Facts to be known

Health
The entire Indian sub continent has the same health hazards so one line of defence should cover you on all territories. The major risks to your health from the armies of mosquitoes are malaria, encephalitis, kala azar and dengue. Cover your arms and legs; be liberal with the repellent and in problem areas sleep under a mosquito net. Traveller’s diarrhoea is another running problem and year after year traveller after traveller gets the ‘loosies’. Ensure it’s nothing nastier by avoiding green salads, uncooked food, and water that you haven’t sanitised by dropping an iodine pill into.

Slightly more serious is the risk of contacting AIDS, Hepatitis B and other sexually transmitted diseases. For your sake and the sake of the people you’re visiting always use a condom. Have safe responsible sex.

For climbers and mountaineers: look out for symptoms of altitude sickness/acute mountain sickness. If you ascend above 3500meters too fast you might feel nauseous, sleepless, and your head may ache. In this case your body is telling you that you’re having acclimatisation problems so let’s descend, buddy. Jokes aside, this is a very serious situation to be in and the only thing to do is to descend. Also carry sunscreen with minimum SPF 20 to escape sunburn.

The quality of health services is not consistent. Urban centres, particularly metros, have good hospitals, well stocked late night/all night chemists, highly competent doctors and top of the line medical services. Conversely, rural and semi-rural areas have very limited facilities. Stick to the larger cities if you are anticipating trouble. Medicines are fairly cheap in India. Though chemist shops in the cities are well stocked, it is always a good idea to take along prescription drugs.
Travellers from yellow fever areas are required to have an inoculation certificate. Prior inoculation for poliomyelitis is recommended.

Safety
India is a reasonably safe travel destination. Political disruption is usually localised and everyone’s aware of there being potential trouble days ahead. Areas that may be avoided are Jammu & Kashmir and parts of the Northeast, which in any case have restricted tourist activity. Cases of mugging, theft and worse aren’t completely unheard of but by and large serious crimes against travellers are few and far between.

Basic precautions:

• Keep your money and travel documents close to your body (perhaps in a pouch slung around your neck, tucked out of sight under your shirt),
• Keep several photocopies of your passport, insurance, travellers’ cheques etc. scattered through your luggage,
• Do not use a waist pouch, it may as well be a transparent plastic bag: it’s that fragile and that obvious!
• Do not put all your money in one place,
• Be extremely alert in the dark. One of the things that protect travellers to India is the vast crowds in any place. The multitudes however, disappear into their homes at night, and you go from having a huge thick safety quilt to a flimsy sheet! Try your best to be in a familiar area when it gets dark. If you are not, at least know how you can get to that area from wherever it is that you happen to be.
• Many women travellers wear the long tunic and loose pyjama dress of Indian women called the salwar-kameez and find that it substantially dissuades unwanted male attention.
• If you are travelling alone, do not advertise it.
• If you lose your passport lodge a First Information Report at the local police station and contact your embassy.

Weights & Measures: India uses the metric system where 100cm=1meter; 1000meters=1km, liquids are measured in litres and solids in kilograms.

Electricity: 220volts/ 50 hertz is the frequency at which electricity is available WHEN it is! Power cuts and ‘load shedding’ is a regular feature all over except Mumbai. Another reason for visiting in the colder months would be that not only do power cuts become fewer but you’ll also feel the pain of them less! If your electric razor has flat-pin plug then carry a combination plug that will feed into a round-pin socket: across the sub continent plug point sockets are round rather than flat.

Customs and Duties: If you are above 17 years you may import the following in without attracting duty:
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, a litre of alcoholic drink, 250 ml perfume, gifts up to a value of Rupees 4000 (foreign passport holders), gifts up to a value of Rupees 6000 (Indian passport holders) and articles of personal use. But its best to check with the authorities for the specific details.

It is illegal to bring in drugs, gold and silver bullion, plants and coins that have gone out of use.

Post & Communications: Postal services in India are quite efficient. Letters overseas must be marked "Air Mail" or "Par Avion". It takes a week to 10 days for letters to reach the UK and the US from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and other major cities. Have letters for you (surname first) addressed to the GPO (General Post Office) of the city, ‘Poste Restante’. The post offices hold letters for 30 days, and you’ll have to show them your passport for identification.

Parcels are a bit tedious to send or receive and often when they do finally arrive, they’ve been tampered with. Courier services are widely available in the cities and small towns.

"Cyber cafes" are an increasingly common fixture in India’s urban landscape, in major cities and even in smaller towns. At a fixed rate that varies from city to city, locality-to-locality, you can check your mail and surf the net. Very often the Internet business is an extension of what used to be a just a "PCO".

In loopy lanes, beneath shady peepul trees, in busy markets....all over India, little yellow boards spill out of little kiosks with the cryptic letters "PCO-STD-ISD" (..... huh?) 15 years ago the telecommunications miracle swept India and today, proud bearers of that legacy, ‘Public Call Offices’ bring to the streets the services of ‘Subscribers’ Trunk Dialling’ and ‘International Standard Dialling’. Most offer fax services, and more and more now, Internet facilities too.

Country code for India: 0091. Codes for the metros: Delhi-011, Mumbai-022, Calcutta-033 and Chennai-044. When calling from overseas omit the zero in the city code.

