People have mixed feelings about India; some love it, some hate it. I would say some even love it and hate it at the same time. It’s a country that brings reaction and leaves no one indifferent.
If you asked me, I would tell you: I love it.
Many have questioned “why is that?”
There is no short explanation as to why I love it. I simply; love the people, the smiles they bring, I love their laughs, the way they see life, I love the way they dance, I love the way speak, I love how they welcome you into their home for a chai or even offer you food at a wedding when you had no invitations in the first place, I love that we become friends instantly. I love that they call me aunty. I love that they don’t say “please” or “thank you” to family and friends because in India, it is assumed and expected that you will be there for a friend, whenever they need you. I love how happy they seem and how interested and curious they are about travellers visiting their country or about anything really.
I love their naïveness at times. I love how they seem to know something we don’t. I love their perception on life. I love the elderly, the curious babies and the playful kids. I love their humour and the energy that they let off.
I love that they love their country so much; we have something in common.
I love the intensity of the country. I love that there are too many colours, too many people, too much noise and too many smells. I love that people wear too much jewelery and coordinate too many patterns. People are either too rich or too poor, sometimes it’s too hot or too cold, music is playing too loud, train rides are too long, people drive too crazy.
In India there is no in between, no happy medium, no compromise.
I love that the most simple task is not always that simple of a task. I love that going to buy a snack just a few meters away turns into an adventure; and one that you’ll hardly ever forget. I love to be moved by all these emotions. I love the way I go to sleep feeling completely exhausted. I love how all the intensity makes me feel alive every-single-minute OF THE DAY.
I love the food, the spicy masala chai served in stainless steel cups. I love how easy it is to be a vegetarian, I love all the different juices, the lassis, the street food and the road side snacks.
I love that it’s a whole new world over there.
I respect that not everyone loves India. I love that its true beauty is hidden and unleashed only to those who come with an open mind and heart and take the time to see it. I love to be one of the ones who adores it. I love that the people who love it, love it so much and keep coming back. I realise I’m not the only one who has gotten addicted.
I love that everything makes sense; that when something negative happens to you, something better comes out of it. Things seem to happen the way they are supposed to happen. My adventures have taught me to fear less and trust more. I have come to believe there’s a solution for everything in India. A somewhat “Yaar jugaad karna” and when I am having a bad day and hating India, something unexpected will happen to make me smile.
I love the person I am when I’m there, my messy hair, my freckled skin, my dirty feet. I love how I feel, how I act, how I want to be. I love the fact that because so much happens around me, I feel peace inside.
Sometimes, I hate all the things I said about it.
I hate the people, I hate the food, the intensity, the extreme chaos. I hate that I have to cover up in 40 degree heat, I hate feeling hot, I hate being a little bit dirty all the time, I hate that everything is so complicated and that I go to bed completely exhausted. I hate the exact same things that I love. That’s what makes all the beauty of it. I think that’s what makes people addicted to it. All the ups and all the downs. India doesn’t stop its craziness for you when you have had enough. India doesn’t stop for you when all feels like too much. You have to keep up with it and I love it. I really do. In the end, I just love it all. The honks, the thousands of dogs barking, the people shouting, the dust, the dirt, the mess, the train rides, the “yes madam rickshaw” “ma’am special discount for you” “souvenir?” “boatride?” “good price”.
I love the childrens smile, the conversations, the sign language between the locals and me, the Bollywood music, the Bollywood films, the cows in the street, the cows on the beach, the crazy traffic. I love the bright orange sunsets, the beautiful landscapes, I love the laughs, the accents.
I have never read a better description of the “feels” of India . I am as carzy about my country as you are and yet I also , sometimes hate all the things that I love about India . India is a glorious choas that moves you and makes you love it for what it is! Beautifully written , thank you !
Thank you, that means so much. We love it in all its chaos. <3 Leaving for India tomorrow. It will be my third time. The excitement is real. 🙂
Emily, I love this! This is what I feel about India, too.
thank you for your comment. So happy that you enjoyed reading 🙂
India is quite a special place isn’t it.