Dont go to India ??

zsonia2993

I was listening to NPR (national public radio, USA) the other day. The person being interviewed was like an Animal Cruelty Undercover Detective.

He was talking about how he loves animals and wants to expose any cruelty against animals by the food and pet industries. And, since he was undercover detective, who would report on the activites by working there, you can imagine what he must have had to do. Plus, having to move from one location to another with new assignments and not being able to form new real relationships as you are always under cover. And he said he cant give it up because he loves animals so much and there is still so much animal cruelty.

So anyway the guy was talking about the passion, conviction and mental strength/temperament you need for this job and then he talked about new recruits for the job. He said that he tries his best to discourage the recruit from taking up this job. He would tell them all the negatives of the job, all that is bad. And if the new recruit still wants to do this, that is when he hires them.

Sorry for the long story, but here comes the point.

I was wondering if someone who has never been to India before should be warned of all the negatives and if they still want to go, that is when they are ready to go? I think you need some passion, conviction, mental strength and the right temperament for India

(Now I am not talking about the super rich travelers who can manage to avoid the usual problems one may face in India. I am talking about the rest of us.)

Would you try to discourage someone before they go to India? Or would you rather list out all that is positive about India?

Nick-H

I'd say that that is a lot of what this site is about. It's true that it gets a bit idealistic and hazy-cosy sometimes, but I think we do try to provide a balance.

What's more, many of the newcomers' posts are of the "will I get eaten by a tiger just outside the airport" kind. I think many of our new members have expectations of so many bad things in India that I sometimes worry that the reality might be a disappointment to them!

Where I think it is important to raise awareness is, for instance, those who, with no prior experience, have decided that living in India is what they absolutely have to do.

When I used to sail, and I friend and I used to get together crews from people we knew, often beginners, we used to offer them a little book called We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea (one of the Swallows and Amazons series), which tells the story of a group of children who, following a very realistic series of mishaps, make a crossing of the North Sea in bad weather. It's a much more realistic intro to sailing in British waters than mental images of yachts in peaceful lagoons.

Hmmm... Crossing the North Sea in a Force 6. Done that. A hell of a lot worse than visiting India! --- I don't see why I would ever see a reason to put anyone off.

<Afterthought>

In fact... I've just argued myself into saying: Do people make too big a deal out of visiting India? After all, if they hate it, they can always go home!

Haylo

That's an interesting post, thanks. I hope it prompts a good discussion among members who read it all and get the point.

If someone is all starry eyed about India, saying things like "I was born to travel to India, it is my destiny" "I know nothing about India but I just know I will love the spirituality, it is the place I am meant to be forever" and "I am saving for a one way ticket, I know I'll never want to go back to live in America" then I feel that I should point out that India can be a rather *cough* challenging place to live.

If however someone is going on and on about how horrible certain things about India are, I feel that I should point out the many positive aspects of visiting.

Basically, I'm contrary.

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zsonia2993

Yes, I kinda adjust my response based on whats going on too.

I thought of this because when NH and I told our families about wanting to go to India, my parents told us all the negatives of traveling in India, traveling there as an unmarried couple, etc. But when we were still firm and ready to deal with stuff, they transformed to completely supportive and helped us make bookings in India !!

Haylo, I have a friend who is a contrarian I was thinking of him when I was forming my concluding question. I could see him jumping fences to defend the least popular opinion

Nick-H, my parents sailed the seas for 10 years too !! big tankers and cargo ships and stuff. Now, they are more of rent a boat and sail in canal/lagoon type

I just remembered, when I had moved to US school, I would respond, 'Oh yeah, I had my own elephant to ride to school in India'

KABAARY

Quite.....I must confess though that after 42 years of insufferage, passion is an idealism, conviction is stubbornness, mental strength is a case of playing tiddly winks with reality and the rest has been brow beaten into being tempered.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast so here's my Schindler's list :

(i) The journey to India and the immediate arrival reminds one of poetry. You may have heard of the recent scrap mid air on an Air India flight between the pilots and hostesses - seeing the empty cockpit, I believe an intoxicated passenger actually recited Tenysson thus :

I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar

(ii) You ensconce yourself in the cab after fighting your way through the touts in the arrival lounge of Delhi airport (and beyond). The cabbie drives recklessly, sells you stories about the hotel you are going to having been burnt down, blah blah blah...you are totally heaved and start singing the Tracy Chapman song :

You've got a fast car
I wanna a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Any place is better starting from zero

(iii) You start to appreciate music some more...you didn't know it but the cabbie (scoundrel that he is) had his way so he managed to con you and drive you all the way to this hotel in Karnal....throughout this journey and after arrival, this is what you had to sing :
http://mayankarya.blogspot.com/2005/...nal-fonia.html

