A mother and her two children have returned to India, leaving behind their property in Texas after a devastating tragedy struck their family last year. The story of Priya Narayanaswamy, who arrived in India this April, was highlighted in a Bloomberg report examining the real estate crisis in the United States, with many Indians choosing to leave due to continuous targeting. South Asians have been a driving force behind the construction boom in several parts of Texas.
The Family's American Dream
According to the report, Narayanaswamy and her husband, Anand, purchased their home in 2023 for $435,000 in Keller, a suburb west of Fort Worth. Although they had hoped to live in Frisco, the price in Keller was right. At the time, they harbored big dreams of settling permanently in the US and were raising their two children as Americans.
Anand was on an H-1B visa, working at Citibank through an IT staffing firm called Iris Software, often putting in 12 to 15 hours a day, the report stated. Narayanaswamy worked as a human resources generalist.
The Tragedy Unfolds
In August, Narayanaswamy came home to find her husband in tears. He had been laid off, which meant he could lose his visa if he did not find another job quickly. Then came an even greater shock to the family. About a week later, Anand died by suicide. In his final note, he expressed fear that he could not compete with artificial intelligence. The Bloomberg report noted that they contacted Iris Software and Citigroup, but both declined to comment on the incident.
Narayanaswamy was in the US on an H4 visa, which is for dependents of H-1B holders. With Anand gone, her visa status was reduced to a six-month visitor visa, and she could no longer legally work. In October, she listed their five-bedroom brick house for $465,000. She reduced the price, but no offers came. She said the bank agreed to forbearance on the mortgage, but the house was now likely heading into foreclosure.
A Plea for Recognition
Narayanaswamy told Bloomberg that when she watched viral videos from the Frisco City Council meeting where speakers slammed Indians and called for H-1B visa holders to leave the US and return to India, she wondered how the economy would function without Indians.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, a global list of helplines is available at blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/.
