India sounds like a country on the same scale as, say, France or Egypt. But the truth is that it is massive along multiple dimensions, almost like the United States or China.
As such, many people underestimate it. They go there thinking they can understand and capture it in a single trip but instead find themselves returning for more later on.
This post looks at some of the ways people underestimate India and how you can avoid joining them. Learning more about the country manages your expectations and helps you make the most of any upcoming visit.
The Immensity Of The Country
One of the main ways people underestimate India is its sheer immensity. When you look at the country on the world map, it seems quite modest. But that’s because conventional projections make tropical countries look smaller than those near the poles. The reality is that India is an enormous place, which is something you can see easily when you view it on a globe without any size distortions.
Because of the country’s size, many travelers underestimate how long it will take to go from one place to another. The journey from Jaipur to Delhi seems relatively modest on a map, but trying it on a bus in person tells a different story.
India’s sheer size is compounded by the fact that its communications are also limited. While you can take the train between most of its metropolises, average speeds tend to be low, and you can sometimes run into problems with animals on the lines or simply the tracks requiring repair before you can proceed.
The Diversity Of India’s Cultures
Another thing that catches people off-guard is the sheer diversity of India’s cultures. The country isn’t just one place, like, say, the Netherlands or Portugal. Instead, it is a cluster of quite diverse peoples who identify under the national flag of India but have regional differences.
For example, many Indians in the extreme northeast of the country have more in common with southeast Asia or even China than they do with Delhi. The same applies to many in the northwest, particularly the Muslim population.
As you travel through India, you will notice that each region has a distinct identity. The Dravidian South is very different from the Bengali East, including along lines you wouldn’t expect, like food, religions, and general attitude to life.
The Food
Speaking of cooking, many people visiting India also underestimate the diversity of the food environment. Beforehand, many imagine that everywhere just sells curry, but that’s a long way from the truth and not how things work in practice. Yes, curry is something you can find anywhere in India, but most locals don’t live off it. Instead, the main staples are rice and chapatis, which provide the majority of the carbohydrates people need.
For example, if you travel to Kerala, you will find an assortment of coconut-based curries with minimal spices. These are popular among Westerners looking for less violent foods. Meanwhile, if you go to Mumbai, you will encounter a lot of fried street food prepared in front of you that doesn’t look like curry at all.
What’s interesting about these foods is that they are a natural extension of the local culture on the ground. Curries reflect the ingredients available to local people alongside their ceremonies and cooking practices. And these can be quite different, depending on where you choose to go.
The Challenges Of Infrastructure
Many travelers coming from the West also underestimate the infrastructure challenges they are liable to face in India. While some cities have decent links and networks, others don’t.
India is not a well-connected country like Japan or France. Many parts are hard to access and often require specialist local knowledge to traverse. Meanwhile, vast tracts of land often separate one region from another, with minimal roads and rail lines connecting them.
For this reason, many tourists opt for India escorted tours. These provide more structure and local knowledge to help travelers reach more destinations. They can also bypass things like irregular train schedules and bumpy roads, offering the best routes and suitable transport.
It is possible to explore India comprehensively, but not in the same way as a country like the U.S. You can’t just hop in a car and drive around, stopping off at gas stations and motels along the way. India simply doesn’t work like that.
The Extent Of Spiritual Practice
Many Westerners also underestimate the depth of spirituality in a country like India. Those coming from Europe and America often assume that the religious landscape will be similar to theirs, but that’s not how it works out in practice. India is, essentially, the birthplace of the world’s concept of spirituality and a place that spawned some of the most popular religions today, including Hinduism and Buddhism.
Everywhere you go in India, you will find temples and places of devotion. Statues are also found in many cities, believed to offer protection and guidance to local people.
The Ganges and the holy city of Varanasi are also critical to India’s religious identity and something many local people take seriously. Many people devote themselves to visiting these locations and taking part in practices that go back centuries.
The Climate Extremes
Those traveling to India often vastly underestimate the changes in climate that can occur. While most regions are simply hot, temperatures can vary massively in northern regions, depending on how much altitude you gain. While Delhi can hit wet bulb conditions during the summer months, a few hundred miles north in the Himalayas can remain well below zero because of the sheer altitude of the region.
The extent of rainfall can also vary substantially. Monsoon rains in the latter part of the year affect large parts of the country and can even harm crop production in some regions.
So, there you have it: some of the ways people traveling to India can underestimate it. The country isn’t like most other places on the world map and is more of a melting pot than many imagine.
