‘Bharat not a…’: MapMyIndia lauds Sridhar Vembu’s call to Indians to return from US

Sridhar Vembu, Zoho founder, issued a clarion call to Indians residing and working in the US to return home. He had one reason: The country needs its talent. The post has since divided the desi internet, with people picking sides and stating their reasons. 

MapMyIndia too joined the conversation with an anecdote about its founders Rajesh Verma and Rashmi Verma.

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“In 1990, our co-founders Rakesh Verma & Rashmi Verma were Green Card holders who decided not to take US citizenship. They came home and built MapMyIndia – India’s leading Maps, Navigation & IoT company, now going global with 1,400 employees across the country. Bharat is not a backup plan. It is THE plan,” it said. 

It said that India has a place for everyone who wishes to build something or simply wants to be near their families. 

As with Vembu’s post, netizens were divided here too. A user said if Rakesh and Rashmi Verma had decided to stay back in the US, they would have made a navigation app much bigger than MapMyIndia. Some agreed with the post and said whatever we need to make, we should do so in India. Many also lauded them for sophisticating the app from the initial iterations. 

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In his post, Vembu had said India’s global standing would depend on its own economic and technological rise, arguing that respect, prosperity, and security flow from national capability. “As difficult as it is for many of you to contemplate this, please come back home. Bharat Mata needs your talent. Our vast youthful population needs the technology leadership you gained over the years to guide them towards prosperity,” he said.

Many entrepreneurs and founders had argued against Vembu, and said India needs structural and infrastructural reforms before it makes the next leap. Many had supported Vembu too but added that the Indian civil system needs an overhaul. 

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