I am learning Hindi and have found the experience particularly challenging given the rather diverse cultural history I come from ( something I have discussed a bit previously here). My grandparents were born in India, my parents in East Africa
Guruvayur and Thrissur: How do you prove you are Hindu?
How do you prove what religion you were raised to someone you just met? A Christian can wear a cross, although anyone could do this relatively easily. A Muslim woman can wear a Hijab, but not all do. A Jewish
The Anticipation of Banking in India
One of the fundamentals of living somewhere is the need for a functioning bank account. I should know; I spent four years of my life creating a business helping people migrating to Australia open bank accounts. This business opened accounts
The Differences Between North and South India
I have only been in South India for a couple of weeks, but I immediately felt that there was a huge cultural shift between North and South. It’s not just the food and climate though that makes South India like
Riding the Buses in India
The mere thought of taking a long bus journey in India now brings a shiver up my spine. It has taken only three bus journeys to bring me to this point. As I now sit here and plan out the
Pictorial Post: The Golden Temple of Amritsar
I have seen many temples and monuments in my life from various religious denominations, but none come anywhere near the ethereal beauty of Amritsar’s Golden Temple. This temple hosts upwards of 60,000 people a day, yet still remains a place
Pictorial Post: Dharamsala
Dharamsala is the home place of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet in Exile. It’s a town of contradiction. On one hand it is peaceful and calm. It must be the only place in India where people apologise if
Foodie Post: Bhel
Bhel is one of those dishes that my mother makes very rarely, usually when we have some family around for a casual Sunday lunch. My cousin here in Delhi refers to it as “junk food”. I will just refer to
Pictorial Post: Shimla
One of my regular readers has suggested that I put more pictures in my posts to give readers a feel for the places and things I am writing about. As I now have a brand new camera that works, I
Is #Shimla leading the way for #India?
Today I arrived in Shimla. Shimla is in Himachal Pradesh. It is an old British hill station, and is now a bustling town. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I landed here. I was hoping for hills, greenery