Tipping: It is customary to tip 10% of the bill at restaurants, but you may tip less if service charges have been included in the bill. At hotels tip 10 bucks to the bellhop, the same to the doorman ‘durban’; if the service is particularly good, substantially more to the concierge and housekeeping.
Black and yellow cab drivers do not expect to be tipped. The opposite is true if you have a hired a cab for a long period. You’ll find some of the most friendly and colourful service at tiny nondescript roadside stalls called ‘dhabas’. A small tip, even if it is only loose change, will be appreciated tremendously.
Coolies (porters) at railway platforms have to be paid; negotiate the payment before you hire one.

English Language Media: No matter where you are in India it is never going to be difficult to find an English language newspaper. All the major dailies, and there are many in this country where the fourth estate is startlingly independent and strong, have multiple editions with at least one from every region and one on the net. There are two major weekly newsmagazines and both are easily available at kiosks all over. Even international fashion glossies have an edition coming out of India now though these are available only in the bigger cities.

Cable TV has reaped a rich harvest. Even small town India has a skyline that blooms with electronic blossoms of dish antennas and these are only going to proliferate further. BBC World Service and CNN beam the latest news; ESPN and Star Sports keep you up to date with how your club is (or is not) thrashing its rivals in UEFA; and Star (elsewhere known as Sky) beams an entire stable of entertainment channels.

The more widely accessible national channel too has some English programmes, and a daily English news segment.
FM in the metros means Music like in the rest of the world. BBC World Service and Voice of America are on the MHz bandwidth but the frequency is variable.

Public Holidays

Public Holidays
Following is the List of Public Holidays: for the Financial Year 2008-2009 (1^st April, 2008 to 31^st March, 2009)

Year: 2008

18 Apr Mahavir Jayanthi.

15 Aug Independence Day.

16 Aug Raksha Bandhan

24 Aug Janmashtami.

14 Sep Ganesh Chaturdashi

2 Oct Mahatma Ghandi's Birthday / Id ul Fitr (End of Ramadan).

9 Oct Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami).

28 Oct Deepavali or Diwali (Festival of Lights).

13 Nov Guru Nanak's Birthday.

9 Dec Idu'l Zuha/Bakrid (Feast of the Sacrifice).

25 Dec Christmas Day.

Year: 2009

10 Jan Muharram (Islamic New Year).

14 Jan Sankranti

26 Jan Republic Day.

Feb Mahashivratri.

Mar Good Friday.

Mar Milad-Un-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet).

Mar Holi

Business Guide

Biz overview and hours
The major centres of business wheeling and dealing are Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Calcutta.
Some consider Mumbai the financial capital of India. Many corporate houses and India’s showbiz industry have their headquarters in this city where sophisticated executives work hard and play hard too. Bangalore, and increasingly Hyderabad, is where the technology giants are based. Balmy climate, green avenues and great infrastructure make Bangalore the ideal place to do business. A very important port and at the centre of the textile trade is the southern city of Chennai. Heavy industry and jute is the bastion of genteel old Calcutta. Once the capital of British India, the city that’s struggling under the weight of humanity refuses to let go of old world politeness. The port supports sea trade for eastern India and Nepal.

Capital city, headquarter of the Government of India, the world of busy bureaucrats; New Delhi is the place where decisions get made, deals are sealed and big contracts awarded. In the stately colonial buildings of Delhi power packs a solid punch and the biggest businesses of all are transacted.

Biz protocol
With increasing liberalisation at both the economic level and at the societal level, business protocol has begun to adhere to western standards. In the big cities expect thorough professionalism when dealing with private companies and high-ranking bureaucracy. Keep appointments, be punctual (though that’s a value that Indians are only now picking up), and shake hands if one is offered or greet with hands folded in ‘namaste’. You’ll most likely be asked questions about family and home not because anybody wants to pry but because many Indians believe that curiosity conveys concern.

There are many women executives, often top-level management. Most will not take shaking hands amiss. Some however, are still conservative. So to ensure you don’t misstep, be sensitive to how the lady greets you and respond accordingly.

Dress formally for business meetings. Women would probably be more comfortable in trousers than a skirt. Men should wear formal cotton shirts with a tie and trousers if the weather is warm. Otherwise a business suit is appropriate.

Banks and Money Changers

Banking in India has become quite easy now. The sector has steadily opened up to privatised participation, which has bolstered the services and performance of state run entities too. Trans National banks have a sizeable presence in the larger cities, especially in the metros. There are more and more ATMs so now in India too Any Time Money is yours for the asking. In the smaller towns your banking options will be far less than in the cities. You’re likely to find only minor branches of government banks that do not offer facilities such as ATM and are unlikely to change currency other than dollars and pound sterling. Also the paperwork might run into reams if the bank is yet to computerise.

Banking hours usually are 10 AM to 2 PM Monday to Friday and 10 AM to 12-noon on Saturdays.

Bank holidays vary from region to region. Major festivals are holidays though it is unlikely that a bank will be closed for longer than 2 days in a row.

Major international credit cards are widely accepted in the cities.

Exchange your money

Changing money in India can be a tedious process so change substantial amounts at a time. Not all banks accept travellers’ cheques or currency other than dollars or pound sterling and if you find one that services your needs take advantage of it. Changing money anywhere but at accredited bureaux is illegal.

Moneychangers are open 24 hours at the airports (but these are invariably far from town) and in hotels. International foreign exchange providers have several branches in the larger cities. Smaller towns however, are likely to only have minor banks. Save up all exchange receipts (encashment certificates); these are required for visa extensions and other formalities, and when you want to convert rupees at the end of your trip.

