Chennai

Visit India

Leigh Turner
Leigh Turner

Visit India – you won’t regret it. The Republic of India is one of the greatest countries on earth.  A few thoughts on why, and few pictures to back me up.

Visit India: do I know what I’m talking about?

I know.  You can’t really review a whole country.

India

Railway station in Chennai – all photos Leigh Turner

Especially not India: more than 13 times the size of the UK, massively diverse, and packed with history.

I have to say: India is awesome

The question is, should you visit India? And before you go, should you read “Shantaram“, the cult novel by Gregory David Roberts, to get in the mood? I recently visited Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, and wrote this post in Chennai.  My first visit to India, a couple of years earlier, was to Kerala and Goa.  Yes, I need to visit the north of India too.

Shantaram and India: the challenges

“Shantaram” sums up the challenges for a non-Indian person wanting to engage with such a tumultuous, many-layered place.  The hero of the book depicts himself as someone who has got to the heart of India, with countless adventures and love affairs along the way, thereby earning himself plaudits from every person he meets.

Who wouldn’t want to do that?

Understanding India is a seductive concept.  No wonder people like to read “Shantaram”, whose title, characteristically, refers to the author himself and means “Man of God’s Peace”. Some people feel they’ve come closer to discovering the place, or themselves, after reading the book.

A journey of discovery

“Shantaram” is actually a pretty good, fast-paced read. But the smug hero is irritating beyond measure.  Overall, like the New Age-ish, idealistic settlement of Auroville, which I visited, Shantaram reminded me of this postcard published by the admirable www.gatheredimages.com – I urge you to buy their products:

Tourists in India

Copyright Gathered Images www.gatheredimages.com – tons of good stuff

Visit India: but leave “Shantaram” behind

Finding this old postcard reminded of one of the finest pieces of parodic writing I know. this was a review of “Shantaram” on Amazon.  Let’s be fair: the novel gets roughly 90% positive reviews on Amazon.  I was with the 10%: I found the review by R Gray laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Visit India: the richest country on earth?

So I won’t go further in these attempts to sum up the richness that is India except to publish below a few photos taken on my last visit, and to make three observations:

(i) do visit India. It is indeed, as the slogan says, Incredible, and worth a visit;

(ii) in Chennai in particular I saw much evidence of rapid economic growth, in what a recent FT article argued may already be the world’s most populous country and will probably have double China’s population in the next 50 years;

(iii) much also remains in India which is traditional, in terms both of customs and historical artefacts.  Long may both remain preserved.

Pictures from around Chennai

Pictures below, in rough chronological order:

Chennai

Nurses crossing the street near Chennai’s historic nursing college

Mahabalipuram

Family group with 1,400 year-old statue at “5 Rathas”, Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram

The Shore Temple, built 700-728 AD, also Mahabalipuram

Shantaram and India: Ganesha

The Elephant God Ganesha decorates a bus in Pondicherry

Kanchipuram

Kamakshi Amman Temple, Kanchipuram, with bell-tower and Gopuram (entrance tower)

Kanchipuram

The Ekambareshwara Temple is by itself a good reason to visit India

Shantaram and India: Kanchipuram

Brahmans at the 7thC Kailasanatha Temple, Kanchipuram

Shantaram and India: Banana salesman

One of countless street vendors between Kanchipuram and Chennai

I hope you have enjoyed this review discussing whether you should visit India.  If you enjoy fresh, original writing, please subscribe to my newsletter. You can unsubscribe anytime you wish.

Share:

Sign up for my update emails

…and receive a FREE short story!

I won’t pass on your details to third parties / unsubscribe whenever you wish

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Travis McGee
Reviews

Travis McGee, loner prototype

Travis McGee, the creation of US author John D MacDonald, is a superb prototype of a loner hero. Lee Child cites him as an inspiration for his solo tough guy, Jack Reacher.

Read More
Journalism

Choosing a safari

Choosing a safari is something most of us are only ever likely to do once in a lifetime, if that. A few tips.

Read More
Phineas Finn
Reviews

Phineas Finn: The Irish Member

You have to worship an author who wrote: ‘It has been the great fault of our politicians that they have all wanted to do something.’

Read More
The Tunnel Under the World
Reviews

The Tunnel Under the World

The Tunnel Under the World begins with the words: “On the morning of June 15th, Guy Burckhardt woke up screaming out of a dream.”

Read More