In recent years, Kerala has witnessed an unprecedented surge in young people migrating to European and Western nations for higher education and employment. Millions of rupees are flowing out of the state annually to fund these overseas dreams. While some find success, many families are quiet victims of a crushing debt crisis, driven largely by herd mentality.
A family’s quest for a better future
Take the case of Thomas (name changed), who led a quiet, comfortable life with his wife, son, and daughter in a bustling town in Kerala. Both Thomas and his wife worked in the private sector, pooled their savings, and demolished their ancestral home to build a modern double-storey house. Though the project required a home loan, they were confident their combined salaries could comfortably cover the monthly repayments. They finally had the home of their dreams.
Thomas prioritised his children’s education, enrolling them in one of the town’s best schools. Troubles began when his son completed his higher secondary education and adamantly demanded to study abroad. Thomas suggested he complete a bachelor’s degree locally first, but the teenager was strongly influenced by classmates planning to move overseas. Under immense pressure, the family visited a local education consultancy.
The sweet poison of false promises
“Life is completely settled once you land there,” the education consultants assured them. “You can earn hundreds of thousands of rupees through part-time work, and securing permanent residency is incredibly easy. Your family can join you later too.” Attracted by these promises, Thomas decided to take the leap. However, funding the tuition fees and travel required several lakhs. Left with no other option, they mortgaged their dream home and 10 cents of land to secure the funds. With hopeful hearts, they watched their son board his flight.
A harsh wake-up call in a foreign land
The reality on the ground fell far short of the picture-perfect life the agency had promised. Within months, the challenges escalated. Part-time jobs were non-existent, daily expenses skyrocketed, the severe winter weather became unbearable, and even visiting a doctor involved excruciatingly long waiting lists. To keep him afloat, the family took out more loans and sent money abroad. Eventually, exhausted and depressed, the son dropped out of his course and returned home. He was left with an incomplete education, and his family was saddled with enormous debts, with their only home locked in a mortgage.
The nightmare does not end there. The son must now restart his education locally, while their daughter, currently finishing school, is already insisting on her own plans for foreign study. With mounting debts, wedding expenses and daily survival on the line, the parents are sleepless with anxiety, unable to find peace even inside the dream home they sacrificed everything to build. This is not an isolated incident; it is a story echoing across countless middle-class households in Kerala.
The perils of imitation
Society has long had a tendency to blindly imitate any trend that appears successful. People look at the few who succeed abroad and leap without a safety net, unaware that those who fail rarely speak out due to social stigma. Peer pressure and herd mentality among the younger generation are driving families into financial ruin. While seeking international education is commendable, it must never be pursued at the cost of mortgaging one’s basic survival and only shelter. Aspiring students and parents must weigh the risks sensibly before taking a gamble they cannot afford.
