Indian Summer

Warning: This is a rant and some parts of it may be unkind, rude and offensive. If you are a sensitive person or easily hurt, do not read it.

This rant is aimed at non-Indian tourists. One thing all non-Indians need to understand is that India is a deeply divided country in some ways. India also does not have easily accessible services, which does not mean that the services do not exist, it just means that to access the services you need to pay more. Simple. When Indians want to avail of the services, they pay more. Increasingly middle-class Indians are paying for said services. If you are a tourist, wearing trashy, skanky, revealing, hippy-like clothes will only attract attention to you.

Accept the fact that India is a poor country and that you will be accosted by beggars and mendicants. Indians are also harrassed the same way and it has nothing to do with your lily-white skin. You want to know why? Because we are not a social welfare state. We know the cost of everything unlike you, because our state does not keep our molly-coddled asses pampered and cossetted and subsidized like yours does.

Also remember that travelling comfortably in India requires money. You want a cheap holiday and comforts without spending money, you cannot do that in India. You want to know why? Because we are not a social welfare state. Live with the knowledge and do not crib. Also remember that when middle-class Indians holiday and/or travel, they pay good money to escape the dust and the dirt and travel like all sensible people should in air-conditioned coaches on trains in the summers or fly. And they do it because on a holiday you dont really want to deal with what you deal with everyday, right? If you want to "experience" India, by all means do it. Pay a piddly sum of money to ride on a train or to travel by bus. Just don't whine after you find it uncomfortable. Our buses are cheap and uncomfortable because India is not a fuckin' welfare state.

Also remember that we Indians talk different, our cultures are totally different and expecting it to be any different is extremely foolish. Also remember that India is not all bullock carts, snake charmers or Ma Anandmayi or some similar crap that has been fed to you by your sensational media. If you want to discuss "India" most people would not be interested or have the time. You know why? Because India does not pay slackers to sit around and pretend to be intellectual or artistic and do nothing and exist on welfare. We need to work our asses off to make a decent living and do not have the time for your sensitive, superficial crap.

Stop feeling victimized. People stare at you because you are different. Indians stare. Get over it. Deal with it and do not whine. Indians stare because unlike your sorry-assed aloof country, India is a over-crowded, curious country. Indians are curious by nature. We want to know everything. If they stare, they are not trying to violate you, they are just being curious.

And last but not the least, if you have totally taken leave of your senses and visit India in the summer, deal with the heat and remember that we Indians deal with it every year and you should have done your homework before visiting.