Hi Friends I am back - but with an incomplete post this time.
I learnt today that one of my friends was planning to visit India some time in the next couple of months - for the very first time and had purchased lots of travel guides which was indeed a great job - but there are tons and tons of things which the books sometimes forget to mention - the subtle differences in India from here in US. I thought of jotting those differences myself (I am sounding a little pessimistic here, but bear with me for a couple of days - and I will come up with the positive side too )
1. To randomly start with - for instance when you reach the airport, you wont see many informational pamphlets or instructions around you - the best way to get info would be to talk to people. You would be surprised to see for yourself - people in India love to talk, to help others and specially when it comes to foreigners :) - but to get correct info - it would be advisable to ask at least two person - for a confirmation of what was said by the first person :) - no one likes to say - I don't know the answer of what you just asked me :)))
2. As soon as you leave the airport - suddenly there would tens of people surrounding you - trying to grab your suitcase off your hands and trolley - to make you take a ride on their auto-rickshaw or taxi(cab) - be careful to take a prepaid auto, or other wise an auto-driver sensing you as some one new to the place - can make you travel all over the city and drop you at the same place from where you started - plus change you Rs100 for it :)) - if don't believe me - ask any one :( . However for the first few times taking a taxi would be advisable.
3. Do NOT even think - and yes even THINK of driving in India - no one follows traffic rules, especially from the point of view of someone - who has been born and brought up in US !!! Always use public transport, or hire a taxi, auto-rickshaw or anything, pool with someone, walk down or worst comes don't leave your place - or else only God can save you!
4. Bargaining in non-branded shops is not un-fashionable. A Rs.2000 male kurta might just be worth from anything between Rs 500 - Rs.1500 at a non-branded shop! and there are tons of them in India,
5. Be aware of pick-pocketing. Don't depend on police. I only depend on my friends, relatives and the public - yes absolutely - mostly the public is your best bet.
6. Be prepared for no electricity for hours, no internet, for free bumpy rides to office and back home, for traffic jams and delays up to 2 hours, for no freeways and long drives, for muddy clothes and black colored shirt collars; BUT at the same time - for the land full of loving people and friends - where the holy cow shares the same road with you - and the buffalo is given all the time in the world to cross before you on the road :) and also the place where there is God in everything you see and touch and smell and feel - where spirituality is not just a word but a way of living - rather a part of your life - where there is no restriction on what time you feel like going and chatting to your God in the temple - where you can walk in any direction - the way you like - the way you want - at your own pace - freedom in its purest form - where people are happy for no known reason - where life goes on, no matter what happens - it always goes on...
Oh by the way - am I scaring you too much. Oh gosh, I had not even started yet :( ... okay let me just shut up for now or else I would late for my 9:00 meeting tommorow - just say "Namestey" - you are bound to make plenty of friends who will share the brighter side with you. :)
India - a land of more than a 500 dialects
So it that true - oh yes, it is very much true. I am quoting my husband here - he say after every 10 kos of distance traveled in India - the dialect changes. India is a country with so much of variety of languages - including dialects that you can't even keep a count of them.
I do not when am I going to complete this one ... but check this website in the mean time... http://ileher.com/
~ Deepti :)
No comments:
Post a Comment