9 things I opened a journey through India

Yoga teacher and journalist Vlad Isakov spent in the journey to India for a few months. She is sure that if love with this amazing country have not yet happened, you just know little about it.

To fix this, Vlad shared with the Website of his observations about daily Indian life.

A cocktail of modernity and tradition





These ingredients are blended in a most peculiar way, so sadhus wear their dhoti smartphones and business-Sikhs from time to time devote a day off to wash dishes in Gurudwara. The way of life, way of life, customs — everything is changing here, slowly and reluctantly, especially against women: one walking the city streets is enough to understand that traditionalism in their lives is more pronounced. Indian women dressed more authentic, behave much more reserved and stricter men. And they are just several times less on the streets, although the ratio of male and female population of India is 1 to 1. Apparently, the majority sits at home — bringing up children and farming.

The Indians were the eternal children





They are very direct and emotional, can instantly burst out laughing, or, conversely, to inflate because of the sheer nonsense. Indians often sing when working or walking, and can have a spontaneous dance in the middle of the street. And they, like real children, often invent stories: easy, inspiring and, it seems, believe themselves.

Solid contrasts





The fact that India has one dirt and poverty is a myth. It is not for nothing is the country of contrasts. And especially clearly felt, for example, in Mumbai, where slums coexist with the modern skyscrapers near the wide clean roads. In General, the European clean and presentable prevail mainly in business centers of large cities.

English does not always help





In communication you always help knowledge of English, because many Indians speak handise. I would say that this mixture of Hindi and English is of two types. The first is when an Indian uses English words, but uses the logic of the construction of sentences, adopted in Hindi. And the second strong accent, plus the use of Hindi is unknown in English. In both cases, to understand what he wants to convey to you the source, we can only very roughly. But in General conversational English in the major cities of India good. And those who somehow works with foreigners, it is precisely possible to find a common language.

Indian train — an adventure





And it begins even before buying a ticket: at the train station enterprising liar will try to convince you that there are no tickets at all and the station burned, and all around is an illusion. Do not fall for the persuasion: "meeseeks" I'll just take you into a private office where you can buy the same tickets, but, of course, at a premium. In addition, the trains here are able to late for many hours (my personal record was 9), and the cars though not crowded as on the old photo, where the Indians sit on the roof and hanging outside, clinging to the casing, but still the cheapest trains to concentration of passengers on one shelf is clearly exceeded in two or even three times. Fans of space prefer to go in the lobbies, sitting on the floor. But to cross India by train is very cheap and colorful, although you select this method only if you are slightly limited in time and are ready to easy trash.

In India it is impossible to plan anything





Here are the most unpredictable things in the most unpredictable moment. And yet the mentality and lifestyle such (for example the already mentioned trains with their traditional delay). Many Europeans generally warn against any business relations with the Indians because of the unreliability of the latter, and also because of the common inability to say "no": not wanting to disappoint the interlocutor, they would prefer to avoid answering, or just the tenth time to reschedule.

The Indians almost don't do yoga





Of course, throughout the country you will find a lot of yoga studios, Rishikesh and Mysore are traditionally considered to be capitals of yoga. But doing it in India mostly Western students. Although, if the locals catch them in the act, usually very happy: even if the whole world adopts the Indian tradition.

Cows roam the streets here





And, although the most Central streets you will not see them, standing a little away, for example, from the business center of new Delhi, and we can already see the cow lying in the middle of the sidewalk or walking directly on the road. They move here with the provisions of the sacred animal pomp and nobility, but respectful Indians are not perturbed. By the way, despite the apparent abandonment, each cow is the owner, so the idea that in India they are still in Russia, stray dogs, wrong.

Goa is like a country in the middle of the country





India, in principle, heterogeneous: there are hundreds of languages and tribes, many religions and customs. But Goa is something else: it's a wild cocktail of the contents of minds, souls and backpacks of different people from all over the world. It seems to be not India, and some small multi-confessional and multinational country. It has its own unique cultural environment, which is less authentic than the other India, but no less colorful.

Vlad Isakov specifically for the Website


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