most people hate India

Happy Trails, Dani girl! So excited for you ... Keep smelling those roses and jasmine along the way. Remember ... It's not the destination but the journey that's important.

On my first trip to India, the roses I stopped to smell included:

Having my palm read by an old fellow on the ghats in Varanasi;
Having threads tied round my wrist in temples to protect me along the road;
Being invited to fly kites with a couple of young guys in Jaipur and then treating them to a new kite;
Taking in a Bollywood movie and having every scene "explained" to me by the "aunties" sitting in the row behind me;
Seeing the looks of surprise and appreciation when I experimented with my halting Hindi;
Having my "Ram Ram!" returned with a hearty "Ram Ram!";
Finding fun ways to answer, "Sir, how much do you weigh?";
Seeing how many different Indian matchboxes I could collect;
Seeing the stars in the Thar Desert;
Seeing the stars in the eyes of the curious children I met along the way;
Sharing a pizza with some begging boys;
Being invited into a kitchen to learn to make the best tomato soup I've ever eaten;
Saluting the doorman every time he saluted me;
Watching the full moon rise over the Taj Mahal ....

But the sweetest and most unexpected rose of all was discovering that in a place so far, far from home where everything was entirely different from my life experiences that the Indian people were just like me and mine ... Discovering that we share the same goals for our children and grandchildren, pray for their health and happiness, seek meaning in the chaos of our lives, make mistakes, make amends, make friends, and try to make our world - big and small - just a little better everyday.

Dani, I hope you find many roses on your path in India.

Thanks all, for the wishes, and Big Texan, you truly are Indian at heart, you seem to capture the magic no matter where you go, or what you do, which is a fine trait in a man! If only everyone could see with those same eyes...

Hi there.....
This is entirely depends on you how you looks India. On one side, India is facing many problems at present especially corruption and population. On other side, India is developed at much extent over 65 years of independence. Mumbai, the financial capital and superpower, has seen the development in all areas. Not just Mumbai, there are also various other places of India which have seen the development in different scopes. So, it is not true to blame this country that it is a dirty place. When it comes to tourist attractions, India is a treasure of beautiful places. The state of Kerala is a best example of it. So, don't listen to the people who think India is a worst place to visit.

Let me offer an alternative (possibly counter) perspective. I grew up in Africa and I am of Indian origin. I didn't like the 6/7 years that I spent in India. I am going back there now to explore it again, I probably will never come back if I don't like it.

1. The crowds, every place from temples to cities. No concept of personal space.

2. Looking brown in India means that you don't get as much leeway as someone say who is white, would get in terms of not understanding local cultural norms. Anything from don't wear your shoes in the house to don't talk to girls at school.

3. Incredible how the caste system permeates the nation. I never knew what caste I was till I came to the country, first day in school, that was the first question I was asked by some kid.

4. Lack of personal space among extended family. No one (at least in my extended family) believes in the idea of backing off, incredible nosiness.

5. Again, I have seen poverty, living in another third world country. However, the lack of pride a local community has in its environs always surprised me. Incredibly filthy streets, lack of respect for human rights, I have seen doctors turn away critically injured patients because they don't know want this to be their problem. Maybe, again, it is a question of not knowing where to look, but I have observed amongst many in the middle class an attitude of "the government is to blame" instead of taking grassroots initiatives to fix problems.

1. Cultural blinder, you are not used to it & don't like it. It reflects on you. This is well described in the literature 4 decades ago. Latin America and indeed much of the woorld are going to be a problem for you. I wish you intellectual growth. For the other crowds accompany a dense population. Maybe you can change this.

2. Visual cues imply an outsider and a guest status which is important in Indian culture although I agree there is certainly color consciousness.

3. People divide differently. At one time in Africa people of Indian background were despised because they owned much of the businesses (and were more business oriented). Much of caste in the countryside reflects economic hierarchy. Ethnicity plays the same role in rural Texas.

4. Like 3. You are the outsider and feel it it. Someday you may develop a higher consciousness. A light movie reference, Blue Hyderabad..

5. Where the focus is in a society is interesting. As Carlos Fuentes once said (you gringos won't know), we need to learn public values and public focus from you Americanos and you need to learn family values from us. Otherwise I completely agree. Its certainly a good agenda for the Estados Unidas as well and perhaps for China and a host of other countries (like NY I believe in using Google & I hope NY owns stock in it likewise). Its interesting how closely this fits my old home in Sylmar. Los Angeles although that was a lower class area. Don't worry, social dssolution is coming to a middle class area near you (Murray's Coming Apart). That reminds me to get my spray can out to cover some new graffiti vandalism near my home.
Cheers..

I think hate is too strong a word. Many don't understand it before it's their time to leave. It's dangerous, lovely, frightening, heartwarming, brutal, caring, vivid, ugly, aromatic, noise pinching, gentle and harsh .... and that's all within in your first hours of arrival. Watch IRT- Deadliest Roads for an example of this. This crew was their several months and those roads had them all tears within the first few weeks. Imagine, roads having professional truckers in tears. It happened - in India. I was told that that road(Freefall Freeway) was 'very safe' .... yet I found out later that it takes a life ever 5 minutes. Therein lies another issue - the fact that you don't always get 'all' the facts makes it particularly shocking/annoying/stressing to some of us and especially the more shorter stay visitors who don't have the time to figure it all out. Hate is too strong a word though .....

Like and dislike are personal things which are decided by our personal belief systems. We decide how much we want to change and whether want to "fit in". (The map is not the territory). Sometimes, it is too much of a commitment, sometimes it feels right. For me it never "felt right" to choose to integrate in that society. For others, it did. Personally, the Estados Unidos feels like an easier place to call home than does India. Also, I do think it is very difficult to say you like or dislike a person or a place, you can find certain traits annoying and decide whether you want to be with that person or place. Again, I believe in giving myself a chance to revisit things and see if my filters look at them differently. This is what my latest trip will be about.