India Guide

“If you wish to know something about India you must empty your mind of all preconceived notions. Why be imprisoned by the limited vision of the prejudiced? Don’t try to compare. India is different and, exasperating as it may seem, would like to remain so……………This is the secret of India, the acceptance of life in all its fullness, the good and the evil.”

Indira Gandhi

About India

For more than 5,000 years India has been the home of great civilisations and empires. Two great religions had their birthplace here, Hinduism and Buddhism. Throughout India many relics and monuments of its history remain, the past living with the India of today, escarpment fortresses and palaces with e-commerce and nuclear technology.

The largest democracy in the world it is a vast land of great variety; throughout the sub-continent the people, the cultures, the climate, the flora and the fauna are different.

In the North are the spectacular mountain ranges of the Himalaya with the gardens and lakes of Kashmir, the desert kingdom of Ladakh, the rhodedendron forests of Darjeeling and Sikkim, the remoteness of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh and the hill stations with meadows of wild flowers and forests of pine. On the Indo Gangetic Plain is the great Thar desert of Rajasthan, with its palaces and forts, the historic cities of New Delhi and Calcutta, the sacred city of Varanasi and the Taj Mahal.

To the South, the Deccan plateau rises to a lesser known India, a land of temples and ancient empires little influenced by foreign invaders, beautiful beaches, lush vegetation and paddy fields. The sandlewood city of Mysore,the spice centre of Cochin, the waterways of Kerala and the colourful temple towns of Tamil Nadu depict a rich cultural heritage.

In India there are many wildlife sanctuaries and parks where more than 350 species of mammals and 1,244 species of birds can be observed in their natural habitat.

But perhaps the main attraction of India is the variety, the colour and life of its people. The inhabitants of India comprise many ethnic and cultural groups, with different religions and languages, who celebrate the many festivals and fairs with an ancient tradition of music and worship.

Passports and Visas

We provide full visa services for the business traveller and the tourist. Please call us for details.

Health and Medical

There are no Government of India requirements for vaccinations unless you are travelling from an infected area. This particularly applies to yellow fever.

However, protection against cholera, polio, typhoid, paratyphoid A & B, infectious hepatitis and malaria should be considered. You are strongly advised to contact your doctor to discuss which vaccinations you may need to have or when boosters may be recommended. Record all vaccinations on an International Health Certificate, which is available from your doctor, and carry it with you.

Malaria is a serious disease that is often disregarded by frequent travellers but it can develop rapidly and could kill you. Do not underestimate the ability of a mosquito to make you very ill.

Ask your doctor which type of malaria tablets you should take. Start the course before you go and keep taking them for a month after you get back.

Prevention is always better than cure so remember to use an insect repellent when you are outside and wear socks, long trousers and long sleeved clothes after sunset.

All hotels will have a first class doctor and dentist on call but you are strongly advised to ensure you have adequate medical insurance cover.

We are able to arrange travel insurance on your behalf, for which the premiums are-

Up to 10 days cover £ 38.00
Up to 17 days cover £ 41.00

SIMPLE HEALTH PRECAUTION

Strong sunshine, heat, digestive upset and insect bites can all combine to spoil your trip so we recommend that you take a small medicine kit containing the following:-

ü Suntan lotion
ü After-sun lotion
ü Insect repellant & possibly a strong relief cream
ü Water sterilising tablets (if you are travelling away from the metros)
ü A proprietary brand of Kaolin & Morphine preparation for upset stomachs and Imodium against diarrhea

Money

Credit cards are widely accepted in India, but just as in the UK there is always the exception . It is wise to take some cash or travellers cheques with you. We will be able to advise you whether a particular hotel is likely to accept credit cards.

When changing money in India, which we suggest you do in either banks or your hotel, it is essential to retain the documentary evidence of the transaction. This is required when you change rupees back into foreign currency and may be requested if you wish to pay your hotel bill in Indian rupees. Changing money in banks can be a lengthy process and we recommend you change money or travellers cheques in your hotel.

The Indian rupee is made up of 100 paisa. Coins are in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 25 and 50 paisa. Notes are 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 rupees.

Be careful not to accept excessively damaged notes as they will not be accepted in a later transaction. Also keep a small supply of small change and small denomination notes as taxi drivers and vendors often pretend they do not have any!

You will invariably read of things described as lakhs and crores. A lakh is one hundred thousand and a crore is ten million.

Indian Customs & Immigration Procedures

During your outbound flight to India you will be handed a Disembarkation Card. It is in three parts and each part asks you the same questions, but in different orders. You will also need good eyesight because the form is small and the lines to complete your answers are narrow.

