Gap Year Destinations

Where to go

Asia: India

Almost too huge and diverse to squeeze into one description, India has everything and anything the traveller could look for, from tigers to Tagore!

Environment

India is so huge it hasn’t got one prevailing environmental characteristic. The mountainous north rises into the Himalayas, and the south is characterised by sandy beaches. In the centre there are vast plains surrounding the Ganges, and in the north-east there are many tea plantations. Tigers, rhinos and elephants roam India’s national parks.

Climate

Due to the diverse environment and the vastness of the subcontinent, India’s climate varies depending where you are and generalisations are difficult. Despite this, India has roughly four seasons (which fluctuate in temperature depending on the region) – winter is from January to February, summer is from March to May, monsoon is from June to September and there is a post-monsoon period from October to December, when the weather is generally calm.

Demographics and Language

India now has a population of 1.12 billion people, making it the world’s second most populous country after China. In fact, it’s predicted to overtake China soon due to China’s family planning policies. 70% of Indians live in rural areas, but the cities are growing in size.

The official language of India is Hindi, with English often used in business and administration. A huge number of other languages exist, however, with many people speaking two or more languages or dialects distinct to their region. The ancient language Sanskrit originated in India.

Cuisine

Indian food centres around curry (a word which originated from ‘Kari’ meaning pepper). Curries are meat or vegetables in a sauce which has been flavoured by different spices, chillis and herbs depending on the dish and region. Curry will almost always be accompanied by rice, and breads, such as naan: Indian style flatbread cooked in a clay Tandoori oven, often with fillings or toppings such as garlic or lamb. There are also, however, many other types of bread often served such as flaky paratha, and, commonly, chapattis. In south India, puri – light, fried dough balls – are also regularly eaten.

Side dishes are usually served, such as bhajis, or samosas, triangular pastry parcels of curried vegetables and meats. With regards to drinks, many Indians enjoy lassi with their curry, a yoghurt drink with salt, or fruit and sugar. Vegetarians are well catered for: in fact, there are more vegetarians in India than anywhere else in the world. If in doubt about any food, just ask ‘veg or non veg’?

Religion

80% of India’s population follow Hinduism while 13% are Muslims and 2% are Christians. Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism, all religions which originated in India, account for the other 5% of the population, along with small communities of Jews and Zoroastrians.

Economy and money

Recent relaxation of semi-socialist economic policies in the 90s has led to India’s economy growing fast and it has started to capitalise on its large pool of educated, English-speaking people. Despite this, more than a quarter of the population still lives on less than a dollar a day, and malnutrition and illiteracy are widespread problems. The currency is the Indian rupee.

Culture and politics

India gained independence from the UK in 1947, discussed in Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie’s Booker winning novel, Midnight’s Children. Since then, India has developed into the world’s largest democracy with members of the Gandhi family, among others, being in power.

Indian culture is a heady mix of thousands of years of multiethnic and multi-religious civilization. Indians enjoy the glamour and songs of the Bollywood film industry, take part in devout religious festivals and celebrate huge contributions to the world of literature, in writers like Rabindranath Tagore, Amitav Ghosh and Anita Desai. Indian architecture is characterised by iconic, world famous buildings such as the Taj Mahal while traditional dress, dance, theatre and music (which inspired the Beatles!) is enjoyed across the country.