Bunty Bedi of Santa Fe gives us an idea of what it's like to live in India.

By Bunty Bedi, Santa Fe, Pune, India. 

Let us say you were asked to head down to the local market and grab some vegetables, easy right? Now imagine you were asked to do the same thing with both your arms tied behind your back, blindfolded and with a mouth gag! At this point you are probably arguing this would never happen in real life. And you might be right in most cases, but the description is not far removed from how an expat feels when he sets foot in India and has to go through the seemingly mundane chores of life. Grocery shopping can be like a UN mission, and a drive to the market can seem like a battle for survival. As if being in a foreign environment wasn't enough, India constantly overloads your senses with sights and sounds you couldn't believe existed.

A good friend of mine who flew in from the US on an overseas assignment for a few months was fervently trying to get a broadband connection installed at his rental flat. After several weeks of calling and persuasion, one morning he finally had someone knocking on his door. The man had a broad smile on his face and a toolbox in his hand, so of course my ill-advised friend assumed it was the Internet technician. After a very long 15 minutes of pointing and gesturing at the wall socket, and attempts at lip reading evoked nothing but head nodding and a steady stream of Hindi, my friend finally gave up and called me to act as an interpreter. Turns out, the head nodding and denial by the man with the broad smile was well placed, as it is not often that a plumber can set up an Internet connection.

Language barriers aside, there are hundreds of situations we Indians undergo on a regular basis in our everyday lives which would earn a bravery medal in most western nations. Take for instance, the simple art of crossing a busy street. Simple? Well, maybe not. I recall during one of my visits to the local shopping mall a group of young foreigners quietly waiting at the pedestrian crossing on a busy street, staring open mouthed at the barrage of traffic which seemed oblivious of the existence of the pedestrian crossing. Their amazement only grew as after waiting patiently for the traffic to stop for 20 minutes, in what they must have seen as an act of suicide, a small boy emphatically walked on to the street and while gesturing with his hand to the speeding cars to stop, waded across.

Things don't get too much better with the roles being reversed either. Being in the driver's seat in a car in India isn't far removed from the plight of the poor pedestrian trying to get across the road. I believe the expression 'from the frying pan into the fire' aptly describes the situation. The ability to follow traffic rules to the letter is almost considered a liability in India, and odds are if you follow them blindly you will end up bumping someone or something. And if the sheer volume of cars isn't enough to scare you, we also have the occasional cow, dog and elephant to break the monotony. My advice to you; use that horn and use it well!

Of course it isn't all bad. It is simply more about there being a big difference in the way things function here. 'Organised chaos' is probably a good way to describe it. But for every unwelcome surprise there is an unexpected gesture of kindness. India is a land of contradictions and can shatter your heart while inextricably filling each chamber with hope. The warmth, the hospitality and the endearing nature of the locals will make you forget that you had to face a near death experience to get to a warm cup of chai!

While the first time visitors I have met were all overcome with Mumbai madness, they stood open-mouthed when a person they met a few minutes earlier invited them for a wedding the same evening. Hesitancy followed, and then a sense of adventure over took them. What they experienced that evening - watching wedding ceremonies up close, the pugrees that the family had, non-stop food and welcoming sounds from all present - made them exclaim 'Indians have got to be the most hospitable people on Earth’.

India is a land steeped in tradition and amalgamated with the wonders of a fast developing nation. Together this brings an environment the likes of which will forever change you, as only India can.