You will feel it while you’re lounging on a houseboat in Kerala’s backwaters, or soaking up the quiet in Dharamshala way up north, or even as you contemplate the marble perfection of the Taj Mahal. The colour and crowds and cacophony and chaos that is so typically Indian. India has for centuries together exerted a magnetic pull over people across the world, who first visited the country as explorers, then traders, rulers, spirituality seekers and finally, tourists.
The curiosity over the great India story has only increased with the passage of time. But whatever may be the reasons for visiting this beacon of the exotic east, one thing has been common to all who have stepped foot within the boundary of this old civilisation; they have all been affected by it.
India is a nation of extremes and everything in between – extreme wealth, extreme poverty, freezing landscapes, sun-scorched deserts, spiritual solace, pulsating nightlife, majestic monuments, swanky sky-scrapers, deep blue seas, magisterial peaks…. Its diversity is an in-your-face, unique thing, luring visitors to experience its kaleidoscopic variety.
India is a melting pot of cultures, languages, religions, ethnicities and tribes that make up its unique flavour, palatable to tourists from across the world. Tourists are offered a veritable carte blanche of places to see with attractions that cater to diverse tastes, from Goa’s beaches, Rajasthan’s deserts to ‘God’s Own Country’ Kerala, wildlife sanctuaries tucked away amidst thick green foliage, or the spirituality that pervades its pilgrim centres and holy cities. A landscape that extends from the coast to the reaches of the world’s tallest mountain, the Himalayas, India’s peninsula is rich in natural wealth and its old civilisation a hotbed of monuments that vie for attention. The iconic Taj Mahal, the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Qutub Minar, Hawa Mahal, Khajuraho Temples… the list is endless.
No mention of India can be complete without a mention of its throbbing megalopolis, Mumbai, home to the latest toast of the world, the Indian film industry, fondly christened – rather prosaically – Bollywood.
Its wealth of people, more than a billion at last count, adds its own dimension to the tourist experience. The people are hospitable, friendly and gracious hosts, always welcoming and quick to offer a helping hand. Tourists should nevertheless keep a lookout for those looking to make a pretty penny from a visitor’s lack of knowledge of the place. However, the people do account for a visitor’s positive perspective of the country.
There is a lot to see and to do in a country that defies easy definition. And though it wears its modernity and available conveniences as a proud statement, it is not a country easily understood. You can’t just visit India, create a happy holiday memory to be pulled up as a flashback to a worthy travel story. It’s an experience that stays with you long after the plane takes off Indian soil.