Well you can do all these sitting in NY, minus the inconvenience. As long as you have an original good idea for business, you don't need to move to india (or anywhere else) to make it successful.
I guess my main beef with this feel-good, nationalistic, let's-all-go-to-india movement is that whether you like it or not - regardless of your original intentions - this will only benefit the elite few, the rich will get richer and poor will remain where they were before you went to india hoping to make a difference.
Indian doesn't need an influx of ex-pats to go to india to make a difference, they have plenty of smart people there already, they need a change in corrupt culture of government bureaucracy and outreach of social development that reaches way beyond the western-looking city landscapes.
I think India does require higher level executives. Ie COO, CFOs, CEOs etc. Ie leaders who know how to take a company from $20 million yearly revenue to $200 million and then to $1 billion.
I have friends in Mckinsey who consult at this level and the reason they get work in India is because lack of talent at this level.
Its the reason that at this level you can probably make as much in India as you would in the US regardless of PP.
The good thing about this situation is that if your an "re-pat" from the US you could get one of these jobs even if you;ve only been managing 10-14 people before. Ie scary big opportunities which you would not get here in the states till you'd put in 10 years at a firm.
You are talking about a small niche, I am (and most others are) talking generally. There is nothing exclusive about those kind of jobs in India, you will find them in most developing countries.
Most of these people, the articles is referring to, are going to India for nationalistic reason, with some kind of assurance from government about job security. Not necessarily because they will have better opportunity there. A small group of people might, but most won't.
"the rich will get richer and poor will remain where they were before you went to india hoping to make a difference"
If this were categorically true, capitalism as a system should be considered a failure. Let us say you go back to India and start a startup, and create 10 jobs, that's 10 more jobs in the economy that surely will increase some poor but educated guy's chances of getting a job. He will then hire some poor uneducated guy as his cook, driver etc. How can you say it will only benefit the "elite few"?
1. Pollution: Dont live in the city.
2. Traffic: Get a big car and a driver ($140 a month). You can sit in the back with a laptop and 1MBps connectivity for $15 a month.
3. Corruption: Work in the private sector and not in the public sector.
I was just in India and the undercurrent of the country is very positive which I cant say about the present feeling I've gotten in New York city.
Bottom line: Its a big change, moving to a different country, but IMHO its possibly a smaller problem than starting your own business.