Currency and Costs

The Indian rupee is available in denominations of Re1, Rs5, Rs10, Rs20, Rs50, Rs100, Rs500 and Rs 1000. One rupee is split into a hundred paise, available in denominations of 10p, 25p and 50p. There are coins for Re1, Rs2 and Rs5.

The most meagre that your budget can get is $20 per day of your stay. You’ll struggle with dormitory accommodation, looking for cheap grub, and trying to figure out bus routes and timings but you’ll just about survive. A healthy budget in India is about thrice that. $35 a day will see you sleep in decent clean beds and wake up to an attached bathroom for morning ablutions. It’ll fetch you three decent meals, a spot of shopping and some auto-rickshaw rides. This estimate has been made keeping in mind urban India. Rates and prices vary from region to region. In the south it is easy to find great mid-rung accommodation at low rung prices even in the cities. Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi are both quite expensive. Small temple towns will be easy on the pocket; beach bumming and wildlife moonlighting may work out dirt cheap or highly pricey. So it’s really about how you chose to do it.

The dollar goes a long way in India (the pound sterling, longer). The bare minimum is just under $15 a day while a top end holiday could blow through the roof. Make sure you bring enough for souvenirs though. Believe the hype: this is a treasure trove of a country!

Travel Documents

All visitors are required to carry a passport valid at least for the next 6 months. Visa exemptions include:

1. Bhutanese and Nepalese visitors who are staying for less than 3 months,

2. Nationals from the Maldives, if they are staying for a maximum of 90 days (this includes any periods they may have spent in India up to 6 months prior to the visit in question),

3. Transit passengers who have a follow-on ticket within 72 hours of arrival as long as they are not going to leave the airport.

Special restrictions apply to Pakistani and Afghan nationals.
Its always wise to check updated visa requirements prior to travel.

Things that can be done

Dining and Entertainment: The call of "Chai-garam" proclaims the availability of hot tea on obscure railway platforms, and if you are tempted you’ll singe your tongue to one of the truest Indian experiences with food and drink. From the steel ‘thali’ fodder that is railway dining to the gourmet meals on dull silver that is fine dining, it’s all available in India.

In the cities the most popular international cuisines are Chinese, Italian, ‘Continental’/European and Thai. Lasagna, pasta, chop suey and red curries abound on menus. The most widely available Indian foods are definitely Mughlai and south Indian. Harking back to the days of the Mughals, Mughlai cuisine relies on aromatic spices, and succulent meats either curried or roasted in a tandoor and it can be very heavy. South Indian food is predominantly vegetarian, light and tangy.

Frothy coffee that sizzles out of a bright machine, chicken burger served up in a jiffy and with a smile; fast food has come into its own in India. Many worldwide chains have set up shop in India’s cities and from Pune to Delhi, the American get-and-go eating experience is yours for the asking.

Originally the truckers’ meal deal, ‘dhabas’ have proliferated along the highways and cater to all wayfarers. These shack establishments serve some great food at hard to beat prices, but since plates are not cleaned in the clearest of waters this dining experience may not be too safe.

Theatre and the arts are feted in the urban centres of Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Pune and Bangalore. Hollywood fare also reaches the big screens here within a month of their American release. The Hindi movie, that quintessentially Indian phenomenon, is a must-see. Slake your thirst for nightlife and twinkle any tingling toes at the pubs, nightclubs and discos. There is little by way of entertainment in the smaller towns and cities except the cinema halls and maybe the odd locally produced cultural show.

Shopping: All over India makeshift markets line streets. Paan-sellers dot market corners, villages have busy market-days, deserted mountain trails boast lone tea-stalls that count as a whole settlement, and city roads all lead to snazzy malls! While shopping has always been big for Indians, as current trends go, ‘Indian’ is now big in shopping.

Ethnic chic, glitz and kitsch, whether it’s clothes, carpets or clutter, if it’s Indian, it’s in! To name a little that could fill your bags: Kashmiri Carpets that rival Persian rugs or rugged durries of natural fibre in vibrant colours and rural motifs. Perfumes extracted from the sweetest of flowers, opulent silks and block-printed cotton. Beads and trinkets, silver and gold, mirror-work Rajasthani skirts, tie-and-dye, inexpensive leather ware, and statues in metal or stone.

Look out for the bright red, yellow, green and blue handloom from the ‘seven sisters’ in the Northeast; Karnataka Bidriware (silver inlay on blackened white metal); Kanjeevaram and Benaras Saris with gold woven into multihued silks; beads, bangles and other ornaments everywhere; shell craft, pretty sandals, Kurta and pyjamas at Delhi's designer shops, brass from UP, bronze in the south; Darjeeling tea, and Coorg Coffee

Activities: For the thrill seeking traveller India is an all-in-one deal. The Indian Himalayas and the many hill formations present the trekker with innumerable hiking and trekking options. The wildlife sanctuaries, whether in the ‘sholas’ of southern India or the thick teak forests of the east, whether in the ‘sal’ and ‘shisham’ jungles of the north or the scrub of the west, are for the nature enthusiast. White water rafting in the rapids of the Himalayan rivers, Kettuvalam cruises in the Keralam backwaters, snorkelling, diving, water-skiing, beach bumming along India’s extensive coastline, there’s enough to make a water lover happy. There are many centres for adventure sports like parasailing and paragliding. Skiing in the Alps it is not, but for beginners the slopes in Auli and the more difficult ones in Spiti would provide some thrill. Some hotels and clubs allow non-guests/members pay-and-play use of swimming pools and golf links.

