Harriet Solomon

IF TRAVEL IS AN ADDICTION, I’M AFFLICTED

India: An Ironic Contradiction

India is an ironic contradiction.

Attempting to describe a country as diverse and intense as this one is attempting to do the impossible, yet everywhere you go within it, on every winding Himalayan trail and polluted Delhi side street, the impossible becomes the expected.

India Gate

Cows and monkeys roam the roads as if nature’s hierarchy has been turned upon its head and little boys, barefoot and grinning, throw fireworks outside a hidden Jainist temple, unexplainably and charmingly content. An old man with a glass eye who wears a coat of dirt and scars, sits on the pavement, praying, oblivious to the chaos that surrounds him and a small girl with mismatched socks sits on the doorstep of her isolated mountain home, her baby brother asleep in her arms.

It shouldn’t work. It couldn’t and wouldn’t anywhere else, but for whatever reason, in India, these elements don’t just ‘work’ or merely ‘exist’, they thrive. Each and every part of this complex and confusing country has a purpose, even if this is simply to contribute, however insignificantly, to making it what it is. The discarded shoe in an unmarked alleyway, the gold toothed rickshaw driver putting his four children through school and the stall selling fruit crawling with insects and coated in dust, none of these things should be overlooked or disregarded due to their seeming lack of importance. A puzzle with only one piece doesn’t really make a picture, does it?

Old Delhi

I’ve always found exaggerated descriptions somewhat difficult to take seriously, yet I cannot seem to ignore the fact that India is special. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is about the country that leaves such a lasting impression on it’s visitors but I’m fairly certain it has something to do with the specific kind of atmosphere over there. An atmosphere I believe can only accurately be described as alive. The people, the places, the music, the food, it’s all just a little brighter and a little sharper than the quaint, quiet English village I call home.

India demands to be noticed, and notice it I have.

The Ganges

 

Lengthy, emotional declarations of how a place like India changes someone are to be expected and descriptive tales of how lives of visitors have been influenced by their experiences there are naturally going to follow. Be that as it may, I’m not entirely sure India did change me, at least not in a manner so drastic it is noticeable. In fact, I’m not entirely convinced I agree with this sentiment at all. I don’t think a place changes you, it’s everything and more importantly, everyone within it that can influence who you are. I don’t want to be misinterpreted, my Asian adventure was breathtaking, nonsensical and unforgettable all at the same time and was, undeniably, a trip of a life time, but did it alter who I was, who I am?

I’m not so sure.

India did not make me look at myself or review the life I live in any extreme fashion, instead, it sparked my interest in others.

Agra

As the trip went on, I became more and more interested in the people we met, from those we passed on the Delhi streets to others we shared a train with in the early hours of the morning. For us, a group of forty teenage girls travelling on a school trip for just two weeks, we experienced only a snapshot of India, just enough to leave us wanting more. However, for those we met along the way, it is more than just a destination, it is a home.

It’s incredible when you think of just how vast India is, both in geographical size and population but in it’s culture and diversity too. Everyone living there has a story to tell and each and every one is as interesting and contrasting as the next, but together, side by side, these people and their stories create a country utterly unique in nature.

I was privy to only a few tales on my travels but even the small amount I learnt was incredible. The elder of a remote, Himalayan village told us a tale of his one on one battle with a leopard in which he lost his eye, our guide who led us through her crazy country spoke passionately of her childhood spent skiing across the world and the business man with which we shared a sunrise on a train informed us carefully of his love for dogs and boasted proudly of his daughter’s education. These were just those we were lucky enough to speak to, there were, there are so many more, each making their own memories and writing their own stories on one of our world’s greatest stages, India.

A Himalyan corner shop

A man I know once said something rather insightful. Before we departed our teacher made sure we wrote a little quote of his down ‘behind very closed door, there is a story.’ It seems in India, within every person there’s an entire wealth of them.


For an insight into my recent return to India, click here!

Harriet Solomon

106 responses to “India: An Ironic Contradiction”

  1. India is a really interesting country. The culture, the history and the clash of differences are something very special. I like your perspective on the country. It makes it look even more special!

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  3. We *loved* India – we spent 3 months in Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, and another 2 months touring Delhi, Rajasthan, Agra and Varanasi. It was an extraordinary time as I’m sure you can imagine. Your post about it captures well the chaos and the contradictions.
    Alison

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  5. Great write up. India really is alive. You’ve done a great job to capture the warped realities which you see, and come to expect to see day to day.

    I think if you go back one day in a smaller group you might be more prone to the personal change that India can bring about.

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    • Thank you for the kind comments. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in India and intend to return as soon as I can, so I guess we’ll see!

