ITINERARY

Unity is Diversity

“Unity in diversity” – these are not just words, but something that are highly applicable to a country like India that is incredibly rich in culture and heritage. A few quotations or statements cannot describe the pedestal that India holds on to the world map because of its colourful and unique culture. From the times of Mauryas, Cholas and Mughals to the period of British Empire, India has always been famous for its traditions and hospitality. The warmth in the relations and euphoria in celebrations make the country stand out distinctively in the global fraternity. The country’s liveliness and generosity attract a number of tourists to its vibrant culture which is an amalgamation of religions, festivals, food, art, crafts, dance, music and many other subtle things. Everything, from the culture and values to customs, rituals and traditions, is ‘special’ in this ‘Land of Gods’.

People & Lifestyle in India

India is credibly the only country with the largest and most diverse mixture of races. A spell-binding country where people of unlike communities and religions live together in oneness. India is a very culturally diverse country. People speak hundreds of different languages (18 major languages, with English and Hindi as the official languages). But the beauty lies in the fact that despite all the differences, people live with full harmony and love depicting their varied cultures, traditions and dressing styles.

Greetings – Namaste!

India is a land with varied greeting customs. Different religions here have different ways to express their greetings to others. For instance, in major Hindu families “Namaste” is the most common way of greeting the outsiders and elders. Both palms placed together and raised below the face not only show the respect for others but also makes the greeter feel the affection in return.

Indian Dresses

Beauty of Indian woman lies in the clothes she wears. Very traditional and ethnic yet contemporary Indian saris are famous worldwide. It is worn with a blouse that covers the upper part of the body. In rural parts, an outfit called ghagara-choli is very much popular. Choli is like a short blouse that covers the upper part of the body and ghagara is like a long skirt. In order to have a graceful and complete look, women folk carry a duppatta that is a soft and delicate material of reasonable length thrown over the shoulder.

Though with slight variations, salwar kameez is a dress that is famous in every part of India. This attire contains two pieces – kameez, which is like a long top covering upper part of the body, and salwar is like trousers. Like ghagara choli, salwar kameez is also complemented by a dupatta.

For men, there is no dearth of variety. From dhoti kurta to shirt pants, an Indian man prefers everything that fits well and looks good. But, traditionally you can see north Indians wearing kurta pajama, dhoti kurta or sherwani on formal celebrations whereas south Indian men prefer lungi with shirt.

Indian Jewelry

Wearing jewellery has a long tradition in India. No doubt it reflects in the fact that jewellery is purchased in India not only for personal use but also for gifting purposes on many auspicious occasions. Besides, it is also passed from generation to generation in the Indian society, thus exemplifying the importance and uniqueness of Indian jewellery in Indian culture.

Mehendi

In Indian marriages, especially in the north, a special night is celebrated before the day of marriage in which mehndi or henna-a kind of paste-is designed on the palms of bridegroom and is followed by some colourful dance and music. It is also designed on the palms of women on some special occasions like their engagement and marriage. The paste is applied for a few hours or overnight and washed when it gets dried completely. This gives reddish-brown colour to the palms. In certain parts of India, mehndi is a special kind of ancient folk art as well.