India - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture (72) - Softcover

Stephen, Becky; Culture Smart!

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1857338405 ISBN 13: 9781857338409

Publisher: Kuperard, 2016

Synopsis

India’s population of 1.2 billion is as varied and colorful as the spice markets of Old Delhi. Each region, caste, and community has its own culture, reflecting unique histories shaped by conquest, creativity, and religion, expressed in distinct languages, social customs, art forms, and expectations of life. Despite enormous recent political and economic change, in many ways India remains the same—a total sensory experience. The chaos and beauty of color and sound, the language shifts every ten miles, the household variations of spicy and sharp, sweet and sour, the insistent smells of everyday life lived very much in public, and the invasion of personal space will challenge the most experienced traveler. But it is in surrendering to your senses that you begin to embrace the essence of India and to understand its people. Indians live with paradox. Proud traditions and patriotism commingle with tensions and prejudices rooted in age-old rivalries. Ancient temples may be plastered with signs advertising the latest technologies. The rapid urbanization of the last century has given rise to burgeoning slums and an affluent middle class that was nonexistent a few decades ago. Steeped in tradition, exceptionally fatalistic, and intensely passionate about their culture, the Indians are an ingenious, adventurous, and creative people. Show interest in their country and most will respond with genuine warmth and friendship. But they also have indelible ties to family and community that form boundaries and determine decisions that may not always seem reasonable, or sometimes even ethical, to outsiders. Culture Smart! India will make you aware of basic values and behavioral norms, show you how to navigate cultural differences and connect with real people, and offer invaluable insights into this great, endlessly fascinating land.

About this title

About the Author:

Becky Stephen is a writer, management consultant, and cross-cultural trainer with a Masters in Cross Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. She has developed and led cross-cultural and training programs and events in the USA, India, Eurasia, and Europe, and headed the US division of a nonprofit organization responsible for Americans on international assignments. Becky also studied Hindi at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and lived there for nearly five years. She currently lives in Dubai with her Indian husband and son.

Review:

"Culture Smart! has come to the rescue of hapless travelers." —Sunday Times Travel

"The perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." —Global Travel
 

"Full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." —Observer

"As useful as they are entertaining." —Easy Jet Magazine
 

"Offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." —New York Times.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kuperard
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1857338405
• ISBN 13: 9781857338409
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 168