"Hello from Delhi !

It is easy to lose one's sense of time in India .  I have already been in India for over a month though it feels like yesterday that I walked across the border from Nepal .  It takes time to travel in India and India takes her time in letting one travel.  The word, 'punctuality', has all but vanished from my dictionary.

India is immense and extremely diverse; its diversity is so vast that people sometimes mistake me for an Indian because many Indian nationals in the northeastern states are East Asians.   Religion is another indicator of India 's diversity.  Although often described as a "Hindu country", India is the third largest Muslim country in the world (Muslims comprise 12.3% of India's population).  Besides Hindus (82%) and Muslims, there are Christians ( 2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.76%), Jains (0.4%) as well as smaller minorities like Parsees and Jews.  Geographically, India spans from the Himalayan north to the tropical south, hosting a wide range of landscapes.

In such a country, generalization would be a mistake, but there are some commonalities that I have noticed as I traveled through the north.   As Amartya Sen, the Nobel laureate for economics in 1998, mentions in the opening chapter of his book, The Argumentative Indian, Indians do like to talk.   At any time of the day, there is bound to be a chai stall somewhere in town where people (mostly men) are excitedly discussing one thing or another.  Oftentimes, the topic would be politics or the latest cricket match results.

Their interest will instantly shift onto you, the foreigner, if you happen to be sitting among them.

"Where you from?"

I get bored by this question, so I ask them to guess where I am from.   They usually do not understand me the first time ("'Guess'?  It's a country?"), but eventually get the idea.  The fact that I speak English often throws them off (as everywhere else, the Japanese are known for their inability to speak English), but most of them get the right answer in two or three tries (I have received some interesting answers, though, like the Philippines – how many Filipinos come to India ?).

"Japani?" (Indians call us 'Japani' – like 'Nepali')

I give them the Indian head tilt to let them know they got it right.

"But you speak very good English!   Japani speak very little English.  You live in London or America?"  (Rather than ' England' or ' Britain', it is often ' London'.)

After this, the next question is almost always:
"What is your feeling?"

By this, they mean to ask how you feel about India .  Given the significance of this question (it is a loaded question), I used to give rather elaborate answers, but I realized that I quickly lost the attention of my listeners.   99% of the time, they simply want to confirm that you are enjoying India , so an answer like: "I like India very much" suffices.

More often than not, these questions are simply precursor to their speech.   After all, they started the conversation because they wanted to talk rather than listen.  They will suggest places to visit, things to do, and tell you at length how great India is.  More educated ones also lament on the poverty and the underdevelopment.

These conversations also reveal the nature of the person quite quickly.   Speaking with various people, I have found that older men often tend to assert their authority when amongst other Indians or to attempt to display their vast (or so they believe) knowledge.

On the night train from Kolkata to Bodhgaya, a man in his sixties (I presumed) sitting across from me started a conversation:

"Where are you from?"

I did not want to be rude, so I did not respond with my usual challenge:

"I am from Japan , sir."

"Japan…   Japan is very expensive, nah?"

"Yes, it is certainly expensive compared to India ."

Then he proudly pulled out his Nokia phone and asked me:
"Nokia phone!  How much in Japan ?"

It was a fairly basic mobile phone, so I answered:
"Mmm, probably around 50 US dollars.  Maybe a bit less."

He responded with a satisfied smile:

"50 dollars!   Ohhh, so expensive!  This in India, 2,500 rupees!" 

I had to confirm the price as it was higher than I had expected:

"Two THOUSAND five hundred?"

He gave a resounding: "Yes!"  

I tried to point out that 2,500 Indian rupees was a little more than 50 USD, but my voice was inaudible to him at this point.  He had already started telling his fellow passengers how expensive mobile phones were in Japan.  Indian old men often tend to lack the ability to listen to others or to never admit that they are in the wrong once they command the conversation.

He then turned backed to me and said:

"See, this Nokia phone, made in China !  But Nokia phone in Japan , made in Japan .  That's why so expensive!"

I tried to respond that this was not necessarily the case:

"Well, I think some Nokia phones sold in Japan are probably made in China , too."

He looked at me blankly with disbelief.   He could not believe, perhaps, that this young foreigner was disputing his knowledge.  I tried to tell him again that the cost of such a phone in Japan was similar to what he mentioned earlier, but of course, he did not hear me. He had already started his next comment before I could finish my sentence. 

"Your country makes good polyester."

This comment caught me off guard.   Frankly, I did not know that my country of origin was famous for polyester, of all things…  Not quite knowing how to react, I said:

" Japan also makes good electronic products and good cars, sir."

But, again, he did not hear me.   He was studying me carefully, and turned to his fellow passengers and said something in Bihari or Hindi with some English mixed in.  The only words I could recognize were "totally India ".

He then turned back to me and pointed at my clothes:

"All made in India !"

