'It’s time to go back...': Why Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu is urging for reverse migration

Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu took to social media on Tuesday to share his thoughts on the shifting tides of migration and rural development. He expressed concerns about the growing loss of talent in rural areas, particularly in Tanjavur district, and called for a reverse migration to villages.

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"In the last 40 years, villages in Tanjavur district have lost a lot of talent, with abandoned houses and temples in so many places," Vembu wrote on X. "It is time to go back."

Vembu said Zoho was doing its part - "we have an office, and we are building a campus near Kumbakonam. We are also funding Yali Aerospace, a drone startup in Tanjavur town. A lot more has to happen."

Vembu's comments came in response to a post by social media user Krishnan, who reflected on the historical migration trends that have drained rural areas of their resources.

Krishnan wrote, "Driving through Papanasam, Neduntheru, Ayyampettai stretch and seeing no locals for temples like Appakudathaan, Anbil to take care of the temples, we have to realise that it was our immediate previous gen and grandfathers who made the mistake of leaving our ancestral villages."

He pointed out the deep connection people once had with their temples and communities, which has been eroded by the rush to cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, and even abroad, in search of white-collar jobs.

Devendra Singh Mahra, another social media user, responded to Vembu's post, highlighting the growing trend of rural-to-urban migration. "Rural to Urban migration is going up only. The quality of life definition, expectations, and needs have changed. Unfortunately, unless something else drastically changes, reverse migration or even stopping is extremely difficult if not impossible," Mahra wrote.

Pushpa Sreedhar, reflecting on her own family's experience, added that many people from rural areas, including her parents and uncles, were forced to leave due to a lack of opportunities.

"Many of them... lost their agricultural lands...they were also perhaps the first gen to have studied & were compelled to step out for jobs," she wrote, recalling the yearning her father expressed for his native Kumbakonam.