Baggage Allowance

Your normal free baggage allowance is 20kg in Economy Class, 30 kg in Business Class and 40 kg in First Class.

On some internal domestic flights lower allowances may apply or there may be a restriction on the dimensions of luggage that can be taken on the aircraft.

Cabin baggage is restricted to one piece, in addition to handbags and cameras, which can be safely stowed in overhead lockers or under seats.

Airport Transfers

Airport pick-up and drop can be requested from the hotels, at a small cost, at the time of making the reservation. Pre-paid taxis are also available at most airports in India; you prepay a fixed price fare to your hotel. Never take an unlicensed taxi; these are pirate taxis operated outside the law and the owners prey upon foreigners who look lost outside airport buildings. There will generally be two people in the car and they will ask you to pay an exorbitant fare before they will enter inside your hotel grounds.

The flow of traffic in Delhi, Madras and Bangalore on the road to the airport is quite good. In Bombay and Calcutta, depending upon the time of day, the roads can be quite busy and you should ask advice from the hotel concierge how long it would take to get to the airport and allow sufficient time for your journey.

Domestic Travel

By Air
The large size of India also means there may be heavy demand on local flights, resulting in overbooking and delays. To minimize delays please ask the travel desk in your hotel to reconfirm your onward bookings.

The main domestic carriers are Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Sahara. These are well-established airlines. Try to avoid flights operated by Alliance, as the aircraft are often very old and liable to technical problems, which will delay your journey or possibly result in missing a connection.

During winter months night and early morning flights into and out of Delhi are subject to delay due to fog. This can cause progressive disruption to flight schedules throughout the day.

By Rail
Travel by train is not recommended except for short journeys such as Bombay-Pune and Delhi-Agra.

There are a multitude of different Classes of travel on Indian Rail. When we counted them there were ten, ranging from “2nd class ordinary (passenger train seating only)” to “Air-conditioned 1st class sleeper (mail/express) 1A, 1st,AC,ACC).

Most trains in India are notoriously slow and the class you travel on a particular train will not make it go any faster, but it might make the trip more comfortable.

We could fill a hundred pages about travel by rail but if you really want to know more we recommend an excellent book, India By Rail by Royston Ellis. Published by Bradt Publications, ISBN 1 898323 49 6

By Road
For travel within the city we strongly suggest you do not take local buses or trains as they are overcrowded. If you take a taxi or motor rickshaw insist on the meter being switched on before you set off. Meters are generally out of date and the driver will show you a conversion chart for the fare. If the metre is not switched on agree on a price before you begin the journey. Taxis are easily recognised; they are black with a yellow roof in most cities, apart from Calcutta where they are entirely yellow (with rust coloured highlights).

Hiring a car with a driver from the travel desk in your hotel is worthwhile for a trip around the city, or even for long distances. It is possible to hire a car and driver to take you for journeys lasting a week or more.

What to Take

Hotels in India normally offer very good, and very cheap laundry services so take as little as possible.

Although many Indian will be wearing shirts and slacks lounge suits are normally worn for business meetings and evening entertaining the year round. You should be guided by the wording of invitations. If the invitation says “Easy” for dress code it means smart casual not shorts and T-shirt!

Pure cotton shirts and light tropical suits are recommended. The south and east of India are more informal than the north and west of India. Dinner jackets are hardly ever worn.

Sunglasses are strongly recommended for your comfort since the sun can be extremely strong and you don’t want to come back with “crow’s feet.”

Weather Notes

The South/West monsoon usually breaks about the beginning of June on the West coast and progresses North. With the exception of the South Eastern areas, India receives the major share of its rainfall between June and September. The South-Eastern areas receive most of the rainfall from the North-East Monsoon between mid-October and late December.

If you are going to North India between December and February it may be worthwhile to pack a pullover as the nights and early mornings can be decidedly nippy.

For details weather report click here

Hotels

If we are making a hotel booking on your behalf we will normally ask for your passport number. This will speed up the registration time when you check-in.

Most hotels will quote room rates in US dollars and there are quite high taxes which are added to the room rate so be aware of currency rate fluctuations between the dollar and sterling.

If you are taking a round trip and will be returning to the same hotel at a later date it may be possible by arrangement with the lobby manager to leave some of your baggage at the hotel and pick it up upon return.

You will find international flights may arrive very early in the morning. For your comfort and convenience your rooms should be reserved from the day prior to your arrival in India.

Food and Drink

Most major hotels in India have restaurants serving both international cuisine and traditional Indian cuisine. Some hotels will also serve Chinese food.

