Although I was born in India, the place was really a stranger to me. Having grown up abroad most of my life I never really got to see my birth place. As kids I remember school holidays were always spent visiting India. But during the holidays we would be so busy visiting friends and relatives, seeing India never happened.
My journey of exploring my roots happened after I married my childhood friend. For someone who always lived in India and loved to see new places, he became my tour guide.
India is a place which really grows on you, a mere one week holiday will not be doing justice to the place. Initially during my move here everything was very overwhelming. I never understood why people stared at me, why everything was so busy, why drivers spoke by honking while driving, why certain places are always dirty or why everyone was never on time.
After staying in India I do feel now my thinking has changed. People stare because it’s something new to them, people here are everyday making ends meet as a result always busy and working hard. Drivers speaking through honk, well I usually just tell them to stop doing it and they will. Places are always cleaned, it’s the people who mess it up during the day but this I saw in developed places also in some parts during my travel.
After having travelled a lot now to various places I do feel every place has something or the other which we tourist find hard to understand. With India I feel if you are careful and come with thorough research then you will find the friendliest of people here.
I am yet to see a place where there are so many communities happily staying together as one. Every religion enjoying each other’s festivals and lighting up the whole street as one. Every individual trying their taste buds on each other’s cuisine and then replicating it at their homes. Where would you see all this!
Every part of India has been an eye opener for me but it’s a travel I intended to not stop exploring yet.
Head on to my individual page to check out my experience.