Cricket is special in India. It’s as much about twenty-two guys and a ball as about the beat of drums and blasts from trumpets, painted faces and flag-waving, and cheering (and jeering) enthusiasm. Try and catch the buzz at least once.

Special Events: India’s calendar is full of very special events: festivals of religion, harvests and culture are celebrated with aplomb. India has three national holidays when all establishments across the country are compulsorily closed: 15^th August-Independence Day, 2^nd October-Gandhi’s birthday and 26^th January-Republic Day, which is an extravaganza of a parade.

Festivals and holidays differ in different regions and some are universally appreciated across the country. The winter festival of lights, Diwali, is celebrated in cities, towns and dusty villages with twinkling lamps and fireworks. Spring brings myriad hues to the world around and also the festival of Holi - a happily messy rite of water and colour. The harvest brings joy and festivities of another order and is celebrated as Pongal in the south, and Bihu in the east and Baisakhi in the north. Christmas in Goa is still the most special but the cheer spreads everywhere. The month of Ramadan and feasting is important to Muslims. Other important religious events include Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, the Prophet’s birthday, Good Friday, Dussehra, Buddha Purnima (Buddha’s birthday) and Guru Nanak’s birthday.

Besides these, dance festivals in southern temple towns in December and car festivals of Puri and Madurai when the temple chariots are wheeled around the city, and the Nehru Cup boat race in the Kerala's backwaters (second Saturday of August) bring more occasions to celebrate.

What to Carry?

Carry a combination plug that will feed into a round-pin socket: across the subcontinent plug point sockets are round rather than flat. Winters in the north are cold but days in the plains are sometimes sunny. Carry a combination of heavy woollens and light jumpers. It’s coldest from mid-December to mid-January. Get yourself an umbrella or raincoat. It’s always raining some region or another. In the summer be armed with sun protection: sunglasses, cap/hat, cream with a minimum SPF of 20.

Bring water purification tablets, prescription medicines and an extra pair of spectacles/contact lenses (though opticians abound in cities). A sleeping bag and a bed sheet are a must for budget travellers.

Where to Stay?

There’s enough variety in tourist accommodation in India for the visitor to always find comfort; degrees of luxury though will be directly proportionate to the degree of the depth of your pocket.

Hotels are graded on the star system: 5-star being fully air conditioned, with a coffee shop, multiple speciality restaurants, pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, health centre, in-house shopping and all the razzmatazz. Down to hostels, ashrams, and Public Works’ guesthouses at the other end of the spectrum: dormitory style living with rationed hot water (just about enough for a decent shave!), no-smoking no-drinking restrictions and curfew!

There are numerous other options and you’ll never be stuck in a heap because there isn’t a choice.

Even the smallest tourist destination has mid-rung establishments. Some have common bathrooms but there usually will be the option of renting a room with an attached bathroom. Some mid-rung establishments are better than others. There are many that have cosy atmosphere and make up in character what they lack in frills.

In many wildlife sanctuaries, there is accommodation in the park’s buffer zone. Forest guesthouses are very basic accommodation, and some require you to bring your own provisions, but their privileged location more than compensates.

Heritage hotels and palace hotels are probably an Indian peculiarity. Some old rajahs, especially in Rajasthan, have converted part of their palaces into hotels. These give the visitor a great shot at savouring famed Indian hospitality at its quaint and genteel best. The government is promoting Home Stays where some pre-approved families provide paying guest accommodation and this has taken off in a big way in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.

There are beach resorts that give you access to exclusive sand so you may sun and surf in style. Houseboats in Kashmir, hardy little huts along trekking trails and numerous camping sites only widen the range that the traveller can choose from.

The Best Time

The best time to visit India is between October and March. The summer heat has abated by then in the northern plains and in Rajasthan’s arid landscape. The wet Northeast becomes somewhat drier, the south becomes a breathtaking scene of swaying coconut palms and rain showers spray Tamil Nadu.

Most of India’s colourful festivals are in this period. Dussehra, which is celebrated like Guy Fawkes Day but with dramatis personae from the epic drama of Ramayana, is followed 20 days later by the festival of light, firecrackers and joyous pyrotechnics, Diwali. Come March, come Holi: coloured powder, water fights and sweetmeats!

Besides these that are universal favourites across the country, there are regional festivals. Harvest festivals, car festivals, dance festivals and numerous temple celebrations pepper south India’s calendar in December-January. Pretty Pushkar in Rajasthan holds Asia’s largest camel fair in November; Mardi Gras in Goa and the muezzin’s call heralding Id. The winter is also ideal for wildlife enthusiasts.

The major deterrent to visiting during any other time is the heat. However, the months from March-May and September-November are prime trekking time in the Himalayas, and if you plan to concentrate on hilly areas then this is a better period in which to visit.

Tourist Offices

Government of India Tourist Office (GITO),
88 Janpath,
New Delhi 110001.
Tel: (11) 23320342, (11) 23320005, (11) 23320008, and (11) 23320266. Fax: (11) 23320109.
India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC),
SCOPE Complex, Core 8, 6th Floor,
7 Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003
Tel: (11) 2436 0303. Fax: (11) 2436 0233

States have their own individual tourism boards that promote and organise travel within the state.

