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RELIGION Goa
24 Reviews It is well known that cows are sacred to Hindus, but knowing this didn’t really prepare me for some of the (to Western eyes) unusual sights we came across. Not only do cows wander freely on town and...
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LITTLE THINGS TO KNOW Mumbai
18 Reviews Mumbai's Passport Office, being the only one in the region, caters to the residents from Greater Mumbai, over and above districts of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Aurangabad and Beed in Maharashtra. Apart...
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Daily life Delhi
22 Reviews Indians love their motorbikes... I think is more of them than cars. In the morning whole family (4 ppl) will straddle motorbike to take them to their daly work or school. In the chaos which is Delhi...
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The People, the flavour Hyderabad
5 Reviews Diwali is known as the 'festival of lights' because houses, shops and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called diyas. These lamps, which are traditionally fueled by mustard...
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MISCELLANEOUS Goa
32 Reviews Raksha bandhan (the bond of protection in Hindi) or Rakhi is a Hindu festival which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. Sisters tie a rakhi (a holy thread) around their brothers'...
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RELIGION Mumbai
12 Reviews Although Bombay has one of the largest concentration of followers of the Jain religion in India, this community constitutes only a small minority of around 4% in the city. Jain temples are scattered...
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General Informations Delhi
17 Reviews Playing some music with friends at university... Local bands are often on view at college/ university annual festivals. The season begins towards the end of summer, and goes on for a while. That...
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While travelling in Hyderabad... Hyderabad
5 Reviews Most travellers dont realize that Hyderabad is a very conservative city due to the presence of Islam. I knew that it had deep roots with Islam but I had no idea that certain parts of the city were as...
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BEACHES Goa
3 Reviews Fascinating watching the local fishermen at Coco Beach. The effort that is put into fishing appears tremendous. Starting with wading out with the long fishing net to create a loop, then with as many...
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CULTURE Mumbai
18 Reviews Durga Puja also referred to as Durgotsava is an annual Hindu festival in India that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha...
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Weddings Delhi
4 Reviews Well Marriage in India is a very important part of the whole family of the groom and bride. Mostly they live as a Joint Family (Extended Family) and majority of marriages are arranged. So a marriage...
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ON THE STREETS Mumbai
13 Reviews (Here's an email we received from Bandra, Bombay) Hey! there, It's parade and festival time in the Queen of Suburbs, BANDRA!! We're hving the 3rd edition of the 'Celebrate Bandra' festival which...
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Birla Temple Delhi
1 Review The Birla Temple (Lakshmi Narayan Temple) : This temple was build by G. D. Birla in 1938. This beautiful temple is located in the west of Connaught Place. The temple is dedicated to the goddess of...
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MISCELLANEOUS Mumbai
15 Reviews Whilst visiting the Haji Ali Mosque in northern Mumbai, I noticed loads of people clambering on top of the rocks that lie at the end of the causeway that connects on the mosque to the mainland. I've...
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National Museum Delhi
1 Review National Museum - Located on Janpath, National museum is one of the treasure houses of the our glorious past. The museum has a large collection of excavated items many of which date back to 2nd and...
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In India, bread is eaten more in the norther regions of the country because of its dry climate.There are varity of breads consumed in India like roomali roti. naan, alloo parathas.....etcSo dont miss rotis or naans....
Chai (Indian tea) is the lure.Buying their wares is the hope.It is customary in India that upon entering an shop (of almost any kind) you will be offered a seat, and a cup of chai. This is an Indian welcome. Often the shopkeeper will a send out a helper discreetly for the chai, and it would not be polite to refuse, in my opinion. Sometimes it is a welcome treat to rest and refresh after or during a shopping spree.The chai is always very sweet, very milky and spicy.Delicious. It is served in tiny cups.I think that this chai offering is very hospitable. In too many western countries it seems like an effort to even get a smile out of sales staff, let alone a cup of tea. I love browsing, chatting and sharing chai with locals in every Indian city that I visit. There is so much to gain, and nothing to lose.
