“Incredible India.” This is the advertising slogan of the Indian Ministry of Tourism. And by now I think that’s the best line they could have chosen.
India has everything. And we’ve seen a lot of it. From camels in the desert, to street dogs, goats, chickens, cats, rats and monkeys to wild yaks. From the most scrupulous cleanliness, where sand is swept, to the most diverse consistencies of cow squitters on the stairs, clearest Himalayan mountain air to the delayed sunrise in Varanasi, due to the sun not being able to penetrate the smog. We have experienced taste explosions from Indian curry to Nepalese Momo. There was only food here that tasted good. Incredible India.
India can smell of exhaust fumes and urine, of mouse droppings, but also of perfumed candles and incense sticks. India has a lot of poverty, many diseases such as tuberculosis and multi-resistant pathogens. India has western high-end toilets but also outhouses and combinations of both. Both of us were ill in India, Matthias had a diarrhea with fever, I was hit with sinusitis and then with stomach pain. You can disinfect your hands as much as you want, at some point everyone gets knocked out. Quite often there is a power outage, but there are also generators for those who can afford it. India has plastic sheets as dwellings on the roadside for the poorest on the one hand, luxury hotels and bombastic temples, monasteries and the Taj Mahal on the other. Incredible India.
India is brightly colored. Whether it is saris or temples, flowers or markets. Grey, dark blue and black as in Germany are rarely seen here. You can see so much in this country. From culture to nature to people and animals. From Buddhism to Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikh, Jainas and many more religions, everyone can pray to whoever they want to. We took Indian trains and buses, tuc tuc, bicycle, airplane and Uber we also used. None of the means of transportation has disappointed us, they have all served us well in their own way. Here we tried massages, also Ayurveda massage and Yoga, and if you want you can search and find yourself in India.
In most regions India is a patriarchate. And there are, though few, but there are villages where female babies are still killed, and human trafficking happens. Domestic violence is also an everyday problem in India. On the other hand, India elected a woman prime minister for 16 years. Incredible India.
Twice I was afraid for a moment, once when a fat cow came up to us in a narrow alley and stopped, didn’t want to move back and forth. The other time a naughty monkey tried to grab the breakfast on the table and we chased him away. And the monkey, as a counter-reaction, took bricks from the wall and started throwing them at us. Otherwise I didn’t feel insecure, on the contrary: the people were warm and very friendly and helpful off the beaten track.
India, we like you very much, even though you are more stressful than any other country we know. And now we let the pictures speak and the Indians themselves.
“India? I like its diversity most. And I am proud to be part of a democratic country. The biggest democracy in the world.” Man on the train to Bikaner
“India is a very free country. Everybody can go where he wants. Even the animals.” Wife of host in Udaipur
“I like the peace and the harmony. Well, I guess everybody wants that.” Budda from Yuksom
“In India you have to be strong and intelligent. Otherwise surviving is going to be hard.” Atul from Varanasi
“In 4 or 5 years you will see that India is a global player. We need a little bit more time but then we will have the recognition.” Man at the cable car in Udaipur.
We say goodbye from India with a song that reminds us of the many crammed Jeep rides in the Himalayas.