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  8. Having backpacked through India on my own for a month back in 1985, your blog brought back many memories, thanks! 😉 I’ll always remember arriving at the Delhi airport and bumping into some Swedish backpackers that were agitated and flying home after 3 days in India- they “couldn’t handle the poverty, chaos, filth, and men!” Their trip was supposed to last a couple of months.

    From your photos and words, it doesn’t look/sound as if things have changed much since then. However, what has changed and it’s not surprising, is the disparity between the rich and poor; apparently about 450,000 Indians are now in the “middle class”.
    I shall have to visit India again!

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    • Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog, I’m glad it brought back happy memories for you! I can’t really comment on whether the country has changed since your visit but from your encounter with the Swedish backpackers who found India to be somewhat overwhelming, it does indeeed sound like it remains the intense and wild place that it’s always been. I can only imagine how exciting backpacking through India must have been, I hope that you do get the chance to visit again!

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  9. Being an Indian, most of what you’ve written about is part of my daily life and thus, I tend to ignore the little details, but your post makes me appreciate it and I’m absolutely grateful for that. Beautifully written!

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    • Thank you so much! I can’t imagine what’s it’s like to live in a place like India all of the time, do you like it?

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      • I haven’t ever given it much thought. I mean it’s home. I’m used to being a part of a crowd and a loud one at that. But the funny thing is that no one place is quite the same. I mean I stay in Delhi and I can totally see what you mean. You’ve captured the feel of Delhi perfecty. But if I were a person, living in Nagaland (in the north east) I would be a little confused because the experience is so different. I personally adore how we’re this pudding of a lot of things necessary and unecessary and it works. So yeah,I love it. 🙂

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      • I can imagine that in a country so fast the contrasts between different areas must be shocking, I hope one day I’ll get the chance to explore more of your wonderful home!

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  10. Hey! Your perspective on India really makes me thing more deeply about it. Having always lived in India and only been outside India once in my life, seeing cows and monkeys on the roads and all that is so normal for me. I often tend to overlook the small things that make India unique and your post really captures the essence of the country or at least Delhi! Loved reading it. 🙂

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    • Thank you so much ☺️ I only visited your country for a short while and was both overwhelmed and fascinated by everything I saw, I can’t imagine what it must be like to live there on a full time basis!

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  11. Wonderful post! I spent a few months living in India and I too found it quite difficult to describe to anyone who had not experienced it firsthand. A beautiful, chaotic place indeed. Cheers

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      • It was amazing, overwhelming, wonderful and terrible all at once, as you can imagine! But it’s an experience I will never forget and I am so glad I did it 🙂

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  14. loved your post!
    True, India is vast. Living in India, i guess i have barely scratched the surface of what the country has to offer, in terms of landscape, people, culture and everything that go around it!

    Hope you get to come down again!
    Cheers..!

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  16. Stepping in India is a culture shock to many but once you accept it, it seems possible.

    As they say, you can love it, some might hate it but you definitely cannot ignore India..

    cheers!

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  17. I just came across your blog and love it. You have described India perfectly! I grew up in India and to be honest, even I haven’t fully explored the country. It is so diverse.. did you get a chance to visit Mumbai or the southern part of India?

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    • What a lovely comment, thank you so much! Sadly no we didn’t get to visit Mumbai, we spent a few days down by the Ganges in Rishikesh and a while up in the Himalayas in Sitlakhet but that was about it. I would love to get the chance to explore the country a little more, is there anywhere you would recommend?

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  18. Wauw! Your perspective of India is interesting, but your way of writing is amazing!
    “It shouldn’t work. It couldn’t and wouldn’t anywhere else, but for whatever reason, in India, these elements don’t just ‘work’ or merely ‘exist’, they thrive.” Well written!

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  20. What a wonderful article you wrote on India !! I am definitely going to reblog this article which I already did 😉 This has been one of the best article I’ve read related to India. Waiting for more from your blog.

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  24. Yes. A very accurate representation of India. I am a proud Indian. Whenever I ask my parents to take me to foreign countries, they always reply- you haven’t seen enough of India and you want to see other countries now? Such diversity in the long run makes us culturally receptive.
    Thanks for the brilliant blog post though.

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    • Thank you! I only visited India for a very short time and I experienced so many different things so I am not surprised that your parents feel there is enough to see just in your own country!

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    • Thank you so much! ☺️ I hope that you have many more travel adventures to come too, can’t wait to read some of your posts!