(iv) You settle down after the initial trauma....you traverse the length and breadth of India in search of the off the beaten paths, spirituality, etc etc...you keep searching and searching for the real India and what not...you never lose hope...all the while, you keep humming this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KvU91oqZdM

(v) You return home brow beaten.....you rest your weathered soul...you respond to entreaties from friends and folks to travel again thus :

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forebeare
To digg the dust enclosed heare;
Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones

namaste_cat

Good one, z! Reminds me so much of my 1st year in the U.S. as a grad student. I would get asked on a fairly regular basis if I had a house because "we've heard Indians lives in trees". Also "how come there are cows on the roads? Don't the tigers eat them?" And a lot more along those lines..

People like that aren't the ones going to visit India any time soon, thank God! But for others, I try to provide some balance between the positives and negatives about India because I'd hate for newbies to get blindsided. I don't think we do folks any favors if we don't shoot straight, but the overly (and particularly unwarranted) negative stuff also needs to be balanced.

HDBoy

Decades ago I encountered the same type of questions. At that time, most of people in my town never seen a person of color. Thank God that the town is diverse now.

While working in Singapore,I took a job in a small sleepy town in midwest america, which is sandwitched between Chicago and St.Louis. I landed in this town one snowy day from singapore. I found a cab to take me to my apartment. After the initial typcial conversion like "Where you are from? ." the cab driver asked me whether I have snake in my house. I promptly answered that it is a tradition that everyone should have atleast one snake as pet.

machadinha

I guess this thread ought to be linked to here: "Don't go to India because ..." Prejudices and Misconceptions Collected.

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Nick-H

I can think of so many things bad, or wrong, with India. I can go on about it for hours, and hours. I do; often. I can think of so many misconceptions that I have heard (usually the rosy-coloured ones, but the bad ones too), and I often try to counter those.

I can think of things that could or would drive a person mad if they lived here (I haven't even scratched the surface; ask someone who was born here!). I can go on about these too, but often they are not going to matter much, if at all, to the traveller.

When all is added up, though, I can only wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend people to visit India .

In the end, I can't really think of any really good reasons not to live here either! Just... it won't be like you think it will be. It's like the difference between going out with someone and marrying them.

capt_mahajan

Better not. My wife doesn't call me 'prophet of doom' (at times) for nothing.

I would dislike if indiamike were a place where just the good things in India were discussed. Tinted glasses are boring, whether they are rosy or grey.

As my Irish boxing instructor in school used to say, balance.


I have to admit, though, that I find the not uncommon assumption on indiamike (and in parts of the real world as well) that India is uniquely corrupt/uncaring about the environment/narrow minded/prejudiced/racist/(please fill in the blanks) quite wearisome at times.

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Nick-H

Just as I find the assumption that it is uniquely spiritual to be wearisome!

Thing is, even though some of us might do some letting off of steam here sometimes, none of us would be here if were not essentialy pro India.

Some idiot UK politician, a few years back, proclaimed that a good test of integration among immigrants was what cricket team they supported. Well, I hate cricket (and most sports), but it occurred to me the other day that, if I had to take the "cricket test" --- I'd cheer for India.

zsonia2993

Haha... that thread has got funny stuff on it, quite entertaining.

Sports ... I find myself caring deeply for Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons, Lions, Indy Colts, NY Giants and US national soccer team. Usually they dont play India... if they did, I would probably root for India first, USA second.

Yes, I would definitely seek to clarify any misconceptions about India, of course only if someone is looking for that...
Usually, it is just a silly ha-ha joke about obvious stereotypes of everybody among my friends... no political correctness! Then there are some people who try to be PC and sometimes come off as ignorant or -ists. I definitely clarify their misconceptions when I can.

But like for 1st time travel, I dont want someone to be totally shocked or to hate India just coz they were not prepared for her.

goingback

I have read these posts with interest. It's difficult to prepare anyone for India. A country so hard to describe as I feel one doesn't so much see India but one rather "experiences" India, for better or for worse.

In 14 days's time myself (who spent about 4 months in India many years ago) my husband and 2 children who have never been to India will visit for 4 weeks. I really hope they will enjoy some parts of our trip, if not all.

I have tried to be honest about India. I have mentioned a couple of negatives,like lots of noise, busy places sometimes dirty sometimes smelly, but there are only my views.

When we went to post our visas at the local post office, the Indian family were shocked to hear we are going to India but they proceeded to tell our daughters how wonderful it is and what a lovely time we will all have.

We are all really looking forward to our visit and shall have to take the rough with the smooth!