From February to March 2024, I visited India for the first time. India is often described with phrases like “India someday,” “it will change your outlook on life,” or “you’ll either love it or hate it, no in-between.” I also frequently heard negative anecdotes about Indians, such as being scammed or overcharged.
This time, I will share my impressions of actually staying in three Indian cities for a month and interacting with the local people.
People I Met in Old Delhi
I stayed near Old Delhi railway station this time. There’s a street market in front of the station, and in one corner, there’s a small shrine dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. An old man served as the caretaker of this shrine.
I always passed by this shrine on my way to and from the street market, so I would offer prayers. Perhaps he remembered me always coming, because he started offering prayers for me every time I visited. He also began applying red powder to my forehead and giving me rock candy.
I stayed in Old Delhi for two weeks, and on the last night, I asked him if I could take his picture and video. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but by the end, he seemed to be on the verge of tears. I regret not having given him a donation.
People I Met in Varanasi
Walking along the ghats in Varanasi, I saw a beautiful woman sitting on some stairs between buildings. Since my stay in Delhi, I had noticed that India has an unusually high number of beautiful women walking on the streets. Especially women in their late teens to early twenties often had great figures and well-defined features; sometimes, I would gasp at their beauty, looking twice or thrice.
It’s difficult to take direct frontal photos of these beautiful women, so I usually just caught glimpses of them as I passed by. But in Varanasi, it was my first time asking someone for a photo.
In Varanasi, I often had the opportunity to walk through local residential areas, and when people realized I was Japanese, they would call out to me or ask for a handshake. Whether it’s a recent development or has always been the case, I got the impression that local Indians are very friendly towards Japan and Japanese people.
While it’s wise to avoid souvenir shops, self-proclaimed guides at tourist attractions, or taxi touts, as there’s a risk of being scammed or overcharged, the local residents were completely different from the image I had before coming. If you only visit as a typical tourist, you’ll mainly interact with people at tourist spots. However, those people are often a special case, not just in India but anywhere; I believe the real people of a country are found among the locals.
While walking around the city, I often encountered children playing. In the past, you’d see such scenes in any country, but recently, even in Asian countries, children no longer play alone on the streets. This wasn’t the case in Delhi, but in Varanasi, I often encountered such scenes.
Varanasi is a global tourist destination, so I thought foreign travelers wouldn’t be rare. However, children in local residential areas, not tourist spots, seem to rarely talk to or greet foreigners, even if they see them.
When approaching children on the street, it’s best not to start talking at close range. Instead, call out a greeting in their native language from a slight distance and wave. If they run away or look away, don’t press further. If they return the greeting or wave back, approach a little closer and greet them again. Once you are within reach, you can offer a touch or a handshake. In my experience, children are usually delighted, as they rarely have direct contact with foreigners, even in places considered tourist destinations.
I didn’t feel like visiting the famous ghats of Varanasi too many times, so I spent my time walking through various residential areas. Wherever I went, I interacted and connected with the adults and children living there.
People I Met in Mumbai
My final destination in India this time was Mumbai. I didn’t have many interactions with people in Mumbai, but on my last day, I visited a Muslim-populated area behind the station.
It was during Ramadan, and it was a rare sight to see people breaking their fast on the streets and at food stalls after sunset. So, I visited a district with a higher Muslim population. It was already dark, but many children were playing on playground equipment, and when they realized I was a foreigner (Japanese), they surrounded me and peppered me with questions.
It seemed that foreigners were quite a rarity to them. They were very friendly.
Conclusion
In India, I met very friendly local people, completely unlike the prior information I had. It seems that the negative information about Indians I had heard previously was an exaggeration of experiences in specific places like tourist areas. Of course, it’s important to protect yourself in tourist areas, but I hope you also get to experience genuine interactions with the people of India.
