non-tourism

Sigmatis

is there a way to visit India with an empty bank account ?
I have been wishing to visit this great country since childhood, and am now planning to go to India at the end of July, however, financially I will just about make it there...
Are there places that will offer food and lodging in exchange for work ? I can do anything, from washing floors and toilets to servicing computers or building roofs, so willingness is not the issue, but do such places and/or people actually exist, and what do I have to look out for ?
I do have a few friends in India, but they are spread far inbetween, so they are not the only place I would need to stay at.
any ideas ?

Haylo

This thread may prove a useful source of information.

Sigmatis

the only information which I did get out of it is that in that case its better to stay outside the big cities..
A friend suggested that I find an Ashram where I can stay and work, seeing that I will have a Travelers Visa, however I'm not planning to do the tourist-thing and go see the attractions, but rather to get an in-depth feel of the people and the culture, get to experience it in many many places all over the country, help wherever I can and live there for perhaps a year.

capt_mahajan

In theory, you could land up in India, go straight to an out of the way place, break the law (or not) by working even if only for room and board... and leave after whatever time period.

In practice, very difficult. Besides legal/visa issues, finding such a place, travelling there and back, daily living expenses which you will require cash for etc will make "an empty bank account" a problem

As for willing to do anything to survive, hell, almost half the population is doing that anyway. Legally.

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machadinha

Seems to me you're getting yourself a bit confused. A poor tourist is still a tourist, just one of fewer means. How to fill in any touristic experience is up to you of course. There's nothing to stop you from hanging out in some village or ashram for half a year and no matter what your funds, provided you can afford whatever it costs of course.

India obviously sees a lot of budget travelers, so as long as you have that budget covered, that's what you'll be I guess. It obviously can't hurt to have some financial back-up in case you find your cost estimates were too optimistic.

Well, as long as this is the case, you should be alright then, and it doesn't equal an empty account. If on the other hand it really is empty, then taking the risk of running out of money there I wouldn't advise, since as already noted your options to do anything about it locally will be extremely slim. I guess this is pretty self-explanatory really. If there's one sorrier sight than the many Indian poor, it must be that of the no few tourists (or "travelers" as legend would have it) who somehow got stranded and hit rock-bottom there and apparently thought they could get by on a quid and a half.

(The natural question will now arise what should a reasonable if low budget be. The answer is that it's very hard to say as it will differ per person and depending on where you want to go and what you want to do, and what you run into along the way.)

You cannot normally stay in India on a tourist visa for longer than 180 days. You then have to leave the country and apply for a new tourist visa abroad. Your chances of success in doing so are a matter of some debate; it's by no means guaranteed in any case.

As for the work-for-boarding situation, you'll need to realize again India has no shortage of people to fill in most such jobs locally. One might ask what good does it do to take away even one such job from them even, if again you can at all.

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Nick-H

Be aware that, should you find yourself starving by the roadside, you will probably be left alone to do just that.

You'd be taking on something like a cross-ocean yachtsman sailng alone without a radio. You either cope, or you don't cope. Not coping means nobody ever sees you again.

India is not a very good place to be not coping, with no money in your pocket. It's not a very good place to be ill with no money in your pocket.

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grikoo

Ashrams are generally very cheap, if not free, but will usually expect you to genuinely have an interest in their activities.

Gurdwaras are always good for a light meal if you're starving.


My only reservation about your plan is that you REALLY need to have enough money to buy antibiotics and such if you get ill.

Also, stay out of large cities, as they're always very expensive.

Working would be difficult, so you WILL need to have SOME money.

machadinha

In case some of us put it a little understatedly above, I think (and I think most of the respondents above would agree) that to go to India with the prospect of running short of money and no back-up emergency plan is simply foolhardy if not to say idiotic. I wonder if it's any different in Namibia for that matter; it isn't essentially different in Europe where I live, although there exists something of an informal work field which as amply pointed out by now doesn't exist in India, or hardly to a foreigner anyway. (btw I don't know about your backgrounds of course but many black and esp. black African people don't exactly report favorably on their overall treatment in India, which could be another complication to your plans.)

Yes, I suppose one can stay in an ashram and sweep the grounds, but as Grikoo points out the more important thing is you'd be expected to be dedicated to that ashram and its courses and principles (and it's more likely to cost you something rather -- beware of places that ask for "only a [and typically unspecified] donation," which may well work out rather more costly than a simple guesthouse).

And like the Capt. already noted, having your board and lodgings covered (if you can manage to at all) won't cut it, you'll need some money for other expenses too.

Bottom line: To expect or to suggest that you can get by there on nothing is simply irresponsible I think. And indeed, India has plenty of its own doing just that, and you can easily fall by the wayside there with no one so much as giving a hoot.

