Hyderabad, Feb. 8 -- India has no credible data on how many of its nationals are actually returning to the country to serve it, even as there is data on how many have left, former prime minister Manmohan Singh's media advisor and author of the "Accidental Prime Minister" Sanjaya Baru said on Saturday, February 7, highlighting what he called the mass "brain drain" of Indian talent.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the History Literature Festival at the Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet, Baru repeatedly emphasised the absence of clear numbers showing Indian returnees, a concern he explored in his 2025 book, "Secession of the Successful: The Flight Out of New India."

He framed the issue using the example of Hyderabad Public School, wher...