Dinner is usually eaten at 9pm to 10pm.

With beef taboo for Hindus and pork for Muslims the most common meat is lamb or mutton. Seafood is eaten in coastal areas.

Breakfast may be one meal that you may feel happier eating western style. For safety sake milk is normally boiled and served hot with tea and coffee (re-cooled for cereals.

In Northern India the accent is on chicken including tandoori, meat marinated in a delicate blend of yoghourt, pieces of lemon and lemon juice and then charbroiled in a clay oven, and kebabs. Try tandoori lamb or goat, meat falls away from the bone and is just delicious.

Eastern India specialities include freshwater fish, seafood, meat dishes and sweetened cream cheese sweets. Remember that in Calcutta red meat may not be served on Thursdays!

In Western India try a ‘thalli’, lightly cooked meats sometimes with coconut and sweet and sour vegetarian food served on a plate with separate compartments.

Southern India is famous for hot curries, Mulligatawny soup, masala dosa (potato pancakes), iddli (rice cakes) and uttapmam (rice pancake). If you find the food too hot eat yoghourt or lots of rice or nan bread to take the heat away.

Indians usually drink water or beer with their food. Even Indian wine can be quite pricey and imported wine will often cost more than your hotel room. Indian spirits are now quite acceptable although make sure it is a known brand as there are instances of spurious liquor being produced. Indians love Scotch whiskey, which could be the most valued gift you can give to your Indian business partner.

Time

Indian Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT, ten and a half hours ahead of American Eastern Standard Time and five and a half hours behind Australian capital Territory Standard Time..

Electricity

Indian electricity supply is 220/240 volts but many parts of India are prone to “black-outs”. All decent hotels have a back-up generator so just sit quietly for a couple of seconds and the lights should come back on again.

It is recommended to take international adaptor if planning to take UK appliance.

Media

There are many newspapers in English and most foreign newspapers are eventually available in the main cities. The news content in Indian newspapers will be very localised and will consist of the two main sports interests; first politics and then cricket!

Leisure Time

What to do with your spare time; if you get any. Swimming is a natural choice. Most five star hotels have swimming pools. Beach swimming is best at recognised resorts. Beaches such as Juhu and Chowpatty in Bombay should be avoided; if the food and the water haven’t already got you what you will find in the water there will certainly ruin your visit! There are excellent beaches in Orissa, Goa, along the coastline of Andhra Pradesh and on the Malabar Coast in Kerala.

Sailing is possible at most resorts but check out the boats thoroughly.

White water rafting is available only a few hours from Delhi.

Fishing is mostly freshwater. The indigenous mahseer, a distant relative of the carp, can weigh up to 20 kilos and is considered as good a sporting challenge as the salmon. The best areas for mahseer is in Karnataka.

Golf and Tennis are readily available and your hotel should be able to arrange guest-membership at a local club.

Try to watch a cricket match in India. Cricket is the favourite sport in the country and is avidly followed by about 99% of the male population. Calcutta Cricket Club was formed in 1792, only five years after MCC, and attracts huge numbers of spectators. For a more relaxed atmosphere try Brabourne Stadium in Bombay.

During the winter months there are polo tournaments in Delhi, Bombay and Rajasthan.

Horse racing is popular in India, with the Calcutta Derby, St. Leger and the Oaks run on the Maidan near to the Victoria Memorial. In Bombay the Mahalazmi race course is very good and the highest altitude track is at Darjeeling. In February you can watch camel racing in Jaisalmeer and at the autumn festival at Pushkar.

There is a drag-hound hunt at Ooty, where they hunt across the golf course and turn out in hunting pink.

If all else fails go to the cinema. Most of the films seem to have the same plot and the same characters; at least two amorously involved couples, two sets of parents who don’t approve of the courtship, several villains, the local wealthy landlord and a police inspector. The entire cast will burst into a song and dance routine every ten minutes and it never seems to bear any relevance to the story line but it is usually in a nicely landscaped scene.

National Holidays

There are many festivals and special events in India. On these days it may be difficult to meet with your Indian contacts or arrange appointments. There are very few official public holidays:-

26th January - Republic Day
1st May - Labour Day
15th August - Independence Day
2nd October - Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday
25th December - Christmas Day

The dates of many other festivals are determines by the moon and change each year. Holi, a national paintball contest, is normally in March, Dusshera is in October and Diwali is late October or early November.

Schools close for two months in summer (mid May to mid July and work slows down in India during the summer months. Many wealthy Indian travel to Europe or the USA during the very hot months.