The US dreams of Indians lie shattered

President Donald Trump’s impulsive $100,000 H-1B visa fee hike has sent shockwaves across Indian IT professionals and U.S. higher education institutions. Indian tech workers, constituting nearly 70 per cent of H-1B holders, are left insecure, unsure whether their careers would be jeopardized by yet another of Trump’s whimsical policy reversals. Indian students, burdened with education loans often exceeding ₹50 lakh, face an almost impossible task. With no U.S. company willing to bear the exorbitant fees, post-graduation employment is increasingly unattainable. Many risk returning home jobless as their American dream has been cruelly snatched away. The repercussions extend to the U.S. tech industry, heavily reliant on Indian talent. Critical roles may go unfilled, innovation could stall, and global competitiveness may erode. By politicizing immigration for theatrical effect, Trump has dismantled decades of India–US goodwill and transformed a bridge of opportunity into chaos.

N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru-56

One positive effect of Trump’s decision

US President Donald Trump has hiked H1B visa fees by 50 times. Amid the gloom that it has given rise to, the one good thing about it is that many Indians will stay put back home for their livelihoods and look after their parents. This will effectively ensure that they don’t push their parents and elders to old-age homes. Meanwhile, the domain experts from India must urgently brainstorm on finding alternate nations like shifting focus on export of Indian goods and evolving ways and means to make India self-reliant.

P V P Madhu Nivriti,Secunderabad-61

Indian families in distress

The sudden decision of US President Donald Trump to exorbitantly raise H1B visa fee has shocked Indian professionals and their families. Since Indians constitute 71 per cent of H1B holders, this decision will hit our community the hardest. Technology firms like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, TCS and Infosys, which employ thousands of H1B workers, will be subject to heavy costs. Many industry bodies and US lawmakers have already warned that such a move will hurt innovation and create humanitarian problems. As a sibling of an H1B worker in America, I can feel the deep stress this sudden announcement has caused. Families like mine worry about the future and safety of our loved ones abroad. I appeal to the Indian government to take urgent steps to protect its citizens and ensure that skilled professionals are not unfairly burdened.

Tahreen Tabassum,Hyderabad

Build on lessons from Trump bombshell

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly quantified that “Be it chips or ships, they must be made in India.” This move highlights what he has always emphasized: our real enemy is “dependence on other nations.” India must not remain vulnerable to foreign policy shifts that threaten our workforce and innovation pipelines. The recent developments in the U.S., including a drastic hike in H1B visa fees and restrictions announced by President Donald Trump, are unambiguous reminders of why “Atmanirbhar Bharat” is not just a watchword but a necessity. India’s tech giants like TCS, Infosys, and Wipro have already demonstrated that we can lead on a global scale. It is now time to make India a hub for both hardware (chips) and infrastructure (ships) manufacturing. As global qualms rise, our response must be to fast-track domestic capability, invest in R&D, and create a robust ecosystem that supports our talent at home.

Raju Kolluru,Kakinada

A festival that spreads togetherness

The article “Come this Navkar Navratri Utsav, city set to sway to beats of garba, dandiya” made for an exciting read. The 10-day Navratri celebration is not just a cultural undertaking but one that reminds us that there exists a unique sense of community oneness in the city. A festival like this goes beyond communities and brings together people through music, dance and religious devotion. The Navkar Navratri Utsav to me is a living and breathing environment of cultural awareness, an opportunity to foster relationships, and encourage a vision of Hyderabad both as a diverse and inclusive city. I hope that even as the organizers create space for safety, eco-conscious practices, and real crowd control, Hyderabadis must shoulder the responsibility of keeping the celebration joy-filled and perpetuating age-old traditions.

Jaskeerath Kaur,Hyderabad