20 life lessons I learnt living in India

I have been to many countries but I have to admit, India has to be one of the coolest countries in the world. Living in India has been a great experience and certainly has its advantages. Basically India prepares you for everything. Here’s why.

Diwali, the festival of lights – Top places to celebrate Diwali

In the past, I have mentioned numerous reasons to visit India. But it seems as if I have forgotten to mention Diwali. Thanks to the Indian Diaspora, Diwali is being celebrated around the world and people all over the globe are getting to know about this amazing Indian festival. But why not come to India to witness this amazing festival – the place where it all started.

Things you wanted do know when visiting an Indian home for dinner

Visiting India will not be complete without visiting an Indian home. If you intend to visit India and planning to visit someone at their home then here are some do’s and don’ts.

Clothes

If you are a woman then try to dress modestly unless you are going to a rave party in Mumbai. Most Indians are conservative by western standards and they might be offended if they see you in revealing clothes. Why not impress them and wear a salwar kameez. If you really wanted to flatter them then you can wear the saree. Here’s how to wear the saree.

Cow dung is still used in India for cooking

Did you know that cow dung is still used in rural India for cooking? In fact, when I visit my grandparent’s home in the village (Bihar), I still see my relatives using it. If you are thinking that these poor lots are still living in the dark ages, you’ll be surprised how progressive some of these village people are.

In fact, India has produced the best civil servants, doctors and engineers in these very villages. Poor they may be, but the culture of India lies in these very villages. But then, that’s a different story altogether. Let’s talk bull sh*t for the time being.

Indian holy man smoking chillum

The Hindu holy man called “sadhu” seen in this picture seems to be smoking a chillum. A chillum is a smoking device invented in India used to smoke cannabis, charas or hashish. Cannabis (often called the bhang or ganja) is illegal in India however the use of this drug is so ingrained in the culture of India that is difficult to ban it completely. You can read more about Bhang here. 

You’ll be surprised to see “bhang goli” or bhang balls (cannabis balls) being sold on the streets. There are government approved shops in the holy city of Banaras (also known as Varanasi) and other holy cities where people are able to drink “Bhang Lassi” (cannabis milkshake). Bhang is particularly consumed during the festival of Holi as a yoghurt and milk based drink called “Thandai”. As far as the smoking marijuana is concerned, I have tried a few puffs of my great-granddad’s (lived 102 years) hookah (water pipe for smoking) – Didn’t like it and realised that it was not for me. I have however eaten the “bhang goli” a few times – made me laugh a lot for no apparent reason.

Coming back to the holy man in the picture, he’s wearing rudraksha beads on his wrists and gold ring with a coral stone (called moonga in Hindi) in his index finger. The rudraksha beads or rosaries are used extensively in Hindu prayers and can be worn for good luck. I have worn them as well. I can’t say it has done miracles but I have heard good things from those who wear them. The coral stone is a popular stone used in Indian astrology, it is supposed to provide strength and willingness to meet challenges during critical situations.

SMOKING BABAS – Sadhus smoking Marijuana at the Kumbh Mela

Babies tossed from the roof in this bizarre Indian tradition

This is a ritual that would terrify most mothers. The worshippers at the shrine of Baba Sheikh Umar Saheb Dargah at the “Musti village” in the district of Solapur, in the state of Maharashtra, Western India have been carrying out this tradition to bring good luck and health to the child. If you want to see this ritual, you must visit Solapur, in the state of Maharashtra on the first of May. The tradition is also carried out in other parts of the state where the babies are tossed off the roof of temple roofs. The people of this village have been practising this for about 500 years. In Bijapur, 550 km  west of Bangalore, similar practice is carried out where children between 8 months to 5 year olds are thrown from temple tops.

Shy Indian women

Have you ever wondered why Indian women are shy?

I think they are shy because they are told from a young age not to associate with boys. I hardly talked to boys as I went to Catholic convent school and then all women’s college. However, we aren’t shy with our family members, just other people. The shyness goes away after a while. But not all Indian women are shy, it’s all about family culture and how an Indian girl is brought up.

Introduction to Indian cinema

Did you know that India has a very vibrant Film Industry? It is considered as the biggest film industry in the world. So much so that, India’s film industry has been popularly dubbed as Bollywood. Although the main language in which the movies are produced is Hindi, almost every regional language of India has its own mini film industry catering for their respective areas.

Most of the Hindi films are produced in Mumbai or previously Bombay, the capital of the famous Maharashtra state of India. It is here that most of the movies are made and where most of the studios are situated apart from cities of Chennai and Kolkata.

