Expatriate Indians who work here for a significant period of their lives need to create an exit plan and stick to it says K.V. Shamsudheen, Chairman of the Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust and Center for advisor with the Information and Guidance of India (CIGI). Shamsudheen is based in the UAE. In an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette, he said that there are approximately three and half million Non Resident Indians (NRI) in the gulf region and the majority of them are from the middle and lower income groups. It is high time that they really focus on saving their earnings in order to spend a peaceful life with their loved ones as early as possible back home. Since Nov. 16 2001, Shamsudheen has been conducting weekly interactive live radio programs at Asianet Radio and occasional programs telecasted from Bahrain and the UAE on savings, investment opportunities, expatriate family problems and general social issues NRIs face. Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust focuses on the welfare of expatriate Indians around the world, especially within the Middle East. Shamsudheen has already conducted more than 200 awareness programs on career development, boosting earning and savings, the concept of micro savings and systematic investment for more than 75,000 people from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, India and Saudi Arabia. According to Shamsudheen, he started his awareness program after witnessing the pitiful condition of NRIs who returned to India without sufficient financial resources. “The day I landed in Sharjah in 1970 I witnessed a picture of two individuals who had been working there since 1955, were returning to Kerala and awaiting financial help to buy a ticket allowing them to go to Mumbai by ship. When I enquired about other people in similar situations, I found that the condition was just as pitiful. That was why I started to raise awareness about financial discipline amongst NRIs in the Gulf,” he explained. He added that his programs seek “to utilize time effectively, sharpen skills and enable better human relations”. “'Several drops make an ocean' is the principle I teach. A new concept called ‘Micro-saving and Systematic Investment' advises individuals to save a certain amount every month and invest it wisely to accumulate a handsome amount on return to India.” Since one of the major complaints of expatriates is that they cannot save any money after monthly expenditures, he advises people to save first and then spend the balance. “Most people who came to me agreed to pretend that their salary had been reduced by 20 percent, which was how much they were saving,” he explained. Another piece of advice is for people to stop smoking and save that money to invest. Shamsudheen says that this can amount to about 200 riyals each month. Mobile phone use and paying excess luggage duty when flying home can also cut into a month's spending. As part of Shamsudheen's continuous efforts, a number of people have switched their plan to build a large house to cost-effective low-budget housing. A number of parents have also opened banks accounts in their children's names to encourage saving among their children. According to a recent survey he has conducted among expatriates, the suicide rate among Indian expatriates in the region, especially Keraliates, is on the rise and he is planning to start a special focus in this matter.