Agra 191,The Mall Tel:(0562)363959, 363377
Email : agra@tourisminindia.com

Aurangabad Krishna Vilas,Station Road Tel: (02432) 331217
Email : aurangabad@tourisminindia.com

Bangalore KFC Building 48,Church Street Tel (080)5585417
Email: bangalore@tourisminindia.com

Bhubaneswar B/21,B.J.B Nagar Tel: (0674) 412203 Email : bhubaneswar@tourisminindia.com

Bombay (Mumbai) Ram P Chopra123 M Karve Road Tel:(022)2032932,2033144, 2033145,2036854

Calcutta/Kolkata 'Embassy' 4,Shakespeare sarani Tel:(033)2421402,2421475, 2425813 Fax:(033)2423521
Email : calcutta@tourisminindia.com

Cochin(Kochi) wellington Island Tel:(0464)668352
Email : kochi@tourisminindia.com

Guwahati B.K. Kakall Road,Ulubari Tel:(0361)547407
Email : guwahati@tourisminindia.com

Hyderabad 3-6-369/A-30 Sandozi Building 2nd Floor, 26 Himayatnagar Tel:(040) 7630037
Email : hyderabad@tourisminindia.com

Imphal Old Lambulane,Jail road Tel:(03852)221131
Email : imphal@tourisminindia.com

Jaipur State Hotel Khasa Kothi Tel: (0141)372200 Fax:(0141)372200 Email : jaipur@tourisminindia.com

Khajuraho Near Western Group of Temples Tel:(07686)2047,2048
Email : khajuraho@tourisminindia.com

Madras (Chennai) S M Naqui 154,Anna Salai Tel:(044)8524295,8524785, 8522193 Fax:(044)8522193
Email : chennai@tourisminindia.com

Naharlagun Sector 'C' Tel:(03718)4328
Email: neharlagun@tourisminindia.com

New Delhi 88,Janpath Tel:(011)3320342, 3320005, 3320109, 3320008, 3320266 Fax : (011)3320342
Email : newdelhi@tourisminindia.com

Domestic Airport Counter (New Delhi) Tel:(011)3295296

International Airport Counter (New Delhi) Tel:(011)3291171

Panaji (Goa) Communidade Buliding Church Square Tel:(0832)223412 Email : panaji@tourisminindia.com

Patna Sudama Palace Kankar Bagh Road Tel:(0612)345776 Fax:(0612)345776
Email : patna@tourisminindia.com

Port Blair VIP Road,189, 2nd Floor, Jungli Ghat Tel: (03192) 21006
Email : portblair@tourisminindia.com

Shillong Tirot Singh Sylem Road Police Bazaar Tel: (0364)225632
Email : shillong@tourisminindia.com

Thiruvananthapuram Airport Counter Tel:(0471)451498
Email : thiruvananthapuram@tourisminindia.com

Varansi 15-B,The Mall Tel:(0542)43744
Email : varansi@tourisminindia.com

Travelling in India

India is a vast country but luckily for the traveller, it is extensively linked by public transport. All major towns and cities have airports. Even very small towns are connected by rail with Indian Railways maintaining the biggest network in Asia. ‘Toy trains’ are quaint, neat and narrow gauge; pretty like the hillsides they chug up. The roads and highways may not be state-of-the art multi-lane expressways but if it’s basically about getting to places, they serve the purpose well! The bus network, privately run and state operated is extensive.

Traffic drives on the left hand side and it is possible to hire cars, but more easily chauffeur driven ones. Self drive cars are hard to come by as the government does not issue licenses for these. That’s fine, believe us, because you will appreciate your driver here! Roads are reasonably good in parts, specially the major highways. Near towns and villages they deteriorate and depending on the season, crumble into tracks in some areas. Valid documentation is an International Driver’s License. Taxis and three wheeler auto rickshaws are ubiquitous in the Indian urban and even semi rural landscape. Most small towns have motorcycle rentals.

Travel by water is not popular but there are ships to the Andamans from Calcutta, Chennai and Vishakhapatnam. Backwater cruises in converted rice boats called Kettuvalams are a delight in the lazy lagoons of Kerala.

Indrail passes are a good way of exploring the country for non-resident Indians and foreigners. They can be purchased at major railway stations in India and through travel agents. Advance reservations are necessary because this is a first come first serve service.

Transport in India

Air: The major international airports in India, which serve traffic from all over the world, are in Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Calcutta, Kochi(Cochin) and Chennai (Madras). Airports tend to be on the outskirts of cities. Pre-paid taxi services and auto-rickshaws are stationed outside the terminus to get you into the city.

Rail: Railways do not cut across international borders in this part of the world except the Samjhauta (i.e. "understanding"!) Express that runs between Amritsar (India) and Lahore (Pakistan). However, in many cases it is possible to travel till the border by train.

Road: Except the Lahore-Delhi bus (4 times a week), there are no cross border coach services. It is possible to drive into India with the requisite paperwork in order. Even driving in from Nepal now requires a permit. Permits may be arranged through the Indian embassy in your country.

Sea: Several international cruise lines include stopovers at Indian ports. The popular destinations are Goa, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode, Calcutta and Chennai. There are no regular passenger services; the service between Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu) and Sri Lanka has been indefinitely suspended.

Places of Interest

Sights that enthral and appall. When Foster wrote his Passage to India in the 1920s he reached the stunning conclusion that there are "a hundred Indias". There are. And if you go out to discover each of these you can count on spending at least a year in this stupendous country with its phenomenal repertoire of surprises and delights. Blessed with probably the widest array of topographical and cultural diversity that was ever packed into one time zone, there’s an India for everyone.

