt. Ltd, the company behind yourmaninindia.com says, "We have serviced over 10,000 clients in the last two years with the most unusual of requests".
What will it cost you?The charges differ from company to company, some companies charge you a retainer and then on actuals. Getting a graduation certificate from your university will set you back $100. Certifying it from the embassy will cost you another $100 add to it the courier charges…it will set you back a bit.
Guardian in Pune charges a retainer of $1000 per annum and then charges for the actual services used. For instant, if you ask for a plumber the actual fees of the plumbers services will have to be paid over and above the retainer.
It may sound steep but then it is cheaper than flying down to India every time you need something done.
The author, Shalini Amarnani is a freelancer
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