No single phrase can describe this country ever! There are hundreds of places to visit in India
India is a kaleidoscope of emotions for me. I have been to more than 40 countries of diverse types. I can confidently say that there is no country like India ever, believe me- this is not coming from a patriotism. The emotions are difficult to describe unless you have lived in India for a sufficient period across different states to experience the color, chaos, spirituality, simplicity, jugaad and Indian-ness that is pervasive in the way of living
You can find all kinds of landscapes from mountains in Himalayas, snow in Kashmir, cold deserts of Ladakh, hot desert of Jaisalmer, salt flats in Kutch, backwaters in Kerala, beaches on the coast, mangroves in Sundarbans, waterfalls in western ghats, caves in Meghalaya, wildlife forests in Gir-Madhya Pradesh, Assam, the list is endless. India is second most diverse country with 21 of the 30 Kopppen climate zones
India is not well covered by western tourists who typically visit Delhi-Jaipur-Agra triangle, followed by Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa in case they move out of Delhi. The architecture of temples, specially in Tamil Nadu, Ellora have no parallel. You will find different language, food, festivals every 100 kilometers away, but we have managed to live unitedly across so many states. It is like Europe being a single country
The list of gods and festivals in another endless one. Festivals are pervasive with every alternate day having some special significance. While only larger festivals like Diwali are well known to western world, you will find festival and celebration as a way of life in town happening much more frequently
Indians might not be rich, but there are enough social systems to cater to the poor including mid-day meals in schools for children, temple food for travelers, free grain shops and government canteens with subsidized food. The happiness levels are higher compared to similar income levels outside (might not reflect in rankings, which is a separate topic). Yes, there are instances of being scammed, misled, overcharged, but they happen in so many countries including ones in Europe, South America, Asia
There is life even in buildings here! It is never monotonous. I stayed in Europe for 3.5 months, had the best time of my life traveling, but badly wanted to come back at the end as I missed the liveliness. European cities were like a template- A church on the banks of a river, a train station, a museum- they all became similar after some time. While our differences might not look significant to foreigners, you need to understand a bit more in depth to realize what India really is
The traditional scholars were well ahead of time in fields like medicine through Ayurveda, astronomy, yoga and what not. It somehow dwindled over the years to now regain the importance not just in India, but globally
Indians are winning the world in the field of technology. India is one of the few countries where digital is considered public good. You will find smallest of the cities with poorest of the poor having smartphones with data and bank accounts
Covering India requires a separate chapter in itself. It may take years to cover every town and city we have visited, but will try to make an honest attempt
We have visited 25+ states, but will not be able to cover detailed travel guides of all towns and cities. We will share the routes travelled so that is easier for people to plan route wise similarly
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Some of the seven sisters of North East India