After four extended
visits, each lasting nearly a month, it's fair to say that India has carved out
a space in my wanderlust. Friends often ask me why. Their curiosity is usually
marked with skepticism, sometimes even concern. “What do you like about India?”
they ask with bafflement. The question is often followed by a familiar refrain,
shaped by viral TikTok clips of dirty street food pantries: “Isn’t it dirty?”
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| A landmark that need no introduction. "A teardrop on the cheek of time" wrote Rabindranath Tagore |
I’ve answered the
question so many times, I might as well be reciting from a script, of an
improvised monologue repeated over the years, with all the usual reasons: the
food, the history, the sound and color of the bazaars, the warmth of the
people, and yes, even the dizzying
disarray of the streets, which to some may seem like chaos, but to me feels
like choreography.
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| Jodphur's Blue City is a favorite setting of Bollywood films |
Maybe it’s time I
moved beyond the rehearsed reply. It’s about time, perhaps, to unpack the whys
and how’s, and finally give fuller voice to my likeness for India, to offer a
counterpoint to those who see the country only through viral clips and offhand
jokes that hover dangerously close to racism.
India to me is all
these and more.
A Country Perfect
for Curious Travelers
Few places, if any, rival India in its ability to serve as a crossroads of continents and cultures. A living, decompression chamber where East meets West, and North touches the South. For the curious traveler, India is less a destination and more a sensory journey: a place where the unfamiliar feels curiously new, and the familiar are spruced up dressed in colorful garbs, sound, and spice.
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| In the middle of the crowded Delhi, you'll easily come across sites such as this historical stepwell called Agrasen Ki Baoli |
Step just a few hundred
meters beyond your place of accommodation, and you're instantly swept into a mix
of color and contrast from centuries-old temples and palaces to the everyday scene
of the street. As the oft-repeated phrase goes, 'India assaults all your
senses', but in my experiences, it’s not only true, it also has seduced me in.
And in that combination of noise, smell, texture, and taste, it also has satisfied
my own wanderlust.
A Sense of History
Everywhere
In India, history
isn’t tucked away in museums or written only in books, it pulses through the
streets, temples, forts, and daily rituals. Mughal palaces rise beside
colonial-era buildings; ancient Hindu shrines stand amid modern chaos. Even the
smallest alleyways often lead you to landmarks and museums keeping stories of
past kingdoms, wars and revolutions.
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| The morning religious prayers and ritual along the ghats of Varanasi |
India’s history is
embedded in the everyday lives of its people. Some are hidden in plain sight like
a palace in Jaipur that quietly takes visitors into winding lanes and scenes of
daily life, while others, such as the iconic Taj Mahal, and the citadels
scattered across the state of Rajasthan stands out more.
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| A Ganga Aarti ritual in Rishikesh |
To sum it up, just
by exploring the streets of India will always take you to unpredictable paths,
where the country’s history awaits to be told. For history junkies, it is
important to know that there are 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the whole of
India, with 35 of which are considered cultural sites and 7 nature sites.
Shifting Landscapes
per State
To describe India
in just a few words based on its topography much like calling New Zealand
hilly, the Philippines an exotic island paradise, Switzerland a land of snowy
mountains, or many African nations a mix of forest and desert plains, India
would be a combination of all. There are the golden sand dunes of Rajasthan,
the art-deco architectural hub of downtown Mumbai, the snow-capped Himalayas,
the tropical vibe of Kerala’s backwaters and Goa’s beaches, the rugged slopes
of the 1,600-kilometer-long Western Ghats mountainside, the high-altitude
plains of Ladakh, and the coastal lowlands off the coast of the Arabian Sea and
the Bay of Bengal, and much more in between.
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| The desert dunes of Rajasthan State adds a new layer of fascination in India's landscape |
Each time you hop
on an inter-state train, expect to disembark into an entirely new landscape.
A Backpacker’s
Training Ground
A friend of mine,
Monette, once told me she knew she had found the right man to marry after they
spent over a month traveling around India together. This is because the country,
known for diversity and experience, can also test your patience. Alongside the
warmth and friendliness of its people, you’ll certainly encounter the less
pleasant ones: countless so-called “touts,” or peddlers of overpriced
souvenirs, dubious services, and inflated cab fares, who will get in-your-face
instantly that shoving them aside becomes an art in itself.
