I can tell, but you can’t smell…

Namaste! It’s been two week since I left India. Argentina has been treating me very well and like I anticipated – the daily experience in all aspects of life is so much different here. Also – my stay here is of a slight different nature, instead of travelling I am based in Buenos Aires for a longer period. This allows me to manage time, calm down and enjoy the experience of freedom in a different manner. The past two weeks has thus provided me with a lot of time and impulses that have helped in processing my time in and impressions from India.

India has definitely been the most intense and exciting places I have ever visited

 The official tourism industry of India promotes India through the the well-known Incredible India campaign (Youtube). The video is well made and clearly shows the wide range of experiences one might have in India – but yet it is also somewhat disguising the experience of everyday hassle and whatever happens between the highlights.

I could go on and tell you about my adventures, impressions and all the amazing things I saw – but there will always be one crucial aspect missing- the smell! I am not talking about a particular smell – rather not. The most fascinating about India is the change you can observe as you move through the country. Leaving one state for another it is easy to notice how food, clothes, nature, language and people’s looks changes. The same goes for the smell – this is such an important part of the Indian experience. Spending a day in India you’ll go through “stages of smelling” everything from cowshit to amazing street food, sweaty underpaid/overworked workers, exhaust, beautiful blossoming flowers, incense, dust, road side fires, public peeing/2′ing(!) and of course the smell of the tragically and universally accepted littering of garbage everywhere. If it by reading this I make you believe India stink – it doesn’t (only at times!!). But it has a certain smelling characteristic that makes the whole experience unique – in a good and exotic way.

Observations about India

• Indian head wiggle / bobble: Strange gesture done by all Indians, you never know if they mean yes, no or maybe (look here)
• As a tourist – locals/touts try to lure you massively. For basic services (taxi etc) or market products – assume you can bargain down to 30%.
• The Indian smoothie called “Lassie” can be a risky adventure for your stomach, the Bhang lassie can be a risky adventure for your life!
• Always expect delays and never take information/confirmations for granted
• 60-70% of the population is illiterate – hence be patient and polite when instructing drivers of rickshaws and taxis
• Most people are extremely friendly – and you expect people to pull you places to show you things for money, but no – only in rare cases
• There are numerous “spiritual” associations and communities that especially (with “famous” Gurus) appeals to Westerns seeking a change in lifestyle. Many of these claim superiority or special insight regarding future, destiny or skills – among most Indians these are all disregarded as touristic money-luring machines
• Get in touch with locals – and they might show you amazing places and experiences!
• India’s economy is suffering heavily from corruption, large of population is illiterate and major development suffers from both top and bottom economy being run democratically by market forces. The question is – how long will it be a part of the “BRIC“s….
• About 30 % of the population lives on less than 1 Euro per day
• In Mumbai – around 50 % of the population lives in shanty towns or open areas
• India grew by more than 200 million people in the past 10 years

India offers amazing soups!

This is a "thali" from Rajasthan... mmmmm!

It's almost like I don't want to experience another Indian wedding - Arun set the standard!

Which cows are the happiest?

2 of India's more than 200m holy cows munching on garbage = plastic bags, waste and rotten food

India: Holy street cows (read "chaos") - relaxing on the tarmac with some good noisy traffic and tasty exhaust

Argentina: Vacas de Argentina - Proud cows who know their meat is second to none. Plus they eat well and live happy on the Pampas..

Norway:Happy Happy Happy Norwegian cows (yes! they are jumping in happiness!) - these cows know they make the milk for the world's best milk chocolate - and the world's most overrated milk (Tine,Q...).

You probably heard it before, “In India cows roam the streets”, and yes – its true! Except for the most urbane, chic and modern areas of the larger cities – you’ll find cows, single or groups of them “strolling” around as if they own the area. In Hinduism the cows are held sacred and in rural villages cows are almost treated as members of the family. The milk is used, but the meat is never eaten. From the ancient times it was said that killing a cow was equal to killing a brahman (member of the upper priest-caste). The belief and treatment of the cow as sacred is ancient and has not adopted to modern society at all. This is what puzzles travelers - because if a cow was sacred and you treated as a member of the family, why leave it wondering the street like a lost soul?  Cows living in the street eat whatever they come across (garbage, plastic, metal bits, rotten food…), they create traffic chaos (cars have to drive around them to obey their holy status) and of course – they shit whenever and wherever they want. This is perhaps one of the biggest challenges to modern India. In the largest rural villages the cows pose a treat to hygiene and the fact that they wander alone leaves no one responsible for cleaning up the …shit!

Thinking of how fast the Indian society grows and how it becomes rapidly more international – it’ll be interesting to see for how long cows will roam the streets. In a dream world – the cows would be kept sacred and happy in a spacious green field, with a fresh creek and a far away from honking horns, street lights and garbage. The sad truth however is that most cows are owned by families who cannot afford the food nor the space.

A fat man taking a bath/shower/shit in Ganga...

A happy elephant!

India is definitely incredible – but I would rather describe it as captivating. India includes and excludes you! It challenges you and it charmes you!

When I was in India I had days where I really looked forward to South America and the latin culture. Now when I am in Argentina, I feel so at ease and even though this culture is quite different from my nordic background – it feels so close and comfortable as opposed to being in India. My point is that on some days I feel like I am not in an exotic location, I feel “too” home – I do not get that intense feeling of alienation or being foreign to something or anything.Perhaps my surroundings and experiences here are too easily understandable and hence I do not feel “challenged” enough. Maybe that or maybe I just have to move on and find somewhere more random, intense and captivating than India – if that’s possible…

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