The biggest shock for returning NRIs isn’t the garbage, or the mosquitoes, or the traffic.

It’s the realization that you can’t just plug back into your old life. It’s tough to build social networks when you are no longer a college student. “Delhi’s social circles are clique-ish” says Raju Narisetti, editor of The Mint. “It’s about who you know. And you can be an outsider forever.”