Hi all, I'm 35 year old male going through some serious life changes. I want to go to India, but I don't know where to begin. First of all, I would be going by myself. That's what scares me the most. I'm interested in finding a spiritual teacher, but I don't want to be taken advantage of. How many American dollars does it take to live there per day? How long can I stay legally, without a job? What towns are good friendly places for an openminded seeker such as myself? Lonewolf
Anyone can make it to India You can survive here for as little as 150 $ a month if you want to I suggest you get company for it will only help you out and you could always find company here in India About spiritual teachers there are many Who's fake who's real I do not know But I suggest you choose with caution You can know all you want and plan your entire trip from this website www.incredibleindia.org
Lonewolf - I would just go if you really want to, things will always work themselves out no matter what. I've actually been considering this myself. The job market there for my company is simply staggering. We plan on having 100% growth there this year, and will end up with more than 20,000 employees there within the next 2 fiscal years. So as half a hippie said, anyone can make it simply because the amount off 'offshoring' that is happening globally is amazing. Half a hippie - Hi, I was hoping I could ask a few simple questions. Numeric for ease: 1. I've lived in Texas my whole life, I'm 22, speak english and know a little spanish, french and romanian. I understand that there is a large amount of the population who speak english. What would you say is the percentage of the population in Hyderabad that speak english? 2. What other languages should I pick up, so that it might make the transition easier for me? I work with many people from India and many times I find them difficult to understand, yet they probably use better grammar than I do! So I thought if I learned some local dialect, it might make it easier for me to comprehend. 3. What is the political situation there? 4. Are american's welcome there? 5. Is it wise to buy land there? 6. What is the general price for land, and are there land taxes? I thank you in advance for the answers to these questions, if you can provide them. Have a good one! CachedOut
1.It is reasonable to assume that in urban areas almost 90% of the middle class and upper classes(Your core clients and employees) speak english with varying degrees of fluency They however do not constitute more that 30 to 40 % of the population The remaining 60 % of urban areas are populated by lower class people who are usually fluent in the local language However do not take anything for granted as I myself have been suprised by them sometimes 2.If you are working only with people from hyderabad then you can learn telgu( a south indian language spoken in hyderabad) but if you are recruiting from all over India then Hindi is the best it is the national language . 3.The political situation in India is Ok as of now The governement at the centre is toeing the line of the world bank and IMF and engaging in economic reforms But the ruling coalition involves communists as a minor member However I must tell you that in the recent years a maoist belt(communists) has been formed in India all the way extending from Nepal to andhra pradesh(including hyderabad) The peasent classes have suffered for many decades and this is the result of all those years of suffering A maoist takeover in Nepal will embolden the Indian communists Communists are popular and enjoy strong support in many parts 4.American's are welcome but hyderabad has a significant population of muslims That you could take into cosideration World wide america and american's face an increased hostility owning to America's aggressive foreign policy So the same could be expected However upper class Indians are extremely receptive as most of them have kin or relatives settled abroad and they too frequently travel abroad The middle class are the wannabes and many hope to get that elusive US Visa. 5.India is witnessing a real estate boom in the last 2 years In fact in the last one year land prices have doubled in bangalore and hyderabad and other metros of India People expect land prices to go even higher but many claim this is the starting of a bubble as infrastructre has not been able to keep pace and some experts suggest a correction in prices is expected 2-3 years down the line There is a lot of speculation being seen in real estate This is however a disaster for the poor middle class population for whom housing becomes even more unaffordable 6.Recently real estate has been opened to foreign direct investment and there have been many international builders who have started buying up land and developing it further jacking up prices I can tell you the prices for bangalore which I think is similiar to hyderabad Highest rates (Commercial Areas with high footfalls and well know landmarks) ----(40,0000 to 25,000 Rs per square feet )(1000 US $ approx to 750 US $) A handful of locations command anything from 1000Us $ to 2000 US $ but I am sure its nothing compared to your new yorks fifth avenue Medium rates (posh residential and semi commerical areas) ----(25,000 to 10,000 Rs per square feet )( 750 US $ approx to 250 US $) Low rates (Middle class, Low class residential areas and sub urban areas) ----( 10,000 to 1,500 Rs per square feet) (250 US 4 approx to 50 US $) Hope you found all this information useful However I must tell you that I sympathize with the communists and do not view positively the unbridled capitalism and materialism you follow in the US and are exporting to India
Can you make it? Well, in my humble opinion India is one of the easiest and cheapest countries to travel around, so that answers your starting question basically. Going by yourself is not a problem at all, if you want to you will meet people and if you do not want to you also will. For me, it took about 10$ a day to live and be transported there and I did not even sleep in all the crappiest places and I did not eat streetfood all the time. I do not know for Americans, but for Europeans it is easy to get a 6 months visa and extend it if you want. Where to go as an openminded seeker and find a 'spiritual leader'? Try Rishikesh, Varanasi or basically every other place in India. Beware of the scammers who want to take advantage of you though, because I think there are (much) more of them than there are genuine 'gurus'. Hope this helps a bit. Love, bird. Oh, and I love India!
Thanks a million! Priceless info for someone in America. I'm highly interested in permaculture, so I'm trying to educate myself about different places around the world. Thanks again! CachedOut
A reasonable budget is about US$10, it's safer than travelling in Europe or America and everyone is welcome, apart from maybe Pakistanis in places. You should go you'll realy enjoy it, it's a great country.
Hello Dear, i am giving you some assistence abt india. if you really wanted to make it to india and wanted to trave to india. than you can take help below: http://www.airawat.com
If u have some spiritual problems, then start your tour with Kerala and end it with the trip to Himalayas...........
The best thing about india is that you can travel to any corner of the country with a ticket worth 10$ on indian rails... for the tourists i would recommend air travel n only A/C travel on indian rails but to truly enjoy the beauty n diversity one should travel with the masses. Its the multitude of colors, religions, values, languages, alomost nothing is there which do bind them apart from the fact that they all are indians. Knowledge of english is both enough and essential, hardly anyone you find can speak any other foreign language while about 1 in 3 can communicate in english. Beware of the tour operators, autoricks and the local thugs, none in india minds you if ask them their name, what they do and anything, just because people love to talk, nothing to be considered personal there. be sure to travel to travel to most far away places because it will give you the feel that you are travelling continents across a single country.. on the last note be sure to familiarise yourself with the british road rules and electrical system which is followed in india if you are planning to stay here for a long time. anyone visitng and who needs any help is gladly welcome...
Lonewolf - Yes, you will get taken advantage of, but it's the way it goes. Especially if you're going for spiritual salvation, gratification. You'd be going to a fascinating place, but in the wrong direction. Dimension, I mean. By all means go to India. Just don't wear your heart on your sleeve.
some hippies are living in goa , and spiritual teachers i know one sree sree ravi shankar ... he is great welcome to india
The city's slums, which are said to be the largest in the world. Go back toward the city center, for miles through a roadside hell where peasants lived wall to wall in scrap boxes and shacks, and naked children sat listless in the traffic's blue smoke as if waiting to die.