India
Destination information
Extracts from Insight Guide, India © Apa Publications
India
Vital statistics
Population: 1.0251 billion (2003 est.)
Area: 3,287,590 sq. km
Capital: New Delhi
Language: Hindi (mother tongue for more than 360 million speakers), Telugu, Bengali, Marathi and Tamil
Religion: Hindu (80 percent); Muslim (11 percent); Christian (2 percent); Sikh (2 percent), Jain, Buddhist
Time Zone: GMT +5
Currency: rupee divided into 100 palse
Electricity: 220V AC, 50 cycles
Weights & Measures: Metric
International Dialling Code: +91
The Place
India has a long history of welcoming new peoples, accommodating and absorbing them into its existing structures, which in time adapt and change to express the ideas and practices of the new arrivals. The contemporary visitor will encounter the same open-minded and welcoming attitude, and a fascinating complex of cultures and beliefs. Home to political ideologies from peasant liberation-supporting communists to Hindu nationalists, and landscapes that range from the world's highest mountain ranges to tropical coasts, India has an almost endless variety of peoples and places to explore.
With various peoples and religions came a variety of ethnicities, their art, architecture, culture, languages, customs, literature, styles of music and dance, administrative structures, systems of thought, science, technology and medicine. Few of these have entirely lost their identity, all have had their influence, and many have found a permanent place in India's intricate mosaic.
While it is India's variety and complexity that gives the country its identity, and makes it attractive to the traveller, negotiating this heterogeneity can at times be a difficult task. But despite the problems that can arise, India retains its allure for visitors eager to spend time in understanding what confronts them rather than judging it on first acquaintance. Everyone's perception is different. The English journalist James Cameron, one of India's greatest advocates, summed up its appeal when he wrote: "I like the evening in India, the one magic moment when the sun balances on the rim of the world, and the hush descends, and 10,000 civil servants drift homeward on a river of bicycles, brooding on the Lord Krishna and the cost of living."
People
It would be almost impossible to pick out a single person as a typical Indian. The diversity among more than 1 billion citizens is mind-boggling: from the Adivasi societies of the Northeast to the Tamil-speakers of the South - this incredible array of humanity spices up the spectacle of crowd-watching. Any description of this huge variety of societies and cultures must, of necessity, be highly simplified, and for each assertion made there are bound to be many examples that contradict it.
Climate
India's climate ranges from the permanent snows of the Himalayas and the tropical conditions along the coasts, to the continental climate of inland areas. There are also many regional and seasonal variations. In general, the best time to visit is after the southwest monsoon.
October to March is the cool season and therefore the best time of year in Peninsular India. Once beautifully predictable in winter, with blue skies and bright sunshine in most areas, India's weather, as in much of the world, is becoming increasingly erratic. Parts of the south and east see a brief spell of rain from the northeast monsoon, while snow and sleet make the extreme north very cold and often inaccessible.
Summer, from April to June, is very hot and dry for most of the country, and humid along the coasts. Kashmir and the hill stations of Himachal and Uttar Pradesh are particularly lovely at this time of the year.
The southwest monsoon begins to set in along the western coast towards the end of May, bringing welcome respite from the heat and varying amounts of rain as it moves across the rest of the country through June and July and withdraws by late September. Northeastern India has heavy rain during this season, making it one of the wettest regions in the world.
Dos & Don'ts
Removing one's shoes before entering a temple, mosque or gurdwara (sikh temple) is essential. Overshoes are provided in some places at a nominal cost and stockinged feet are usually permissible. Avoid taking leather goods of any kind into temples as these can often cause offence.
Photography is prohibited inside the inner sanctum of many places of worship. Do obtain permission before using a camera. Visitors are usually welcome to look around at their leisure and can sometimes stay during religious rituals. For visits to places of worship, modest clothing is essential. In Sikh temples, your head should be covered. In mosques, women should cover their head and arms and wear long skirts. A small contribution to the donation box is customary.
In private, visitors are received as honoured guests and your unfamiliarity with Indian ways will be accepted and understood. When eating with your fingers, remember to use only the right hand.
Avoid pointing the soles of your feet towards anyone as this is considered a sign of disrespect. Don't point with your index finger: use either your extended hand or your chin.
The namaste, the greeting with folded hands, is the Indian form of salutation and its use will be appreciated, though men, especially in the cities, will not hesitate to shake hands with you if you are a man. A handshake would even be appreciated as a gesture of special friendliness. Most Indian women would be taken aback at the informality of interaction between the sexes common in the West and physical contact between men and women is to be avoided. Men should not shake hands with a woman (unless she first offers to).
Homosexuality is still a taboo subject for many Indians. Sexual relations between men are punishable with long prison sentences and cruising in public could come under public disorder laws. There is no similar law against lesbians. On the plus side, hotels will think nothing of two men or women sharing a room.
There is no harm expressing your appreciation with a small tip. Depending on services rendered and the type of establishment, this could range from Rs2-Rs10. In restaurants, the tip is customarily 10-15 percent of the bill. Leading hotels add a 10 percent service surcharge and tipping in such places is optional. Although tipping taxis and three-wheelers is not an established norm, it does not go amiss. Here again, 10 percent of the fare or leaving the change. Porters at railway stations would expect around Rs2 a bag. At airports, a rupee per bag in addition to the fee charged by the airport authority would be welcome. If you have been a house guest, check with your host whether he has any objections to your tipping any of his domestic helpers before doing so.
Tourist Office website – www.incredibleindia.org
Extracts from Insight Guide India © Apa Publications
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