India’s jungles, rivers and streams are simply bursting with wildlife; much of it protected in her 80 National Parks and 441 Sanctuaries. Popular ones are Corbett, Rajaji and Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh), Kanha, Pench (Madhya Pradesh) and Sasan Gir (Gujarat).

Sariska and Ranthambor (Rajasthan), Kaziranga, Manas (Assam), Mudumalai, Bandipore and Wyanad (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve-Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala) are the other well known game sanctuaries. Keoladeo Ghana, Bharatpur (Rajasthan) is a famous bird sanctuary. Find yourself as you lose the cares of life in the city.

The temple trail in India just trails on and on and on.... winding past the monuments of man’s love for the divine. The gilded gurudwara in Amritsar, ancient weather-beaten cathedrals in Goa, ‘dargahs’ (mausoleums) of Muslim saints and grand temples to the innumerable Hindu deities; these houses of worship are as precious as works of art.

Catch the trail as it runs through Ajmer, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri, Varanasi, Madurai, Sarnath, Gaya, Orchha, Tanjore, Trichy, Tirupati, Mathura, Ayodhya, Jammu, Badrinath, Haridwara and Rishikesh. The legacy of spiritual succour lives on in the land of exotica. In Pune, Pondicherry, Puttaparthy and Dharamsala, Osho, Auroville, the Sai Baba and Buddhist monks explore a new life, of what is and what could be.

Explore the same along turquoise blue and breezy beaches along the coast. Windswept or sunny, India’s beaches are peculiarly Indian. Crowded and cheery, sometimes dirty, always delightful, you’ll find them in Kerala’s Kovalam, in the Andamans and Lakshadweep, in Goa, quiet Gokarna, and ‘templescaped’ Puri, Kanyakumari and Mahabalipuram.

Ruins of forts, palaces, picturesque ‘havelis’ (large private houses) and mausoleums pepper the landscape. In and around Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, all over the country actually, historical sites intrigue the history enthusiast.

Important sites are Hampi, Khajuraho, Mandu, Aurangabad, Bikaner, Goa, Gwalior, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mahabalipuram, Tanjore and Mysore.

Museums, business centres, nightlife, large markets, embassies and consulates mark space in the bigger cities of India. Bustling with activity, bristling with high voltage energy, busy-busy-busy, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad make up India’s urban landscape.

The world’s highest mountains form a tall 2500 km long wall along India’s northeast frontier and are prime climbing territory for the outdoor types. The mountainous regions of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Leh are high altitude trekking options.

The "blue mountains" of the Nilgiri Hills in the Deccan, and the lower reaches of the Himalayas in Garhwal, Kumaon and around Darjeeling are simpler and ideal for a leisurely hike.

From stark white mountains framed against sheer clear blue to forested hills that enclose rushing streams, there is endless variety for the hiker. In the hills, in tiny towns with winding ‘mall roads’ survive the British legacy of "hill stations". These cool getaways from the simmering plains continue to entertain weekend tourists in the summers. Shimla, Manali, Kasauli and Mussoorie in the north, Shillong, Darjeeling and Kalimpong in the east, Ooty and Munnar in the south are the most popular.


So much to do, so much to see.....so little time! That holds completely true for the Indian experience. Don’t push yourself to do it all because that’s well nigh impossible but choose well and plan little, open your mind and be gathered up by the experience that the world calls "India".

People and Society

The fabric of Indian society is woven with myriad threads. The result is multi-textured, many layered and though this diversity has fuelled some dissension, it continues to be India’s strength.

India is predominantly Hindu and it also has the world’s largest population of Muslims. Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians (Roman Catholic, Protestant and Syrian Christian), Jews and Zoroastrians people this great land. There is phenomenal ethnic diversity too. While the people of the north are mainly Indo-Aryan, in the south they are mostly Dravidian. The tribal population in the northeast is of Tibeto-Burmese extract, while the ‘adivasis’ of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are probably proto Australoid. Language varies almost every ten miles and India’s billion-strong population has a total of 1535 recognized dialects.

One of the most marked things about Indian society is the great diversity. This applies to religion, ethnicity and language as much as to the economic situation. The yawning gap between the rich and the poor is bridged by a large middle class of small businessmen, professionals, bureaucrats etc.

Most Indians actively practice their religion, and despite the creeping westernisation, most of India is socially orthodox. That means that caste distinctions have not been forgotten, man-woman interaction may be frowned upon, and the public display of affection is strictly no-no. The cow is sacred and ‘all ye who forget that-be doomed’. The left hand, which is an indispensable tool for Indian ablutions, is considered impure and isn’t used in passing things around.

On the whole the Indians are a warm welcoming people. The guest is next only to God and crooks and touts notwithstanding, and curious looks and probing questions notwithstanding, you’ll find that they are great hosts. Their idiosyncrasies just make it all the more interesting; be patient and you will learn to love the complete package.

Religion

India probably has the most religious diversity in any country. It’s the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. It’s among the few places to have a resident Zoroastrian population. The Syrian Christian Church is well established in Kerala; the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, old churches in Calcutta and Delhi, synagogues in Kerala, temples from the tiny to the tremendous, ‘stupas’, ‘gompas’ and the Bodhi tree, the Ajmer Sharif and Kaliya Sharif in Bombay, all reflect the amazing multiplicity of religious practice in India. Tribal people in the northeast, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat practice forms of nature worship.

Secularism is enshrined in the Constitution.