Deepika Padukone in “Om Shanti Om”

Culture of India

Culture of India is a complex phenomenon. In its broadest sense, it includes everything a society does. It can also be limited to a particular social class (working class culture) or genre (literature, music). Still it’s always near to impossible to define what exactly a popular culture constitutes. Contrary to what may appear from outside; to Indians, there is no such thing as Indian culture in sense of a uniform manner of doing something. There is little common between the Punjabi culture with its emphasis on having fun and the Bengali culture with its emphasis on intellectualism. In the south, a person from Kerala finds the food from Andhra too spicy for their tongue. The seven states in the northeast are home to thousands of tribes and regions, each boasting of a rich history and unique culture. So the term ‘culture of India‘ has little meaning, unless it’s used an amalgamation of a score of different cultures within the country. Nonetheless, it is thought that the culture of India stems from its ancient history from the amalgamation of the Aryan nomads that migrated from the Central Asia through Afghanistan and settled in India with the natives of the valley of the Indus River of Dravidian descent.

Food of India

Curry is probably the most popular Indian cuisine in the west. But its connoisseurs mostly live in the south. Curry is not as special for Indians from other parts of the country, as it is to the people in the south. A Punjabi, who loves their chapattis and a dish made from spinach, often cringes at the sight of dhokla, which is another popular dish in the south specially Gujarat. The cuisine of the omnivorous people in the north east is yet to spread to the rest of the country. The Bengalis love fish and rice, but Gujaratis prefer to stay mainly vegetarian. In Bihar, people are particularly fond of a dish called “litti chokha” stuffed with “sattu” (roasted gram flour). The South Indian “masala dosa” is cherished all over India. The point I want to emphasize is that there is no uniform Indian cuisine; there is much variety to be found here.

Rajputs of Rajasthan

The word “Rajputs” translates literally as “sons of kings”.

Among the warrior castes of north western India, Rajputs are famous for their chivalry, gallantry, their zest for life and the pride they take in being associated with their culture, their values and traditions.

Rajputs were once the pride of this vast, limitless desert in the heart of India which stretched as far as the eye could see. There are some elaborate customs associated with Rajputs.

Rituals and customs for every occasion right from the womb to the tomb.

While the birth of a son in the family was celebrated with fanfare and rejoicing, the birth of a girl was frowned upon. So deep ran the bias against the girl child that it was customary among many Rajput plans to kill the newborn girl to death by strangling her, burying her alive or by choking her by stuffing wet mud down her throat.

Though most progressive Rajputs and the educated ones have done away with abominable customs like these, female infanticide is still rampant among backward communities which are by and large uneducated.

If a girl was lucky and was continued to live on inspite of being born in a Rajput family, she was relegated to a much lower status in the household than her brothers. She was deprived of education. Married women were expected to observe ‘purdah’ (or use ‘the veil’ to cover their face) to escape furtive glances. Purdah was observed even among the more affluent sections of the society. The women from royal families had separate residential quarters called the zenana section where they could move about freely without observing the purdah. The staff of these queens and princesses was drawn completely from females or eunuchs, so that no males (except family members) could see the royal females.

Marriages were ‘arranged’ or fixed by elders in the family. Most of the times, kids as young as 5-6 years of age were married off. The bride would then be sent back to her father’s place where she would stay till she came of age. One of the most important persons at the time of fixing up a marriage would be the astrologer, who would see if the horoscopes of the prospective bride and groom complimented each other perfectly. Only after he gave his final nod could the marriage be solemnized. The date and time of the wedding was also decided by this astrologer.

Marriages among Rajputs were elaborate and often lasted many days. The family of the bride was expected to give gifts and cash to the groom’s family and his kin. The more well to do Rajputs and the royals would even send a train of servants along with their daughter. Sadly enough, dowry continues to be a cause of concern even today and is one of the reasons why parents still do not welcome a girl into the family.

Rajputs had elaborate customs for occasions as somber as death as well. A mourning period was observed and a ‘rasam pagri’ was held at the end of 10-12 day mourning period at which the eldest son of the deceased would tie a turban on his head in the presence of all family and members of the community. This was taken to mean that the person tying the turban had taken up all the duties and responsibilities of the deceased.

Then there were abominable custom like sati, jauhar and saka which were common among the Rajputs of the yore.

As per the sati system, a widow was supposed to end her life by sitting on the funeral pyre of her husband. Women who willingly gave up their lives to this system were later idolized. Those who refrained from doing so were ostracized from the community.

Jauhar was common among Rajput women. They would commit mass suicide when they felt their honor was at stake. Most Rajput men, particularly those belonging to higher echelons of the society had more than one wives. Some even had elaborate harems where they would house all their wives collectively. After a Rajput king lost to another in war, the females of the family would end their lives willingly since they preferred death to dishonor.

‘Saka’ was another Rajput custom as per which the male members of the family would go down fighting inspite of all odds at times of war, because surrendering to the enemy was looked down upon.

Sagas of Rajput pride and valor, tales of their heroism and chivalry are a part of the folklore of Rajasthan.

If you are planning a visit to Rajasthan then try these Rajasthan Tour Packages.

Indian Rajput wedding in Rajasthan

Back to Shalu’s travel to India guide

The Rani Sati Temple and Arrival in Mandawa