What are your impressions about India?

Although I am an atheist, I realize I experience culture through religion, or the religious soul of a population. The Chinese are Zen Buddhists influenced by Taoism; the population of India is largely Hindu.

I have never been to India, but I experience something of a sense of place for India by reading about the religion, looking at the religious architecture, and eating the food. I would like to go there but sometimes I fear I might be disappointed, lest I really know where to visit.

I have only been to Kerala and Tamil Nadu and I’m sorry to hear of the terrible flooding there recently. I was struck by the beauty of the landscape; the beaches by the Indian Ocean, the roads leading up to the mountains through what seemed like one huge botanical garden and the jungles in which wild elephants roamed. I remember being overawed by the temple at Suchindram, an experience I will never forget and the honest simplicity of the people who live around the Alleppey backwaters. Some day I would like to go back.

I’ve never been there. In my head I picture polite and friendly people with a good sense of humor no matter what their social class. The cities I imagine to not be sparkling clean, and too many poor people, but great wealth around also. Maybe the smell of food in the streets. I also picture the large cities to be a little chaotic and very densely populated like most metropolitan cities around the world. The countryside I assume to be full of poor people.

But, really I have no idea.

My experience with people from India in America is always very positive. Professors, casual acquaintances, neighbors, coworkers, always positive.

I’m excited to see your positive outlook towards India. Yes Kerala is badly affected by floods and it is trying to come back to normal after the nature’s beating. Assumptions regarding India are partially correct. Country side doesn’t mean only poor people. Also not all people are as friendly as you might be finding in US. Most of them will be helpful but there are some rouge elements here as well. Northern, Eastern and Western parts are equally beautiful with different landscapes than those you might have seen in Southern parts like Kerala, Tamilnadu etc.

I picture it as crowded, polluted, and impoverished, but also beautiful in its geography, rich in cultural and material heritage, and boasting some of the best food in the world. I would like to visit some day, yes.

^If you try to put 1 billion people in land area of ⅓ of US it will be crowded for sure!

I have no real mental images.
The food would not be to my liking, but if I could bring my own food, I would love a chance to see the country.
I have ordered clothing online from India a few times, and when I open the packaging it always smells like incense. I close my eyes, and try to picture where it came from, but I always draw a blank on that.
My only input is what I have seen in TV, which is usually old men sitting around smoking, and laughing at each others jokes.

It seems like a beautiful place, rich in multiple cultures. I would probably love the food, as I love spicy stuff.

But….

There are tigers. I have no interest in traveling in a place with monsters.

^^^^ And snakes. Oh my!

India has a hugely rich and ancient culture. I would love to visit.

From a practical standpoint, I am compelled to admit that my pavlovian reaction to the word “India” is no longer the exotic image of the Taj Mahal. Harsh commercial necessities force the Appliance Service Center to the front of the line on Indian imagery.

Lol..) That’s another misconception about India that there are tigers moving freely all over the place and snakes..) They were in abundance before decades ago but have been reduced to couple thousands now due to killing by Kings, Maharajas and British officers just for fun. They are restricted to national parks only reserved for their survival. You can be in India and won’t see a tiger in your lifetime unless you visit these places (and zoo of course).Same applies to snakes. There are snakes hardly to find in cities and you can find them mostly on country side.

The U.S. has big wildcats. Sometimes they wander into cities. There has been at least one seen patrolling a school.
And snakes! Hoo boy, do we have snakes.

I can deal with snakes. I fish surrounded by alligators. I am not really afraid of any mountain lions.

Tigers? NO WAY!

I hear if you wear a mask on the back of your head, they won’t go after you. I guess they prefer to attack from behind. So. They’re smart, and dangerous…

As a child, I read Around the World in Eighty Days a few times, as well as some of Rudyard Kipling’s stories. The images of India from those books still feature prominently in my mInd.

And unfortunately we have many spammers here who apparently originate in India. This has resulted in several running jokes here.

MrGrimm – You might have seen/read about tigers in Sundarban which is in eastern part of India i.e. West Bengal is mangrove forest with lot of swamps. Fishermen use this tactic to avoid attack by “Royal Bengal” tiger from behind which is a prolific swimmer as you may be aware.

Patty_Melt – Tigers don’t generally go to cities / villages unless it is very close to the jungle they are in and they have shortage of food. It’s the leopards which has adjusted well with humans and can be seen attacking villagers and cattle frequently. It’s been major problem in many parts of my state currently.

I meet quite a few people from India. They tend to be from the Brahmin class and quite proud of it, as they tell me, so the class system seems still quite noticeable, I guess. My over all impression is that there may not be another country on the planet as diverse in its spectrum of everything from religion, education to the economic standing of its people.

I’ve never been there but the history seems very steeped in long standing myths and legends about deities. People are being killed for eating cows because they are Muslim or western, which seems alarming. No great love lost between the Muslims and the Hindus, still, I guess. The idea that a child born with a birth defect deserves it because they must be having their karma from past lives visited upon them seems very, very sad to me. I do have the impression that mythology is still a very powerful force over everyday lives.

