Odisha: Work from home drives many back to their roots

BHUBANESWAR: Gaurav Gartia (33) and his wife Sunita Sahu (27) are both software engineers working for two different companies in Hyderabad. They recently returned to their native village Tura in Bargarh district and have been working from home.
After migrants in the unorganised sector, hundreds of white collar workers, mostly software professionals, like them have been returning to their villages in Odisha from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Pune, among other Indian cities, to work from their native places.
“In my flat in Hyderabad it was becoming boring to remain inside home 24X7 and continue working. My daughter is two years and seven months. It was also difficult to keep her inside in such a small place without taking her out. We decided to return because anyway we are working from home,” said Gaurav. “With my parents and siblings around, it’s far less taxing here,” he added.
After remaining in confusion whether to return home or stick to the work places during initial months of the pandemic, more and more people are now coming back. “I was not sure if it would be a good idea to come home. What would if the company asks me to start coming to offices in a few days. Also, I had my doubts about internet connectivity here. But I discovered from some of my friends who had come before me that working from here is not a problem. Also, it became increasingly clear that my company is in no hurry to ask me to report at the office. I can stay here at least till December end,” said Sunil Barik (32), a native of Sambalpur, who works in a software company in Bengaluru and returned earlier this month. “More than 30 of my acquaintances have returned in past some days. Many friends are still planning to come back,” he said.
Among the many factors, the scary Covid situation in bigger cities is one of the main reasons to return to their native places. “Though the pandemic is everywhere, here with close family members around, life looks pretty easier,” said Ajit Padhan, also a software engineer who works in Hyderabad.
Some people who were missing village life see this as an opportunity. “I always missed my village while staying away in Pune. Nothing can be better than working from my village itself, something I had never imagined earlier. One would never get work related stress while working in one’s native place,” said Praveen Kumar, a resident of Debeipali village in Sambalpur district.
Industry insiders said at least 6,000 professionals have already returned to the state to work from home for their employers in various cities. The number would continue to increase as more and more are returning, they said.
Sameer Sahu, a native of Dungripali village in Sonepur district who works in Hyderabad, who is planning to return soon. “The feedback from colleagues who have returned home and working is very good. I will drive back next week,” said Sameer (36), who stays with his wife and six-year-old son. “My company seems to be comfortable if we remotely work from my village. In fact, work from home has not affected productivity. This may become a permanent thing. My son is doing his class online,” Sameer said.