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India Travel Information
A leader's perspective...
Namaste! A trip through India is always an intoxicating surprise to the senses and always unforgettable! An enormous canvas coloured by a divine palette: shimmering golden sands, liquid green silks, teeming diversity of chirping flutters, abundant spices to tantalize your taste buds. The geographical vastness of India is matched only by the diversity of the people. Modern India is home to the tribal and to the urban jetsetter. It is a land where the temple elephants exist amicably with the microchip. Its ancient monuments are the backdrop for the world’s largest democracy. Walk with me to explore my country - five seasons every year, a festival everyday, a smile every second. Welcome to India.
India Travel Information
real life experiences...
Chai with a view
The rugged Indian Himalayas are scattered with impossible settlements, their tidy houses and generous cropfields perched on steep hillsides topped with the sparkling snow. In the Tibetan-flavoured town of Dharamsala, forest treks start right outside your hotel room. An hour and a half up one of these trails, you will be welcomed by a smile and an offer of chai - the spicy-sweet milk tea just short of heaven. The clean air, hot drink and friendly company tug on you to sit awhile among the birds and enjoy this cafe-with-a-view, Indian-style. To get to this spot in the trees, find the Shiva temple on the way to Triund. After your first cup of chai, you may be inspired to keep hiking steadily upwards toward snowline. Then again, you may decide to spend the afternoon embracing the Himalayan hospitality a while longer.
The ancient ladies of Bhenswara
The forts and palaces of Rajasthan are eternally appealing, conjuring scenes of battles, well-trod caravan routes, and epic dynasties. But for many of us, travel is all about the people we meet. India has no shortage of characters: eager kids, flamboyant bus drivers, crotchety old men. Great personalities abound in Bhenswara, a lovely untouristed small town, where it is often said 'the real India' lives. Wandering the humble lanes, don't be surprised at the number of fans who will come out to welcome you. Near a shoemaker's house, you might find two old ladies with weather-beaten skin, thick specs and well-worn saris adorning their tiny frames. The first time I saw them, they stepped out to grasp my hands, share belly laughs, and admire my hair. Even without a common language, these charmers brought to life that saying heard all over India: 'Atithi Devo Bhava' or 'Guest is God'. I was awed by their simple humanity and the connection across time, distance and culture. And that’s what I had really come for.
Roadside Religion
In the medieval hamlet of Orchha there is a 'temple' that for me signifies religious devotion at its purest, most sincere form. While the eye-popping ornateness of the temples at Kujuraho, or the ancient Shiva temples of Varanasi are impressive, I find the devoutness of Hindu India most present in the more subtle small family shrines. There, just next to the lane heading into town from the train station, is a perfect – albeit humble – Shiva 'temple'. On the ground next to a creaky old tree, a black onyx Shiva lingam is lovingly worshipped by its caretakers. Each morning for 'puja', fresh marigolds, cow's milk, a lamp of fire, and burning incense appear. There is no pomp, no affectation, and the whole set-up covers less than a square metre. It is just an everyday family living their religion, in small town India. If you can find this kind of small moment, in a place like Orchha, you have found the heart of India.
The Best Mango Pickle
The Shekhawati region of Rajasthan is known as an open-air art gallery for its painted havelis, elegant homes of the wealthy merchant classes of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Mural scenes tell stories of maharaja opulence, British residents and news of the day - like the arrival of passenger trains. You wouldn’t necessarily think to come to Nawalgarh for the food (though it is one of the most decorous tiny towns), but all the gazing makes you hungry. An unexpected highlight is coming upon Kalpana Singh and her amazing homemade pickles at her restaurant near the palace. Indian pickles are salty, briny, spicy preserves of lime, mango and other treats. Even if you are a pickle skeptic, try dipping into the bright saucy delicacies with a fried parantha. The condiment soon becomes the main event – many have dreamed about bottling and exporting the stuff, it is that good! You can try your luck wresting the recipe from the lady of the house, once you find her in Nawalgarh.
Making the silk of Emperors
One of the oldest continuously occupied cities on the planet, Varanasi, is best known as a sacred Hindu city. With pilgrims and holy men thronging temples and lining the banks of the river Ganga, it might be easy to overlook the fact that Varanasi is also a significant Muslim centre. In the eastern part of the city, near a cinema, 15 minutes by auto-rickshaw from the old city, there is a Muslim enclave of weavers spinning the expensive brocade silk saris that the city is famous for. Wandering the narrow lanes, peering past weathered wooden doorways, you can see men seated at huge handlooms in every corner. The looms' clack-clack has echoed here for generations. In fact, these weavers are said to be descendants of the weavers to the likes of Akbar the Great, who required the finest, most elegant silk for court and palace. Inside a spare lantern-lit stone room, you may even be invited to try spinning with one of these master craftsmen.
A foodie treasure hunt in Old Delhi
Most people glimpse Old Delhi from the famous Red Fort at the foot of its main road, Chandni Chowk, or from the minaret at India's largest mosque, the Jama Masjid. But Old Delhi at street level is an experience. The atmospheric lanes are full of famous street food and fine restaurants alike. There are whole alleys known as galis, devoted to specialties: gali kebab, south of the mosque, includes a restaurant whose owners descend from the chefs to the Moghul emperors as far back as Babur. Nearby in the spice bazaar (an adventure in itself!) there are galis for pickles, chutneys, and sugar. The latter, gali batasha, sells sugar in every shape from powder to rock icicle. Many travellers taste their first sizzling parantha (stuffed fried flatbread) in – you guessed it – gali paranthawala. Back on Chandni Chowk, a sweet shop voted the city's best was named for its most famous habitual customer, an elephant housed at the Red Fort stables in the 1790s. Old Delhi is said to be where some of India's most famous foods – tandoori, kebabs, kulfi – were invented. Finding the source is an adventure, a history lesson and pure gastronomic pleasure.
Don't waste time in Delhi
In a typical day of sightseeing around Delhi you'd anticipate exploring the many bazaars, visiting the Red Fort, and enjoying the colourful chaos of the city – but would you expect to go to a toilet museum? The complex evolution of sanitation dates back to 2500 BC and the museum is virtually overflowing with exhibits from around the world sampling our soiled past. Not only does the exhibition get to the bottom of chamber pots, commodes and cubicles but also appropriate toilet etiquette and codes of conduct are discussed. On display is a French portable toilet that's camouflaged as a stack of books and an Austrian-designed coloured cistern. So next time you point anything at the porcelain consider where it's come from and where it's going, and be sure to check out this remarkable display when in Delhi.
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