My Discovery of India

Written by guest contributor Sameer Sampat

Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab

If you’re reading this because you’re about to go to India, I am extremely jealous. Both of my parents were born there, in Mumbai. My parents, sister, and I used to go to Mumbai, India as a family when I was a little kid to spend time with my grandparents, uncles and aunts. The memories of those trips are still fresh in my mind- playing cricket with the neighborhood kids, eating kulfi from street vendors, and thinking my uncle owned every single black and yellow car that we rode around in. Those trips were quite fun and led me to live in India for two years after college. It was during this time that I really explored India, wandered through the villages, celebrated all of the holidays, enjoyed the food from all seasons, especially mango season, and worked with people. Living in India gave me a whole new appreciation for the place.

Ok, to get you on your journey, here are a few useful tips that my friend, Jigar Patel, sent to me before I started my travels that I have added to and reproduced for you here.

To mentally prepare yourself, things that I should have realized that you may want to consider:

· Always bargain starting at 50-75% of the retailed price

· People can spot foreigners very easily, don't travel with your backpack everywhere

· The heart of India is its villages

· Transportation by auto rickshaw can get expensive, go for the bus

· Don't be scared of stray dogs, if you see one chasing you, bend down as if picking a rock and act like you're chucking a stone at them

· Ride the trains, especially the Mumbai local trains, once

· Eat the fruits, but be careful of the beetles

· Visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab

· Find a group of travelers if they are on the same route, it's always fun with more folks if they are good people

· Take every opportunity to play with the children, it'll make your day

· Travel by all means (I rode on top of the jeep with a friend because there was no room inside the jeep - it had 14 inside and us 2 were on the top, I also got a ride on a broken catamaran through this small river with these 4 small kids who were rowing me)

· Don't hesitate to speak to someone next to you, even if they speak a different language, I've learned to speak through gesturing

· If you have the time volunteer, do physical labor, and teach

If you think this list is too long and want to focus, I would say go with the last two. What makes India, like many places, amazing, is the people there. I found great inspiration in meeting people in India who dedicated their life to pursuing excellence in their ‘field,’ whether it was music, business, spirituality, or social development. But that is what I found, and I hope your journey leads you to whatever you’re looking for.