Paper short abstract:

This paper focus on the perceptions of the brain-gain and brain-drain processes in India among the return migrants [knowledge workers]. The paper then tries to analyze the self-perception and relate it to the issues of emotional citizenship and engagement.

Paper long abstract:

This paper, based as it is on long conversations with the return migrants [knowledge workers] at a number of industrial hubs in India, will focus on a variety of perceptions on brain gain as well as brain-drain among the knowledge workers themselves. The paper will then analyze this self-perception through focus on the issues of emotional citizenship, sense of belonging and social engagement. The attempt will be to assess the contributions made by the return migrant in the broader context of growth and development in India.

The paper will try to demonstrate that the relation between migration and development follows complex pathways and the end results are often mixed even for the individual cases.This may have to do with the patterns seen in the developmental visions of the return migrants. The paper will try to capture the wide range of impact the return migrants have had on the Indian society, education and economy.