Language

The national language of India is Hindi, which in one form or another is spoken all over the north. In the Deccan (south India), the languages are completely different. The states were formed on the basis of language so each has its own. On the whole though, dialects, accents, idioms and linguistic flourishes change every few miles. There are 18 official languages but over a thousand recognised dialects. English is widely spoken.

Food

From DC to Dakota, Warwick to what-have-you, Indian spices are letting off steam everywhere in the whole wide world. And you come to India and realise......hey, there’s nothing authentic about it! Every kitchen, every man, woman, cook, chef does it different.

A meal in the north would typically constitute chapattis or rice with dal (lentil curry) and a dish of vegetables or meat. Pappads (wafers fried or toasted to a crisp), yoghurt and pickle are usual accompaniments. The chapatti is a round flat unleavened bread of which you tear bits to scoop the curry. Variations of the chapatti are paratha, poorie, bhatoora, and Tandoori naans.

Idli, dosa, vada, sambar, uppama! In the south, too, a meal centres on a base of rice, or as in the South –Indian case, semolina preparation. The idli is a steamed rice cake and the crisp salty pancake often stuffed with potatoes is the dosa. Eaten alongside is the South-Indian dal - "sambhar", sour, hot, souped -up with vegetables. The Brahmins are vegetarian, but the rest consume sour-hot fish, mutton, and chicken with gusto. In Kerala seafood is simmered in coconut milk and delicately flavoured with curry leaves. Most Indians eat three meals, each one full-fledged.

Savoury snacks like pakoras pep the evening cuppa. Anything coated in batter (of chickpea, flour et al) and deep-fried will pass for pakora. Also, readily available on the roadside are snacks like bhel puri (spiced up puffed rice) and paapri chaat (wafers and boiled potato doused in curd and sauces). Vegetarians will feel like they’ve come home, specially in the south. But no matter where you are, in a plush restaurant or a roadside ‘dhaba’, in Kunnur or Kullu, you can be sure of sumptuous vegetarian meals.

All along the coast and extensively in the northeast fish is consumed almost as a staple. Both fresh water and sea fish are popular. Indians love their sweets. There is great regional variety and among the most popular types is the Bengali "mishti".

There’s also a huge variety in drinks. Besides ‘chai’ (tea) and coffee, sweetened/salty churned yoghurt called lassi, the ubiquitous ‘neemboo-pani’ or lemon-water, fruit juice in tetra packs and aerated drinks are readily available in India. IMFL expands into Indian made Foreign Liquor and spans the entire range from beer to whiskey. Some examples of local brews are ‘chaang’ in Arunachal, toddy in the South and Goa’s famous ‘feni’.

Culture and Crafts

Music: Much of India’s classical music is devotional and a lot of that, devoted to the flute playing god, Krishna. The North Indian Hindustani and South Indian Carnatic streams are distinct and both have a complex ‘raga’ framework. Ghazals in Urdu reflect on life and are light on the ear. Every region has a distinctive folk tradition too. Instruments that would typically accompany Indian music are the stringed veena, sitar, and the Indian drum: tabla or mridangam in the south.

Dance: The legacy of dance in India is tremendous. On temple walls, on an urban stage, in impromptu bursts by a mellow evening fire, men and women twinkle their toes in expression of joy.

The classical dances of India are numerous. Characterised by stylised movements and elaborate costumes, these dances communicate age-old tales of love, longing and rage. Kathakali of Kerala, Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, Manipuri and Odissi from Orissa are the prominent dance forms in this country that sways to an altogether novel beat. The robust bhangra of Punjabi men, the graceful whirling of Rajasthani women, the gentle sway of northeastern dancers, vigorous tribal dances, every corner has developed it’s own unique form.

Theatre: There is a robust theatrical tradition. The Yakshagana, nautanki and puppetry are ancient folk forms that live on till date. This tribe of wandering performers is on the decline but there still are occasional performances on the rudimentary stages of the rural areas. Rustic and coarse the flavour might be, but the techniques are surprisingly sophisticated. There is a growing body of contemporary work both in English and in the vernacular.

Art: The earliest specimens of Indian painting are the ones on the walls of the Ajanta Caves dating back to 2^nd century BC. The typical ‘figures in profile’ art of India came to be when the Jain manuscripts were being illustrated. The Mughals had a huge impact on Indian art. The miniature, which had been only on palm leaves in the northeast, came into prominence. The influence of Persian art brought placid garden scenes, illustrations from myths, legends and history into Indian art. Later schools include the Bengal School of Tagore and the Company School of European influence. More recently the opulent paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, the paintings of M.F. Hussain, Jamini Roy and Ganesh Pyne among others rule the art scene.

Crafts:Word craft, handicrafts, architecture and sculpture all contribute to this rich and varied domain. Indian literature, both in English and in the vernacular, is ever more popular around the world. Handicrafts are as varied as the country itself. The Mughal and colonial structures and the temple architecture across the length and breadth of the country are testaments to the lands exciting past. Sculptures adorn temple walls, stupas, street junctions and ancient caves. The oldest schools are the Gandhara and the Mathura.

Movies: The Hindi movie industry is the most prolific in the world. Based in Bombay, hence Bollywood, this spool-spitting machine takes on the onerous responsibility of fuelling India’s prime passion. There is sheer joy in the easy stereotypes of muscle-flexing machismo, leering villainy and leading ladies of Hindi filmdom, but not all Hindi films are a simmering brew of action, romance, and song and dance. There is a parallel stream of "art" cinema though it’s not nearly half as popular as the "commercial" stream.

