Original interview published in Rashtriya Sahara (New Delhi Edition) — 21 January 2004 — featuring Anil Mahajane's views on the growing trend of foreign professionals seeking employment opportunities in India.
Publication Details
Hindi Mainstream Media and the Reverse Migration Story
Rashtriya Sahara was one of India's most widely read Hindi-language national dailies. Its decision to feature Anil Mahajane's interview in January 2004 was significant — it brought the emerging story of reverse migration to an audience far beyond the English-language business press, reaching readers across Delhi NCR and northern India who had not previously encountered this perspective.
The headline — अब विलायती कमाने आ रहे हैं भारत — captures both the novelty and the cultural weight of the trend. "Vilayati" in Hindi colloquially refers to foreigners or things of foreign origin, carrying the implication that those who once only left India were now choosing to come here to earn and build careers.
A Turning Point in India's Talent Economy
For decades, India's most talented engineers, scientists and technology professionals had pursued career opportunities abroad. However, by the early 2000s, the direction of global talent movement was beginning to change.
Rapid growth in India's information technology sector, increasing multinational investment and expanding business opportunities were attracting experienced professionals from the United States, the United Kingdom and other developed economies. In this interview, Anil Mahajane explained how India was gradually evolving into an attractive destination for global professionals — a country offering meaningful leadership opportunities, technological innovation and long-term career growth.
The interview captured one of the earliest mainstream discussions on what is now widely recognised as reverse migration and global talent mobility.
Rashtriya Sahara, New Delhi Edition — 21 January 2004What Anil Mahajane Observed
Documented in 2004 — Validated Over Two Decades
When this interview appeared in January 2004, the dominant narrative was that talented Indian professionals were leaving the country in search of better opportunities overseas. Anil Mahajane identified a different trend that was only beginning to emerge — and brought it to the readers of one of India's largest Hindi dailies.
He recognised that India's rapidly expanding technology sector, multinational investment and improving business environment would increasingly attract experienced professionals from developed economies. His observations anticipated India's evolution into a preferred destination for global executive talent.
Over the next two decades, this prediction proved remarkably accurate. India became one of the world's leading destinations for GCCs, engineering services, research and development, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and multinational leadership operations. This interview stands as an important historical record of India's transition from a country known primarily for exporting talent to one recognised as a global destination for leadership, innovation and international careers.