I couldn’t believe what I had heard. Kiranjeet? Really? She was the dumbest girl in our class—at least she came across as one. I’d never really seen her talk to anyone or hold forth an opinion. And she hardly asked any questions or participated in any discussions in class. I’d been hoping that Ms Nandita would ask Payal to be my opponent. She was the real deal. She was always number two in class, because, well, I was number one, but it was fun to compete with her since I knew how badly she wanted to become number one. There was really no fun in having a debate with someone when you knew you were going to win. But the last time I had requested Ms Nandita to not make such unbalanced debating pairs, she had said that the only way weaker students could level up was by participating in activities like these. Ms Nandita must’ve chosen Kiranjeet for that very reason. So, without wasting another minute, I stood up in my place and so did Kiranjeet. The entire classroom looked at us expectantly, like spectators waiting in a football stadium for the game to begin.

‘Good morning, everyone,’ I said and flashed a bright smile as I made eye contact with my classmates. ‘Brain drain is not good for developing countries like India,’ I continued. ‘When a skilled workforce leaves its own economy for better opportunities abroad, it leads to a shortage of talent and expertise in the home country.’ I paused for a moment to take a breath, but surprisingly, Kiranjeet interrupted me before I could continue.

‘I believe otherwise, Nirvaan,’ she said. ‘When people migrate to developed countries, they often send back money in the form of investments, which can, in turn, contribute to their home country’s economy.’

‘But not many people have such a sense of loyalty to their own people or nation. There’s no guarantee that every individual who moves abroad will actually send back money,’ I countered.

‘Even if that’s true, many of them acquire new skills and knowledge abroad. They’re not shamed for taking up certain kinds of jobs there as dignity of labour actually exists in the West. It’s easier to build a better life in a developed economy. And we must not forget that the standard of living in the West is way higher than it is in India.’

‘But Kiranjeet, what about the loss of intellectual capital? When the brightest minds leave the country, when our doctors and engineers move abroad, they don’t make any efforts to push their home country forward.’