OUTSOURCING Name: Sophia Rahman Age: 25 Lives: Wisconsin, US Works: Associate in a Venture capital firm Back to the panel

I was born and brought up in the US, in the state of Wisconsin. I am 25 years old.

I have a Bachelor's degree from the University of California-Irvine.

I decided to go to Bangalore a year ago to become part of the fast growing venture capital industry in India.

I was not prepared for the discrimination I faced from my fellow Indians

I got a job at a US-based company with an office there. As an associate I would meet with young companies to assess investment potential for us.

Before I went to India, I read a lot of articles highlighting the positive experiences of people like me - NRIs (non-resident Indians), who went back to their original home country.

From all I had heard, I had high expectations that it would be an enjoyable experience.

The reality turned out to be quite different. I was not prepared for the discrimination I faced from my fellow Indians.

People would have an instant negative perception about me, simply because I was born and raised outside India.

I've heard people commenting upon hearing me speak: 'Look at this Indian girl, trying to be cool with her fake American accent.'

Did they not realise I was one of the many millions of Indians who grew up abroad?

Sophia Rahman: I didn't fit into Indian society

If this was harmless in the streets, it was detrimental in the working environment.

My identity was always questioned: Am I Indian or American?

They could not accept that I am both. To them that was unacceptable, because it makes me different from them.

And they were all well educated, open-minded people!

From my experience and observations, the NRIs do not fit well into the society of their so-called homeland.

I think outsourcing benefits everyone: the foreign companies, who pay lower wages, the Indian workers and the Indian economy.

Here you have a nineteen year old person who all of a sudden is making 15,000 Rupees ($340) a month.