How to Find an Old Friend in India

Many Indians have immigrated to America since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished national-origin quotas. Since the 1980's IT industry-fueled economic boom, many more Indian engineers, IT professionals and scientists have made the U.S. their permanent home. The people who immigrated between the 1960s and 1980s lost track of their old friends in India. However, with the proliferation of electronic communication media and the current mainstream acceptance of social media, blogs and business networking sites, it has become easier to find old friends.

Things You'll Need

• PC with Internet connection

Instructions

1. Sign up on social media sites. Millions of people between the ages of 15 and 60 have signed up on popular international social media and networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Orkut. Once you have created your profile, a simple search on any particular social media site will show up your friend's profile if he is also a member or user of that particular social media site.

2. Sign up on professional networks. Another way to find your friend is through online professional or business networks such as LinkedIn and Plaxo or a popular India-focused business networking site called Rediff Connexions. Sign up and try finding your old friend on such sites based on common education, business domains or professional interests.

3. Search on school alumni online networks. Joining school or college networks online will fine-tune your search for the old friend.

4. Check state government websites. Many state governments in India now have fully functional websites and e-governance programs in place. If your friend is paying state utilities' bills or other bills or taxes through a state government website, it should be relatively easy to track him down.

5. Type her full name in Google. If your friend has a rare first name and last name, as many Indians do, it should be fairly easy to locate her by simply typing her full name in the search window. Scroll through the list of links to check mention of your friend's name in any newspaper or periodical article, matrimonial site and professional society membership.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient and dedicated in your efforts, as your friend might not have created any online profile or joined any Internet-based network or forum yet. Locating female friends might be relatively tougher, as almost all Indian women change their last names after marriage. So troll online patiently to check every photo against the first name of your old friend on any social media site. Hook up with possible common friends of your old friend in America and narrow your search for your old friend in India.