Do's and dont's for tourists to India..

jaybel

Hi ...

Do not hug or kiss in public - even when meeting at stations and airports - and do not smoke or consume alcohol publicly either.

The above can be further read at :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4474528.stm

RedSwordfish

I think smoking in public is OK, everybody is smoking his biddies, as well.

TYP0

Here in Delhi its quite ok to drink in public; even women. We have lots of bars and they don't seem to care how much or if i drink alcohol.

I do know that it's considered in poor taste for women and men to show affection in public; even holding hands. That said, sometimes the best way to deter the gross, leering men is to hold my husband's hand. Besides which, i happen to like holding his hand. =p

katyrafi

On the whole I think this is a good thing as it will at least make tourists think a little about their behaviour in public and the effect that might have on locals.

However, one thing I've always found odd but cute is that two male friends can walk along the street holding hands, be sat at a restaurant with their hand on their friend's knee and hug without any problem.

And I must say I do think it's a bit of a shame that a married couple can't even hold hands, as you say Typo, it's something I like to do very much ...

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Mandsaur

From BBC News:

Do not hug or kiss in public - even when meeting at stations and airports - and do not smoke or consume alcohol publicly either.

These are some of the guidelines being given to tourists visiting a popular part of India's north-western Rajasthan state to ensure they can respect local culture.

The guidelines come after a number of unfortunate cultural faux pas, including an Israeli couple kissing at their Hindu wedding ceremony and a Finnish woman walking naked down the streets of Pushkar.

Officials say the list of these dos and don'ts has been prepared by the local administration in Ajmer district to "educate foreign tourists about local culture and sensibilities".

Full article here.

sticky

Hi Guys

Been a while since I posted, we've been enjoying ourselves in Thailand, and slowly making our way to India

Thankfully, the "Indecency guide for tourists to India" will be published just in time for my arrival:

BBC reports

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Nick-H

Lucky Pushkar ! What a wonderful caption; unfortunately the picture shows only camels...

(Hello Sticky! Nice to see you again)

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

jyotirmoy

There is no hard & fast rule here. Holding hands or an occasional hug is perfectly acceptable in many areas in the metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore. Best is to watch how others are behaving & try to be in sync.
Male or female friends holding hands or hugging is very normal in India, we accept it as it is.
By law smoking in public transports & places are banned in Delhi. The enforcement works on the transports but hardly in effect at public places.
So far as drinking is concerned I do see single ladies having a drink at the pubs but very rare. Again no body gives a damn whether you are drinking or not in the metros mentioned above. Certain cities and socities do look down on alcohol consumption but so long as you are on your own & not bothering anyone or drawing attention it is ok. Again the best way to go about any where in the world is to get in sync.

mridula

Well, go to a mall in Gurgaon or CP in Delhi and count the number of people holding hands. Stand at the airport (I was recently standing for an hour) and see how many people hug, though I have still not seen kissing in public. Go to any of the hill stations where honeymooning couples descend and see how they behave. Of couse India is different, but not holding hands, sounds strange living in a metro.

But after reading the story, I must say those incidents were extreme and I hate the words of the official guide. If this is what they expect of tourists, they should go and look at the college students of their own country and the movies we make.

Here is another BBC story that shows there is a tussel about such issues in the country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1930768.stm

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mridula

http://www.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/

Nick-H

This was probably written by hard-line traditionalists who haven't even noticed the change in their own people.

See the fuss made recently about two women talking about pre-marital sex.

GoanCanuck

Use your imagination.

Nick-H

Good idea.

<using imagination>

sudheer poppa

Hmmmm, only unmarried couples can hug, hold hands or kiss in public

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Vasko

"The Finnish woman had taken a dip in a sacred lake and told a court she walked naked to appease a deity."

Makes sense. They do it all the time back here in Finland.

Nick-H

Do your Finnish deities need a lot of appeasing, then?