 |
|
There’s
simply no other word that convincingly captures the enigma that is
India. With its in-your-face diversity, from snow-dusted mountains to
sun-washed beaches, tranquil temples to feisty festivals, lantern-lit
villages to software-supremo cities, it’s hardly surprising that this
country has been dubbed the world’s most multidimensional. Love it or
loathe it, and most visitors see-saw between the two, India promises to
jostle your entire being, and no matter where you go or what you do,
it’s a place you’ll never forget.
Home to more than one billion
people, the subcontinent bristles with an eclectic melange of ethnic
groups, which translates into an intoxicating cultural cocktail for the traveler. For those seeking spiritual sustenance, India has oodles of
sacrosanct sites and stirring philosophical epics, while history buffs
will encounter gems from the past almost everywhere – from grand
vestiges of the British Raj serenely peering over swarming spice
bazaars, to crumbling fortresses looming high above plunging ravines.
Meanwhile, aficionados of the great outdoors can paddle in the
shimmering waters of one of many balmy beaches, scout for big jungle
cats on a blood-pumping wildlife safari, or simply inhale pine-scented
air on a meditative forest walk. And then there’s the food! From squidgy
South Indian idlis (fermented rice cakes) to zesty north Indian
curries, foodies can look forward to savoring a seductive smorgasbord
of specialties.
Once you touch down on subcontinental soil,
you’ll quickly discover that cricket – India’s sporting obsession – is
one of the most spirited topics of conversation, along with the latest
shenanigans in the razzle-dazzle world of Bollywood. However, it is
politics – whether at the national, state or village level – that
consistently dominates news headlines, with middle- and upper-class
India also keenly keeping its finger on the pulse of international
events. On the home front, economic matters feature high on the national
political agenda. With one of the world’s fastest-growing economies,
India has certainly made giant strides over the past decade. However,
despite averaging an annual growth rate of around 9% in recent years,
vast sections of the country’s billion-plus population have seen little
benefit from the economic boom. Indeed, the government’s ongoing
challenge is to spread both the burden and bounty of India’s fiscal
prosperity. Not an easy task given that the gap between the haves and
the have-nots is far from shrinking, and poverty is set to spiral
upwards if India’s population rate continues to gallop beyond that of
its economic growth.
