Its amazing how many people from England are going to India for their holiday!! In my office alone there are people who have visited India about 3 times already.... and now they want to do the different parts of India... so they have covered North India and now are keen to do South India because they have heard that it is so different... and another person is going to Goa for whole 2 weeks....

and when they tell me this I am mostly surprised.... I almost unknowingly ask them - reallyyyyyy?? India??? so far????? when you have Europe next door???? and then it strikes me India is to them what Europe is to us... something different... away from their culture... the opportunity to be completely overwhelmed by freshness... and natural beauty....

And many of them ask me to describe India... I didnt realise how hard it was to describe India till I was asked this question... I mean how does one put some 500 languages, 500 communities, 20 different religions (perhaps more), 20 different states in a few sentences??? so mostly I start off with 'well, India is so difficult to describe (standard CYA language)... and then go on to divide the country into the north and the south.... and describe the north as being the 'big brother' type of entity... the entity that controls the whole of the country because delhi controls everything..... north is also the part of the country that has the less educated but more wealthier people..... I also throw in words like the 'cow belt' for good measure....and north Indians are generally more ostentacious and will always show their wealth around.....

and then I describe South India as being the more educated set of people..... and paint them as dignified people ..... they dont have much money (except for Narayan Murthy and the shareholders of Infosys) but their pride comes from their education.... South is also generally more progressive in terms of standard of living and basic rights... and in specific Kerala has one of the best social indices in the world (except for the fact that the women of kerala are good runners cos they are always running away from the horny men in the State)..... and I include Bengal in my definition of South as well for no reason other than the fact that I have the liberty to do so with a firang...

What? I sound biased to South India you say????? how can you say that ??? I am shocked.... India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters ....

suffice to say Kerala and the South better thank me for increaing revenues on account of tourism....:)