Giving competition to the Bollywood masala film is the equally spicy south Indian fare. Regional cinema is fairly popular in its local context and with serious cinemagoers.

Cricket: Oh for the love of a six-er! India grinds to a halt when the country’s eleven don their colours. In cricket-crazy Calcutta, old folk gather to trash the ‘new fangled’ limited-overs format; in front of a million TV sets, four million pray for victory (often knowing they’re praying for a miracle!) tirelessly. It’s a mad-mad-mad world and in India cricket stars adorn the doors of innumerable cupboards.

Hockey, football and now the ATP tour too have a decent following.

Education:

59.5% of India is literate: 70.2% males and 48.3% females. Kerala is the model state as far as education levels are concerned boasting figures of almost 99% literacy. Higher education in India has a formidable reputation. Whether in engineering or medicine, business management or social science education, India universities are at par with the best in the world.

Climate

In a country where topography varies wildly, climatic conditions are only bound to vary wildly too.
Classified as a hot tropical country by many, that is a definition that holds true for most of but not all of India. Exceptions include the northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir in the north and Sikkim in the northeastern hills.

In most of India summer is hot. It begins in April and continues till the beginning of October. The heat peaks in June with temperatures in the northern plains and the west soaring above 46° C. The monsoons hit the country during this period too, beginning 1^st of June when they are supposed to find the Kerala coast. Moisture laden trade winds sweep the country bringing relief to a parched northern India but devastation in the east where the rivers Brahmaputra and Ganga flood annually. Tamil Nadu in the south receives rainfall between October and December, beneficiary of the retreating monsoons.

India’s extensive coastline lies almost entirely below the Tropic of Cancer. The coast is usually warm and moist, prone to heavy rains in the monsoons and high summer temperatures. The eastern coast is vulnerable to cyclones. Winters here are mild and pleasantly sunny.

Hill Stations are the happy peculiarity that came up here when British wives and officers needed to flee the oppressive heat and malaria of the plains. Quaint towns that buzz along "mall roads", tucked away in hills all over India, they are now weekend getaways at the height of summer for families and couples from India’s cities.

The plains in the north and even the barren countryside of Rajasthan reel under a cold wave every year in December-January. Minimum temperatures could dip below 4° C but maximum temperatures usually do not fall lower than 12° C. In the northern high altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, it snows through the winter and even summer months are only mildly warm.

The east receives rain from April to August. September to November is relatively dry and the region only has sporadic showers. There are winter rains in December and January. This abates for two months and then it’s time for the monsoon season yet again. The central plateau has similar climate to the north but the mercury does not dip as low in winter. It rains from mid-June to September.

Habitat

From the highest point of the Kanchenjunga peak at 8598 meters to the lowest point at 0 meters at the Indian Ocean, India is the land that spells variety.

The 7^th largest country in the world, it covers a total area of 3,287,590 sq km in area. It lies in south Asia jutting into the Indian Ocean in its south, undulating over the frozen wasteland of the Himalayas in the north, braving drought in its desert-like west and surviving fierce floods in its east. A substantial portion of northern India is the fertile plain where the great Gangetic riverine system irrigates vast expanses of the land bringing agrarian well being. The Deccan Plateau in Central India is rich in minerals. The Western and Eastern Ghats fringe the southern peninsula and are the setting for coffee, tea, cashew plantations, the Nilgiri langur and gaur, and the silversmith Toda tribal.

In the north-west, Pakistan borders India, and to the east lie China, Nepal, Burma, Bhutan and Bangladesh. To the south lies the teardrop shaped island nation of Sri Lanka. Beyond the peninsula the waters of the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean at the very south wet the shores of India’s 7000 km long coastline. Great vanquishing rivers are worshipped. The Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, Cauveri, the Brahmaputra, Ganga and Yamuna criss-cross the terrain bringing prosperity and fertility and often wreaking havoc in flood. They inspire songs and they bring misery; increasingly they are bringing hydroelectric power to millions across the country.

The Tropic of Cancer splits India in half. Sub tropical jungles house the Royal Bengal tiger, multiple species of deer and antelope, the Asian elephant, the Common, Golden and Nilgiri langurs, the one horned rhino in the forests of Assam, prides of Asiatic lions in the dry wilds of Sasan Gir in the west. And there is much more: river dolphins in the Ganges and Brahmaputra, crocodiles, waters that are teeming with mahseer, trout, carp, fresh water prawns, woods with fishing cat, civets, leopard, the cobra, krait and python, the grey mongoose, the gaur, the sloth bear.

There are over 1200 bird species including the Great Indian Bustard, the Malabar hornbill, Paradise Flycatcher, cormorants, egrets, darters and migratory Siberian cranes in the winter. India’s jungles, rivers, streams are simply bursting with wildlife, much of it protected in her 80 National Parks and 441 Sanctuaries. Camels in the deserts of Rajasthan, stoic yaks, sure-footed Himalayan Tahr and mountain goats in the north extend the scope beyond just that which is typical to Asian sub tropical forests of sal, shisham and teak. There are mangrove forests in the east and evergreen conifers in the upper climes of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Common flowers include roses, bougainvilleas, sunny marigold, water lilies, lotus and fragrant jasmine. In the breathtaking Valley of Flowers a sea of lilies, poppy, daisies, holly, pansy, geranium, zinnia, petunia, fox, caryopsis dianthus, saxifrage and calendula stretches out in the shadow of towering snowbound Himalayan peaks.