India – A multicultural society.
“Where are you from?” Probably the most common question that I have encountered as an Indian in Bulgaria. That happens usually when I open my mouth and start speaking English with an accent which is pretty uncommon in these parts of the world. I like to call it a neutral accent but people have told me otherwise :). За да прочетете статията на български, можете да инсталирате плъгин Google Преводач от тук.
If the person I am talking with is slightly older the next word which pops out of their mouth is “Raj Kapoor”. That kind of confirms my thought that Bollywood, the Indian film industry is omnipresent. The point that I am trying to drive across is that people are inquisitive and they want to know more about India, the people, the culture and this part of the blog will Introduce you to certain aspects about India. I am not going to sugarcoat it but narrate the reality which might sound harsh.
Probably you have heard a lot, or seen quite a lot of India through other people’s eyes. A country of snake charmers, the rope trick, a country of vegetarians, the place where curry was born, extremely unclean, smelly people, a lot of poverty etc. etc. I am going to shatter some myths and probably talk about the gravity of others.
Let’s get things into perspective. India is about 30 times the size of Bulgaria and guess what? you cant even probably imagine the population. My hometown Mumbai has three times the population of the entire Bulgaria. The second most populous country and the largest democracy in the world is a potpourri of cultural and religious mix. It is one of the fastest growing economies that is technologically advanced (which has slowed down during Pandemic).
What’s dramatic though is that over 50% of the Indian population depends on agriculture and contributes to about 16 to 17 percent of the GDP.
Did you know these facts about India?
1. India has about 1652 known languages out of which 29 are official with over one million speakers each. So probably every few hundred Kms. when you travel you will get to hear a new language.
2. We have six major religions out of which Hinduism, Islam and Christianity are the top three. Most of the time we live peacefully in a secular environment but at times anti social elements try to disrupt the harmony.
3. If you thought the Bulgarian head nod is confusing to outsiders, wait till you see the Indian head nod, it has the capability of saying yes and no at the same time.
4. Indian = Vegetarian is a myth. Only around 29% of the population is vegetarian, though a lot more are turning towards being a vegetarian or vegan.
5. The traditional attire that most Indian women wear is called the Saree which is anywhere between 4.5 to 8 meters long. Ladies, Would you want to try and wrap one around yourself?
Indians have extremely strong traditional values and children are expected to look after their parents in their old age. Parents can actually appeal in the court if a child abandons them.(which rarely happens).
6. Over 75 % of marriages in India are arranged marriages, in majority of the cases the bride and groom meet each other for a brief meeting to decide if they are ok with each other. They get a period in between to get to know each other before getting engaged and married. This is rapidly changing though with more people being inclined towards picking their own partners.
7. Spices for us doesn’t always mean chilies. It’s a mix of ingredients which accentuates the taste of a recipe. But yes, some parts of India do have fiery hot food which will make you sweat and blow smoke out of your ears.
Lets look at some amazingly beautiful places across India
Sunrise at Hampi
An intricate carving from one of the thousands of temples across India, A waterfall in Madikeri, south of India and a sunrise over a rice field.
This scene is pretty common when you are driving along the western ghats in India.
We got the mountains, we got the sea and even a desert. This is Gokarna which is famous for its Aum shaped beach.
The stepped tank at one of the temples near Bangalore, the IT hub of India.
One of the countless rivers in India
If this has got you interested you are surely going to enjoy the further reads where we will specifically talk about people, food, culture and travel within India. Want to know some interesting fun facts about Mumbai?