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| These young siblings and their parents helped me locate our train in Kolkata |
The train system,
while impressively vast and essential in moving millions daily, can be chaotic
to navigate, is an adventure in itself. The chances of boarding the wrong train
rise with every moment you lose focus or hesitate to ask someone what the
public address announcement just said, all while a flurry of rushing commuters past
by you.
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| Indian people are still seen wearing their traditional clothes almost everywhere |
Then there’s the
street scene, a torpedo of noise, motion, and sensory overload that can trigger
immediate culture shock, especially for first-time travelers from the West.
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| Apart from the crowded streets and bazaars, Mumbai is also full of Art Deco buildings |
But for someone
like me, who started out roughing it as a solo backpacker, traveling to India
four times has prepared me for all kinds of eventualities. More importantly, it
has made me a better traveler, one who, instead of complaining or withdrawing,
embraces what one fellow traveler described to me as “bedlam in the streets of
India” and turns each challenge into an awakening, a lesson, a humbling
experience, and eventually, a story worth writing and telling about.
Fascinating
Cultural and Religious Traditions
During my first
trip to India more than a decade ago, I experienced what I can only describe as
an in-your-face awakening. In Varanasi, the ancient city along the Ganges, I
found myself stunned by the sight of funeral processions weaving through narrow
streets, culminating in open-air cremations along the ghats, which is usually a
concreted stairs leading to a river. Though I had read about these Hindu rites,
witnessing them unfold with such a short distance away took me by surprise.
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| Caught in the colorful revelry of Holi in Jaisalmer |
As I often say,
once you have absorbed Varanasi, everywhere else in India seems to taper off in
intensity. The country’s cultural and religious traditions then reveal
themselves like a vast canvas, painted with every imaginable color with each
stroke illuminating India’s heritage, character, and wild spirit.
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| Stumbled upon a wedding procession in Pushkar |
For spiritually
minded travelers, India offers countless sanctuaries of reflection and renewal.
In Rishikesh, often hailed as the yoga capital of the world, visitors find a
haven to enrich their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Here, one can
also witness the Ganga Aarti, a sacred riverside ritual held only in Rishikesh,
Varanasi, and Haridwar.
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| In the state of Madhya Pradesh, one can go on a safari and spot tigers, lions, deers and many more |
Throughout the
year, India’s calendar is adorned with fascinating festivals. Among them is
Holi, the Festival of Colors, Love, and Spring, which celebrates the divine
love of Radha and Krishna — and which I personally experience in the city of
Jaisalmer in the state of Rajasthan. There is also Diwali, the festival of
lights and perhaps India’s most widely celebrated event, observed by millions
around the globe. And then there is the Kumbh Mela, a massive Hindu pilgrimage considered
as the world’s largest peaceful gathering.
Of course, the Food
I often tell my
friends that I could easily transition to a vegan lifestyle in India. Despite
being heavily rooted in vegetarianism, their cuisine is so flavorful, thanks to
centuries-old culinary traditions that masterfully employ a vast use of spices,
curry sauces, chutneys, raitas, and assorted dips.
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| A typical "Thali" meal serving |
I always order a
thali, a traditional Indian and Nepali meal whose name means “plate.” It
typically consists of an assortment of dishes such as vegetable curries, dal,
chapati, rice, papad, and curd or yogurt. Sometimes, it also includes lamb or
chicken. The meal is usually served on a round metal platter with small bowls
arranged around the central serving of rice or bread.
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| A typical scene in every market in India, a spice corner |
Don’t let those
viral TikTok videos of questionable street food stalls scare you off. If you
take the time to explore, you’ll find plenty of spots that focus on serving
delicious, high-quality Indian food in clean, welcoming settings. Trust me, the
flavors of Indian cuisine are worth the visit to the country.
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| The ruins of a former ashram where the Beatles stayed 1968, remains a tourist attraction in Rishikesh |
To sum it up, India
is not merely a destination to tick off a bucket list. It is a country that
demands to be understood in all its contradictions, beauty, and chaos. Across
my four journeys there, each visit has added another layer to my understanding
of its history, culture, and people, leaving me forever changed and improved.
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| Countless colorful bazaars across India will make a shopper of any non-shopper traveler |
For me, India will
always be a place of rediscovery, of the world and of myself. It is a land that
challenges, humbles, and feeds, both figuratively and literally. It fills the
mind with new learnings and spirituality, forever reminding me, in the words of
French novelist Gustave Flaubert, of “how tiny a place I occupy in this world.”
This article first appeared on Rappler.
