22 travellers. 2 countries. 14 days. This really is the ultimate guide to visiting India. And England.
If there is one thing that unites Britain, it is our universal frustration with the weather. Summer never visits us for long so when it does we tend to go mad for it – we forget about work and hit the beach, let ourselves burn and eat a load of ice cream.
Some things, like the immediate reflex to swipe left at the sight of a gym selfie on Tinder, seem to be universal. This is one of the lessons we learned from this morning’s lecture with Dr. Deshpande – which escalated quickly from the cultural implications of arranged marriages within the caste system in India, to a candid discussion around dating apps.
It is something us Brits all take for granted. Crossing the road in the UK is simple stuff, and a thing that we all do without thinking. But what happens when your world gets turned upside down. Not just upside down, but sideways. 360°, and shaken around. What happens when everything you know turns out to be wrong? What happens……..when you go to India?
Travelling to India any time soon? It is important to realise that many of the clothes we wear in the UK are certainly not appropriate for India – both in terms of the climate and the culture.
After our very first full day in India, I stepped out of my hostel room that I shared with my friend Anh. The air smelled of grass and quite strongly of Indian takeaway food that was delivered to some of the students. I turned to the right of our room, from where I could look down on a little patch of grass that was in the middle of the hostel.
It was a long journey from Mumbai to Pune in the weather of 40 Celsius degrees and we can’t wait being in the city known as the “New India”. My first impressions, which I believe we share in common, were all about the weather, the local people with colors, music and vehicles.
Out of the ten of us I am the only one who is fortunate enough to be visiting India for the second time in my life. A little under two years ago I was here working for an Indian charity engaging in ’employability training’ workshops in universities across the country, in Shimla (North), Bhubaneswar (East), and Bangalore (South), but nowhere in the West – until now.