Kamal Ghorui
Travel brings us closer to many aspects of life. It isn’t just about checking out monuments, following food trails or ticking off our bucket list destinations. It has been witnessed that when people cross borders, apart from gaining knowledge about their culture, we also carry ours there. Meanwhile, in all of these, the exchange of habits, and ideas about money, religion, cleanliness and comfort, take place in a certain manner.Just like countries aren’t only experienced, but are also interpreted, India also leaves such an impression that one can’t get over it easily. There are lots of things that come together to bring Just like countries aren’t only experienced, but are also interpreted, India also leaves such an impression that one can’t get over it easily. There are lots of things that come together to bring about that feeling, such as the energy of its streets, spirituality, generosity of strangers, chaos that can test your patience, and the beauty that appears when you least expect it. It’s a place you process, and slowly understand.
As such, it won’t be an exaggeration to state that for some visitors, the intensity can be overwhelming. That contrast surfaced in a Reddit post, which was about an American traveller, who says he deliberately avoided watching vlogs or reading forums before arriving. He wanted what he described to give the country a ‘fair chance,’ and visit it.Three weeks later, he posted his reflections.The first thing he noticed and was fairly surprised was the economic factor. Compared to the United States, India felt dramatically cheaper. Hotels, restaurant meals and Uber rides cost a fraction of what he was used to paying. Affordability made spontaneity possible.Read more: Indian traveller tries to smuggle two endangered monkeys worth INR 2.9 lakh from Bangkok: Here’s what happenedThen he describes sensing a strong camaraderie among Indians. Family bonds appeared visible and intact. “There is a real bond in families that I find lacking in the West,” he wrote. Public life felt less performative. “People aren’t fake and don’t care about your follower count or stupid things like that.”He praised the convenience of UPI digital payments. He appreciated how easy it was to eat vegetarian. Roadside stalls made quick meals accessible. And despite what he called ‘commotion and squalor,’ he observed that people seemed less visibly stressed than in the West.
He adds, “India made me feel alive for the first time in a long time,” he wrote. “I felt like the relentless noise, crowds and energy of the place keeps you on your toes.”For him, the overstimulation wasn’t entirely negative. It just demanded alertness. However, there were certain things that disturbed him a bit. “There is trash literally everywhere,” he wrote, expressing frustration at what he perceived as indifference toward waste and air pollution.Crowds exhausted him. Personal space felt negotiable. Dodging people and vehicles required constant vigilance. As a visible foreigner, he said he was frequently approached for tips, rides or guiding services. “As a white foreigner you are seen as a limitless source of money,” he wrote. While he didn’t mind modest overcharging, repeated attempts at upselling left him drained.
He described being shepherded by drivers to specific shops and restaurants, often feeling nudged toward places designed primarily for tourist spending. “It felt like I wasn’t experiencing the real India,” he said, “only a touristy version designed to appease my assumed ‘white sensibilities.’”Read more: France announces visa-free transit and aims to welcome 30,000 Indian students by 2030Food became another friction point. He found menus repetitive across hotels, often oil-heavy, with items frequently unavailable. Even fruit juices, he noted, were laden with sugar.Language posed occasional barriers. Although signage appeared in English, he found conversational fluency inconsistent outside tourist zones. And the omnipresence of religion, devotional music, rituals, temple visits, felt intense and constant.So, would he return?He says, “Actually, I probably would,” though next time he would be more cautious about scams and ideally travel with an Indian friend.