Don't do it.

ps On rereading I was wondering if your statement

should be read as "I'll just be able to get by there," or as: "I'll just be able to make it to the country." If the latter, don't even think about it. Being poor is much better done at home where you know your way around and such.

If the former, again, have some emergency back-up plan.

grikoo

I generally agree. Bad idea, and likely to turn out ugly.

However, I have a close friend that spent 4 months in india on just a couple hundred dollars a month, living on the street with the sadhus, in ashrams , etc. He was dedicated to that lifestyle though, so not a great surprise.

Realistically, you really need at least 500-600rs a day to survive, even at the most budget level.

Nick-H

I was thinking... if you can live on next to nothing at home, you possibly could in India (or anywhere else in the world, it doesn't really matter where).

However, as mach points out, you know your way around at home; you know where stuff is cheap, you know where there is going to food thrown away a the end of the day --- veg markets, even supermarkets, but, hey! are the experts at that life exactly doing well out of it?

And why would you wnat to travel thousands of miles, at great expense (even just the air ticket) to work long hours over a boring job: you can do that at home!

zoltan

Without wishing to sound cynical, stay at home until you get some more money together.

If you have no money while there, you'll be well and truly scr#wed.

You may be able to stay at an ashram for a while but some of them charge $ to stay, even if you offer to do work you'd be competing with many of the locals for the same privilege.

And as mentioned above, if you fall ill and need medication, how will you pay for it ?

Seriously, reconsider the option and bide your time.

Cheers
Zoltan

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Sigmatis

hmmm perhaps I should add this posting to

"Don't go to India because ..." Prejudices and Misconceptions Collected

don't go to India because IndiaMike.com discourages going on hope of survival alone. lol

well actually I was hoping to find some suggestions like "work for a volunteering organization" or offer business-people your skill as a free-lance trader, eg. network for them etc .. who knows .

machadina mentioned:
[ btw I don't know about your backgrounds of course but many black and esp. black African people don't exactly report favorably on their overall treatment in India, which could be another complication to your plans ]

although I am from Namibia my heritage is european, hence I will appear just like any other european tourist there.
however my dedication to the study of Yoga is a sincere one, and I will be very willing to live in an Ashram and help with all the proceedings, I'm not clued up with what goes on in an Ashram though and thus a bit of ignorance might need to be tolerated by whoever runs the place. but I do learn ..

perhaps just listening to this inner voice of mine was a big mistake all along .......

Nick-H

Listening to the inner voice is never a mistake!

But the outer voice must sort out the practicalities of the situation, and act accordingly.

The inner voice may say go, the practical answer may be "Yes! But not now!"

The practical answer may be a few months earning money --- and then go.

If you want to study yoga in an ashram or institution, that is a separate enquiry and research, which may take some time in itself. Many of the institutions that welcome foreigners also welcome foreign cash, and charge accordingly. I'm not saying you won't get a good deal, but that the cash is a pre-requisite if you want to study there.

You also need to see the bigger picture: say, for example, you wanted to study at a big-name yoga institution, and are prepared to sweep floors to do so --- imagine, for a moment, how many other people in the world must have the same willingness! And put yourself in the position of the administrator of that organisation.

You'll find a big section on yoga and ashrams and stuff here on the forum, that might help you 'shop around'. You can start to get more clued up right here!

By the time you've sorted out what to do and where to do it, you might also have made the money to do it with.

Taking on board the reasons why not, as well as the reasons why, is living in the real world. Its a hard thing to do sometimes, but remember; you'll never be able to listen to the quiet inner voice when a loud one is telling you its hungry.

That's it from Uncle Nick

Mickey S

And you should listen to the people who know India well. Arriving with no money in your pocket and expecting to earn your living day by day is simply unrealistic in a country with a billion people willing to work for the equivalent of pennies per day.

Before you leave for India you should make sure you have, at the very least, enough money to scrape by on in case you are unable to find work or charity. Everyone has a different idea of the minimum amount required to live in India, but realistically I would say you ought to arrive with at least Rs.500 for each day that you plan to stay (to cover travel and unexpected expenditures as well as everyday living) and preferably more. That's about £1,000 (or $2,000) for a six-month stay. (Personally, I would feel very uncomfortable and nervous with that little money).

Bear in mind, too, that India is not the romantic land of dreams that you might imagine it to be. It is not too unlike any developed country in the world, except that life for the masses is harder. The local people are probably sick of seeing poor western travellers trying to find themselves, and you are more likely to be viewed as a freeloader than a freelancer.

edwardseco

The above is a healthy reminder of reality. But, if sufficiently brain dead a foren can become a local guru or saint. It happens..