On the other side of the coin: There are new generations of highly educated young people who are going back to India after getting educated abroad and starting tech companies that, I believe, are going to form a bigger ‘Silicone Valley’ in Bengaluru (which is a plateau, so it could be better called India’s ‘Silicone Plateau’.) India is an emerging tech giant. I enjoy teaching the students from India, but they run rings around me, keep me on my toes, wear me out a bit and make me feel old, then again, that’s exactly what a good student should do. :)

I went through a period a few years ago of reading only works of fiction from writers from India. Some of the best I’ve ever read. “The God of Small Things”, by Arundhati Roy was a favourite, and probably started it all. Another one that stood out was the short stories that are linked in “Love and Longing in Bombay”, by Vikram Chandra. “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri, (who was born in London of Bengali parents and grew up in RI, USA)... and I don’t know if it counts either, because he’s British, too, but was born in India in ‘47 are books by Salman Rushdie. If folks here love beautifully written fiction, Don’t pass up any author from India that comes with some recommendations. I’ve always felt sort of a pull towards India and parts of China, but that probably has to do with the influence some of my students have had on me. Some students from India even gave me a sari as a gift once, which I felt was quite the honour. I still have it, it’s so beautiful. Ancient rich culture with an interruption of ugly colonialism (sorry about that, but you’re welcome for Cricket and Gin and Tonic :) ) with all the positive and negative that goes with it.

I love Indian food, and art, and I love Indian accents, especially when the person has learned English in the U.K. Like Kunal Nyar on The Big Bang Theory. I love his accent. I

I love a lot of Indian music and dance.

I love traditional Indian clothing, both men’s and women’s clothing, such as Nehru jackets and saris.

Gandhi is my hero.

My name here on Fluther is in honor of my favorite Indian spice: cardamom.

These are a few of my favorite things from India:

Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potato curry): https://www.archanaskitchen.com/aloo-gobi-ki-sabzi-spicy-potato-and-cauliflower-vegetable/amp

Music- Discovery of India by Ravi Shankar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S03FdpuF5qg

Men’s Clothing: http://www.monarch-garments.com/cat_nehruj.asp

Women’s Clothing: http://www.mohr-mcpherson.com/old/indias-sari-origin-myth-and-beauty/

Art: https://authindia.com/indian-miniature-painting/

Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuxLEc2JqnE

Indian born British actor Rosham Seth: http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/global/british-actor-roshan-seth-reluctant-to-work-in-bollywood/article_5f136583-48d8-5f1b-8130-c552e375eb94.html

Gajar ka achar (spicy carrot pickle: https://hebbarskitchen.com/carrot-pickle-recipe-gajar-ka-achar/amp/

Kheer (Indian rice pudding): https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/kheer-recipes/

Wow! You are interested in so many indian things..) That’s great to see.

My Indian neighbor years back used to make homemade mango ice cream. It was delicious.

She also used to complain that when her MIL would come to America to visit, she would brush crumbs off the table onto the floor without a thought, because at home in Indus the maids would sweep the floors. In America her DIL was doing all the housework. Lol. Used to drive my neighbor (she is the DIL) crazy. Extra work.

@Kardamom or anyone who’s interested in books I would suggest reading autobiography of former President Late Hon. Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam “Wings of Fire” . He was such a charismatic personality who rose from extreme poverty to become President. He was a scientist and was instrumental in achieving name for India in space programs and missile defence technology hence he was also popular as “missile man”. He was so humble inspite of achieving so much and also popular amongst students/youth for his inspirational speeches.

It is available as digital edition on Kindle so shouldn’t be a problem getting if I’m not wrong.

Also since there was a good amount of discussion over tigers I would suggest reading “Man-eaters of kumaon” or similar books by Jim Corbett who was a British hunter and he put down many man-eating tigers and leopards in India. India’s first wild life sanctuary is named after him viz. “Jim Corbett National Park” in his honour.

So…. Mentioning leopards too, doesn’t help…

That was more than 50 years ago!!

I bet there are lots of things that go through your head, as you’re running for your life, from a large predatory cat. Like. “I hope it strangles me, before it eats me alive. Starting with my genitals, and stomach.”....

It’s the monkeys who go after genitals, silly. And they do have monkeys in India. I think it’s best if you just don’t go there @MrGrimm888.

Don’t worry, I’m not going. No. Most predators start with the softest parts. Genitals, and guts go quick. Especially if there is good sauce…

From the sublime to the ridiculous – and this question was in general too!

Being an Indian, I am happy with the few answers that wishes to visit india. Also many answers suggest that they are not so keen on traveling here. But as they say, Never judge the book by its cover. Experiencing and traveling the place oneself will give a better understanding of the culture and people of India.

And as we say – atithi devo bhava.
We would love to have people traveling to India.

@MrGrimm888 don’t like snakes and genital eating tigers.

@radhajain . If I become independently wealthy, I promise to travel there. I’ll get a tattoo of a face, on the back of my head.
If I get attacked by a Tiger, my ghost will haunt you FOREVER!

India is the number 1 place I want to travel. It is just a matter of waiting until my partner has enough time off so we can do it right.

The reason I am interested is because I worked with so many people from India that moved here to the US. They were all absolutely lovely. When there was time, they would tell me stories about living in India. What I would really love to do is attend a wedding and to visit during The Festival of Colors.