What makes India so special? Here are some of the things I came to love during my time living and working in Kolkata. So let’s dive straight in!
1. The people: Indian people, and especially Bengalis, are incredibly welcoming. Don’t know anyone yet? You’ll get an invitation to dinner or even stay with them. Don’t know the way? They’ll be happy to help, show you the local market, or recommend a restaurant. Community just has a different value here. There is a saying in India that translates to “The Guest is God”, and this is taken very seriously.
2. The diversity: India is a huge country, and being in a different state can sometimes feel like you’re in a different country altogether. The food, clothing, cultural norms, languages, religions, and landscapes can vary hugely between regions. That also means your experiences can be very different depending on where you are, and there will always be more to explore.
3. The colors: They’re everywhere. Clothing, houses, you name it. One of my favorite memories was playing Holi while traveling in Jaisalmer. Everyone was outside smashing colors in each other’s faces, and many children had water guns (to make sure the color REALLY sticks to your skin).Learning more about SuiDhaga, I also got to see the beautiful fabrics the women use to tailor clothes, and to go to some markets to look at vibrantly colored clothing.
4. The animals: Cows, goats, dogs, occasionally wild boars and monkeys… they all roam around freely, and the locals often take care of them. I’ve seen many stray dogs enjoying a bowl of rice for dinner or cows munching on a roti. The cows are often quite cuddly too!
5. Energy and mindfulness: India taught me that ambition and success don’t have to compete with enjoyment. Whether that’s having some chai in between work meetings, being flexible with plans, or appreciating your community. A lot of times, it’s about the little things and connections, and I found that being mindful of them adds so much to your experience.At the same time, there’s an unmistakable energy to life here. It showed me that not everything needs to be planned down to the minute for things to work - traffic flows, life moves, somehow it all comes together. It taught me to stay calm in uncertainty and trust that things will work out if you go with the flow.
6. The food: Again, there is so much diversity. Different curries and breads, pulao (a rice dish with vegetables, dried fruit, and spices, popular in Bengal), chai, lime juice (salted or sweetened - you want to make sure you get those electrolytes in), regional sweets, and everything in between. I tried at least five new things a week, and loved most of them – I am biased though, Indian is my favorite cuisine.
These points only scratch the surface. I do believe there is a reason people keep coming back after having traveled there once – it's hard to capture in words, but India just has a way of captivating people.