Homecoming is romanticized. Returning to the homeland is portrayed as the ultimate life goal of the migrants; whereas, the feeling of alienation, disorientation, disenchantment and disappointment when back in the home country (this ‘feeling’ also called as ‘reverse culture shock’) is hidden under the rug from the aspiring returnees. The diaspora upon return face
setbacks owing to the fact that their perception towards the homeland is colored by nostalgia and their experiences in the adopted land. This article explores reverse culture shock with regards to the returnees’ experience of the twofold inconsistencies vis-à-vis ‘home’: firstly, the home culture vs. the host culture and secondly, the homeland of nostalgia vs. the homeland of present.

The returnees’ perception of home is colored by the influences they were exposed to, over an extended period, when abroad. They find things at home different from the adopted country. More importantly, when they find their ‘home’ of nostalgia (home of their childhood) different to home of the present time (home of their aduldhood), their house of cards crumble down. But firstly, this paper draws attention to the meaning of ‘home’ and ‘myth of return’.

Arguably, the concept of home has remained increasingly contentious and abstract, especially in the context of globalization. This paper argues that ‘home’ is still the country of birth and ancestral land vis-à-vis the first generation immigrants. The focus of the paper is the first generation immigrants only. As evident in the survey findings (conducted for this article) and literary texts, diasporic population still associate home with their country of origin.

A survey was conducted among the Nepali diaspora and the returnee Nepalis to comprehend the notion of homecoming through their lived experiences. Educated (graduates, postgraduates and doctorates) first generation migrants between the age of 25 to 55 who were educated abroad and belong to the middle and upper middle class families—subjects of return migration relatively understudied—find space in this article.

This article studies the concept of home through literary texts, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Return to India by Shoba Narayan and Seasons of Flight by Manjushree Thapa. Moreover, theoretical concepts—“Third Space” forwarded by Homi K Bhabha and “Cultural Dimensions” forwarded by Geert Hofstede—contribute to providing an insight into the study of migration and reverse culture shock. The juxtaposition of the respondents’ lived experiences with the textual narratives and theoretical framework offers a deeper and more nuanced perspective on the subject matter.