In a startling decision, five years ago, a young man Sumit Agarwal, in his early 30s, quit his high-paying job in Mumbai and returned to his hometown leaving a lucrative career behind.
Elaborating his experience, Agarwal recently took to social media platform LinkedIn and shared about this life-changing move and how it turned out to be transformative, which was initially full of doubts and uncertainties.
He said: “Even though I am born and brought up in Jamshedpur, I wasn't sure about life in a 'small town' after staying in cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai. "Will I have any social life there?", "What will I do on weekends?", "What kind of work environment will I have?" - I had a lot of apprehensions. But the last 5 years have been transformative. Living in a small town has its own demerits. But the merits far outweigh them (for me). Of course, it depends on individual choices.”
Sumit further highlighted the key 5 factors that worked out for him. They are: “1. I don't have to spend 20-25% of my day in traffic. My office is 14 km away which takes me 15 min to reach. Also, I am not irritated when I reach office (this is super important for me).
2. My monthly expenditure is much lower for almost the same 'quality of life' as that of a larger city.
3. All 'ease of life' facilities are easily available (at lower cost) - food delivery, ecommerce, cabs, events, multiplex, etc.
4. Less crowded outdoors. I didn't feel like going out on weekends in Mumbai dreading the crowd. It's much better here.
5. I am able to give more time to my health and sports.
Five years back I wasn't really sure how life in a small town would turn out. But it isn't that bad after all. Would you move to a tier 2/3 city given a choice?”
Here's how netizens react:
While many people were inspired to re-evaluate their own lives in metro cities and desired to shift back to hometown, some also pointed the drawbacks of leaving in a smaller cities such opportunities and lack of facilities, especially for women.
A user commented: "I would love to move back to my hometown but things that stop me are - healthcare facilities , availability of any kind of transportation at midnight , safety , and most importantly people ! Mumbai is tough and at times harsh , but it keeps me motivated ,inspired , humble and grateful and most importantly grounded !"
Resonating with similar experience, netizen shared: "I moved out from Mumbai City to Valsad (South Gujarat Township) - I can resonate with your thoughts!"
One user commented, “This is so relatable! The peace in smaller towns is unmatched.” Another added, “Moving back to my hometown is something I’ve been considering for years. This just reinforced it.”
Many praised his decision, calling it “inspiring” and "practical".
“Big cities have their own charm, but this makes me think twice,” a user argued favouring big cities lifestyle and culture.