Inspiring India

They say you need many lives to explore India,

and I’m willing to reach out and give it a good crack!

India has inspired, delighted and quite frankly frustrated the pants off me on my several previous visits. It is one of only two countries in the world that I have always said “no” to living in. Just call me a big fat wimp! Watch this space sure as eggs are eggs, our next posting will be to Bangalore now I’ve written this…

My family has deep connections with the country. Perhaps my Grandparents were made of sterner stuff, or maybe they were more adventurous and with stronger, hardened stomachs than I?

My maternal Grandmother grew up in Calcutta and my Grandfather later recounted his time as a junior officer flying Westland Wapitis between the wars on the Northwest Frontier of India. Fast forward eighty plus years and we are waving off two of our children on very different airplanes, to experienced boarding school in the foothills of the Himalayas in Northern India. Who’d have thought?

India also inspired the start of my Little Wandering Wren blog for which I will be forever happy about. Yes, in 2012 when I was traveling around India en-route to visit my son, I needed some way to keep my family and friends up to date with my travels, the blog and from it, many blogging friendships were formed.

I hesitate to direct you back to these early days of blogging, but the post ‘My Himalayan Necklace’ remains one of my best read stories on the blog. You can find it here!

India, like much of Asia, is a captivating, fast-growing country of contrasts. I have always loved its rich history, learning about the massive empires, seeing it’s amazing architecture. I’m fascinated by the impact of Indian culture, religions, and civilization, across the whole of Asia and I love imagining life in more recent times under colonial British rule.

I like to think of myself as a global citizen. Given that India is set to become the world’s most densely populated country in the next ten years, ahead of China, I feel India is a country that we should all take more note of.

Our flight is a short hop, skip and jump of a four-hour flight from Bangkok and I’m looking forward to my delightful Delhi adventure.

I’m not sure whether I will ever experience the real India, given that my western roots are now firmly planted in searching out the non-squatty toilets and the little less spicy than the blow-your-head-off Indian cuisine, but I’m not one to say no to any travel!

Who knows after years of living in Asia perhaps I’m getting better equipped to deal with the above or perhaps as India develops I will not need to! Let’s see.

This week I find myself back again after six years away. Would you like to join me as I explore Delhi?

Linking with thanks to the hosts at Our World Tuesday and Wednesday Around the World