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  26. I finally found some time to read this article, I planned on doing so because I was curious as to what I would learn from it being that I am currently learning of Indian culture in school, and I must say it is a whole new perspective than the textbooks give. I absolutely love your word choice and the way you describe their elements of culture, the people, street life and such. You are an absolutely brilliant mind Harriet, I am unashamedly fond of your work. I love this post and I now understand why you have such a powerful group of people as followers. I definitely wish to read more of your posts and I am super excited to be apart of this movement! Congrats! Good luck on the rest of your adventures, I plan to join you through your reading during your many experiences!

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    • Thank you so much. It really does mean a lot that you enjoy my work and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to share my experiences of a country as wonderful as India with you. I can’t wait to read many more of your posts in the future, good luck! ☺️

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  28. You’ve completely captured the essence of India (similar to Bangladesh as well!). It’s countries like India that make you feel so alive because they’re so real and honest and without pretension.

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    • Thank you 😊 I’m so glad you liked my post and I completely agree with you, on all my travels I’ve never encountered another country quite like India!

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  29. So I came to your blog, and felt naturally drawn to this post, belonging from across the border in Pakistan. I must say, you managed to capture the snapshot really well and the whole place is simply a huge melting pot of so many different cultures, people, realities and stories.

    Although my grandfather used to be in India before its partition (not sure if you’re familiar with the region’s history), I’ve never visited India. I would love to go to Delhi, Agra and Goa, among other places.

    And if i would recommend a side trip, I would say: do visit Lahore in Pakistan. Pakistan and India share many realities, and although Pakistan is not considered an especially secure tourist haven, the city of Lahore still remains a well-traversed spot for tourists. Along with Delhi and Agra, it is one of the jewels of old India. 🙂

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  30. Thanks for dropping by my blog and following. No doubt you will have seen how India has enriched my life. I have to keep going back. Around every corner there’s something that challenges and excites. Years ago I met a French woman who had been visiting for 22 years and she said she hadn’t seen half of it. That’s why I keep going back. That’s why you need to go back. I want to know it all.

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    • Thank you for reading. I only visited India once and I was shocked by just how diverse the country was, there were times in different areas when I felt like I had travelled to an entirely new location. I completeley understand your desire to explore it further and I look forward to reading about your adventures.

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      • Go to Karnataka, and Kerala, go to Rajasthan and Gujarat. They’re all different, and above all visit the small towns and villages, the back lanes away from the tourists. It’s magic!
        Regards
        John

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      • Thank you for the tips, I’ll definitely add them to my India bucket list!

        Happy travelling.

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    • Thank you so much. I have no doubt that you’re right, I suppose it’s a stroke of luck that I’ll be returning in the summer!

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  33. As an Indian, I am so happy that you have not fallen trap to the existing stereotypes and viewed this country through those lenses. India is a complex organism and none of us have figured out till now how we function, thrive in this chaos 🙂
    Thanks for sharing your experience. Just makes me fall in love with this diversity once again!!!

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  34. Thank you so much for visiting India. I greatly take pride in the culture and heritage of my country and yet I can’t help feeling apprehensive about what foreigners will think when they visit my country. There can be no doubt that they’ll be impressed by our diversity and culture, but what about the less favourable things such as poverty? Your perspective of my country makes me take greater pride in being Indian, and gives me assurance that there are people like you who can find beauty and be fascinated with what other people find ugly and dirty.

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    • What a wonderful and thoughtful comment. Thank you so much for reading and for your kind words. India is a truly special country and I feel privileged to have visited it ❤️

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  35. Thanks for stopping by at my blog. This is a fascinating post, really. As an Indian and a self confessed indophile rediscovering his own country through numerous solo trips, there was much in your post that resonated. Especially second the sentiment ‘a place does not change you’. Life here is indeed vibrant , chaotic but above all, very immediate and in your face. Hope you’d return. Cheers!

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    • Thank you so much for reading😊 I can not imagine how exciting it must be to live in India. I wish you well with your exploration of this magical country and look forward to reading about your adventures!

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  36. Hi there, I love the way you describe the nuances of India. Very few foreign travellers grab it so well. But then we all have our perspectives. May you get to see the other parts of India too and happy travelling. Thank you for dropping by my blog btw.

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    • Thank you for such a lovely comment. My time in India was truly special and I can’t wait to explore it further. Happy travels!

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      • You are welcome. Every place in this world is so unique is it not? That is the best aspect of travelling. To be able to soak it all in. And when you have a way with words it just is the icing 🙂 Looking forward to catching with your other posts.

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  37. Hi Harriet,

    Thank you so much for visiting my blog.
    wow… you are so young and have been to so many places all ready. That is just incredible.

    BTW I loved your post on India. keep writing.

    Thanks,
    Jyoti

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    • Thank you so much for reading! I’m very lucky to have travelled to all of the places I have and I can’t wait for many more adventures of my own and for reading about all of yours 😊

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