Foreigners visiting India do not just get an experience of visiting a new country, but they get the experience of being in a whole diversified new continent itself. India is quite different not just from foreign countries; moreover it is different in every region within itself. Foreigners visiting India get a tremendous cultural shock within 5-10 minutes of landing in the airport. They are not familiar with the ways and means of Indians. What are the common problems faced by foreigners on daily basis when they are in India. Let us check this out.
6. Bargaining by Drivers
The first problem a foreigner faces in India is also the most common one. As they try to get to their hotel or place of stay from the airport, they come across cab or auto rickshaw drivers, who demand exorbitant fare. Most of the drivers try to take advantage of the foreigners, assuming they are not familiar with the rates in India. Also they take the longest possible routes to keep the meter running. This happens every time they try to hire a private transport in India.
5. Hygiene
If a foreigner is trying to have a peek into real India, without seeking refuge in the make believe 5 star hotel Indian experience, than they have to face the problem of hygiene. Apart from some luxurious places you can count on finger tips, most of the public places in India, like trains, hotels or toilets are considered unhygienic by foreigners. They would have never seen a waiter who carries their food to table with a dirty towel to wipe his hands on if it accidently dipped in their food. This can be a huge problem for people who take special care of cleanliness.
4. Food
Though all major cities of India have come up with McDonalds, Subway, KFC and other international eateries, foreigners still face problem finding the right food for them. Those who prefer to cook their own meals have tough time finding ingredients they use back at home. The problem is similar to the ones Indians face when they visit a foreign country. Indian food is spicier and hot for the bland palates of visitors. They may not even know how to eat many of these Indian delicacies.
3. Language Barrier
English is widely spoken and understood language in India. If you assume that it is going to be easy for foreigners speaking English to communicate in India, you couldn’t be more wrong. Indians often fail to follow the accent of foreigners and vice versa. There can be a lot of miscommunication, especially when both the parties have strong regional accents. The assumptions and different upbringing makes it only worse.
2. Gender discrimination
Women coming to India from developed countries take time to understand the gender discrimination prevailing in India. When they walk alone on the beach, wear their regular comfortable clothes or visit a pub for a drink, men around them here assume they are looking for sex. People in India are not used to see women having good time all by themselves. Women face the cat calls, the uncomfortable touch, leering and dirty talk just because they do not understand that it is a crime to be yourself in India, especially if you are a woman.
1. Religious sentiments
Indians have very strong religious sentiments, which can be scary to a foreigner. Every now and then someone in India is in news for hurting the sentiments of certain community of people. If this happens to Indians, imagine the plight of naïve foreigners in India. Foreigners do not understand where they cannot wear footwear, who they cannot touch, what pictures they cannot take and also where they cannot be without covering their head. When it comes to religious rituals and culture, Indians can be offended very easily. To make matters worse, people belong to different religions in India, with different rites and rituals for every religion, castes and sub castes.
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