I unfortunately had to correct him again and this time, he let me finish my sentence:

"Actually, this T-shirt is made in China , and maybe even these trousers, too." (I later checked and they were made in Vietnam .)

Perhaps the fact that I had been responding to him with contrary answers put him off, and he became rather defensive:

" India is famous for textile!"

"Oh yes, sir.   Certainly.  Your country produces excellent textile."

I then quickly tried to assuage his temper:

" India also produces excellent software engineers, sir."

This worked:
"Yeess!  India is number ONE in the world in IT!"

Veracity of this statement is hard to prove or disprove, so I willingly smiled and gave him the Indian head wobble to express my agreement.   He wobbled his head back with a big smile.

India impressions:

-          I recall being appalled at people littering in China and a few of the Southeast Asian countries, but Indians surpass all of them by far.  Indians litter anything anywhere and they do not seem bothered at all by the amount of trash that piles up on streets.   The availability of small packaged snacks and chewing tobacco as well as chai being sold in plastic cups add to the problem.

-          The concept of rubbish bin seems to be a fairly new one as it is extremely difficult to find one anywhere.  Even hotel rooms often lack one.  As a result, I strive not to produce rubbish and when I inevitably do, I keep it until I find a rubbish bin, which can take up to several days.

-          In addition to trash, there is dung of various animals (most prominently cows, but also goats and dogs are common) on practically every street.

-          People, including women and children, spit quite liberally, though never while eating (unlike in China ).

-          Drivers of various vehicles hit the horn constantly, and they are absolutely fearless.  Whether they are on a highway or weaving through a heavily crowded narrow lane, they do not slow down unless they absolutely have to.   When they do, they will simply not let go of their hand from the horn until they get clearance in their path.

-          Despite the sensory overload (it is an overused expression, but cannot be more appropriate in India ), one can find serenity in various places.  I have seen some of the most magnificent sunrises and sunsets, and even a crowded city like Kolkata had some nice quiet spots.

-          For those who enjoy spices like I do, India is a food paradise.  A 'thali' meal (set meal consisting of rice, chapatti – thin wheat bread, two vegetable curries and dhal) costs anywhere between 15 to 40 rupees ($0.20 to $0.90) and it is usually free refill.   There are a variety of mouthwatering dishes available, of course, at proper restaurants, and some are reasonably priced.  If you splurge (i.e ., spend more than $1, but less than $4), you can have some tasty chicken dishes (but you will not find 'chicken tikka masala' here unless you go to a touristy place).

-          Having said that, you do have to be prepared for stomach issues in India .  I have had a few already, but as soon as I get better, I go back to my street-food-tasting habits.  The vendors on the streets offer the best and cheapest food, so I cannot resist them.

-          Overcharging a tourist is extremely common, and most Indians have absolutely no shame in doing this.  Their mentality is that since we come from wealthier countries, we should pay more than the locals.   While I understand this, I do not enjoy being ripped off, so I manage to get the local price in most places.  It often works better when I use a few Hindi words I have learnt and do not say anything else.   Some of them probably assume that I am from the northeast or Nepal.

-          On average, most Indians speak at least two, often three languages.  Their mother-tongue (language spoken in their state) and Hindi and/or English.

-          Though English is widely spoken, some people do not really speak it.  It is never practical to ask a Yes/No question because chances are, a non-English speaker will simply wobble their head, which can mean: "Yes", "Maybe", or "I have no idea".   Thus, asking a question like: "Is this the way to the station?" will get you nowhere.

-          Even when you find English speakers, you must always ask at least three people directions if you really want to get there.  If you receive the same answer from at least two people, you have a better chance.   Some people give you a completely incorrect answer with absolute confidence, especially old men.

-          For a week or so, I traveled with an Israeli girl named Dana, and found out that the experience for a female traveler in India is vastly different from men's.  Indian men openly stare at foreign women with a clear sense of desire, and often make impolite comments.   Some of them also grope women casually, I was told.  I believe this has a lot to do with strict social conditions that condemn open sexuality and bar people from having romantic relationships.

-          Perhaps as a result, Indian men are extremely affectionate with each other.  You see adult men holding each other's hands or putting an arm around the other's waist on the streets.   They are not gay, though, as that is also a taboo.

-          India has, by far, the most Israeli tourists/backpackers of all the places I have visited.   According to some Israeli friends I have made, most Israelis either come to India or go to South America when they finish their mandatory military service.  There are also many young Koreans (perhaps they do the same as the Israelis) and a fair number of Japanese (though the Japani tend to stick to the common path – Kolkata, Bodhgaya, Varanasi , Agra and Delhi ).

-          By the way, can anyone (whoever read this far...) tell me another country besides Israel for which the English language uses an "i" to indicate the people of that country ("Israeli" rather than "Israelian", "Israelish", or "Israelese")?  I personally like adding an "i", so I always tell people: "I am Japani" here in India .