It would be better if women while travelling in India,especially in remote or rural areas dress modestly.You could wear trousers,jeans or skirts,but too much exposure of skin could lead to embarrassing stares from locals!!In many places of worship in North India, the head needs to be covered with a scarf.
Feet are considered to be the lowliest part of the body.Therefore it is good mannered to remove shoes before entering an Indian home.Placing feet up on furniture is bad mannered. While sitting on a floor, in Indian manner, you will notuce that Indians usually sit with their feet tucked under their legs instead of stretched out. Avoid stepping over anyone.The head, however , is believed to be the spiritual centre of the body. Older people bless someone younger by touching their head.Living in close quarters, as Indians do, with families and neighbors, Indians have a different perspective of "personal space" to what Westerners are used to. While travelling, if you are jostled or crowded in a queue, as often happens, be as tolerant as possible. Space is a premium, and precious commodity in India.
Another common thing dotting the fields and roadways (more in north and central India), besides the mounds of piled grass and grains, is a lot of towers of hand-shaped and hand-stacked dried cow disks. These could be used as fertilizer, but will more likely be used for heating/cooking fuel during the colder and wet seasons.The women walk the fields and roads, collecting all of the cow dung, use their hands to pat them into disk shapes, then dry them in the sun.
Indians who want to express a "yes" or "it`s possible" would usually "wobble" with their head from left to right, a gesture that can easily mistaken for a "no" by western tourists. So don´t be surprised, the head wobble is a positive confirmation in India, and not a "no".
A common sight in India is to see men and boys holding hands while walking. This has NOTHING to do with their sexual preferance. I have no idea how,when and where this habit originated from- but after much discussion with many friends in India, I am positive that it is just a display of friendship.NBI have just been informed by my friend Jagdish (jethanand) of the origins of hand-holding in India-'Hand-holding is a sign of trust, togetherness, protection, a promise of inter-reliance. In India, olden times if there was danger and risk of separation, the older sibling would clutch the hands of a young one' THANK YOU JAGDISH!!
The one thing that annoyed me here (a problem not limited to India though) is the littering and the lack of an efficient waste disposal. There are places where littering is less of a problem (Backwaters Kerala, Coorg, Varkala, for the most part Mysore and Bangalore, Pondicherry), but especially in Tamil Nadu, it was pretty bad. Partly it is the lack of a waste disposal system (you rarely find dustbins here), partly it is an attitude problem that many people don`t give much thought to throw away any rubbish on the spot as long as it is outside one`s own home. Please don`t follow their example.
This might seem trivial, but in Europe I am used to buy an entrance ticket, go past the guy who checks the ticket, and then forget about it or throw it away. In India, if you visit a temple or a palace, for example, it might well be that the ticket will be checked several times at several entrances. So better keep your ticket until you have finished the visit altogether.
A first time visitor to India may become confused by the Indian head-wobble. Its a sort of up and down and sideways wobble/shake of the head. To westerners- this may seem to be a negative sign. After all, we shake our heads from side to side meaning "NO".But in India, the opposite is meant. So, the sideways head wobble means "YES"It is used by almost all Indians, and is quite endearing, once one gets the hang of it.After many trips to India, I automatically find myself doing it while talking to locals. They find it hysterically funny.
Neemrana Fort-Palace State of Rajasthan
2 Reviews and 235 Opinions This is such a lovely place, whether for a couple celebrating their love or for a singleton,...
Taj Lands End Mumbai
4 Reviews and 521 Opinions 22,000 square feet of meeting space connected by pre-function areas suitable for exhibitions ...
Leela Goa
5 Reviews and 461 Opinions hallo was meeting adam pyotr mancic in the surfclub arambol. best friend at this time. every night...
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Q: Hello folks, I am thinking to travel to India from July 28-Aug 28 2012. It includes both north and south India. I heard about...
A: 1. If you limit your travels to the plains of India during Jul 28-Aug 28, 2012, you'll experience high humidity, heat and quite a few showers. As it is, South India is...
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