EXPLORE

INDIA IN TECHNICOLOR

CULTURE

What attracts people to India? More specifically, what attracted me to the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire?

An easy answer: India's renowned culture.

India oozes rich culture. Every aspect of the sights, smells, colors, and sounds of the country carry rich history and heritage.

India is bright, colorful, and rich in golden hues and shimmering undertones. These qualities permeate the people, food, architecture, and fashion.

India is fast, forward, and focused. The street is laden with vendors hard at work; with rickshaws carrying passengers to their destinations; with animals scurrying about.

India is, in many ways, an idyllic country colored with the rich culture of its ancestors.

FOOD

Food: fōōd | a universal means of artistic expression coupled with edible arrangements of meats, fruits, grains, and vegetables.

If Indian culture isn't enough to catch your eye, the cuisine surely will be.

Indian food is a globally loved cuisine. It is predominantly grain and vegetable based: nearly every dish offers rice and some combination of greens. Rarely will an Indian dish contain heavy meat.

Ample fruits, spices, and seasonings are regular players in Indian dishes as well, each adding distinct colors, flavors, and aromas to the mixture.

Indian cuisine is abundantly healthy and nutritious, yet characteristically light. Despite being filling, Indian dishes are not over-bearing or heavy. The vegetarian focus of the food makes it both delicious and nourishing.

Food is an irrefutably indispensable trademark of India.

FOREST

Nature is an intertwined facet of India, and the country is rich is lush paradises.

Jogi Mahal Forest is the 9th most biodiverse greenery in the world: a major producer of oxygen in Karnataka; a home to over 19 varieties of lemon trees and 40 varieties of bamboo, among a plethora of other tree species; a haven for monkeys, cows, honeybee and white ant colonies, tigers, leopards, peacocks, fireflies; and a witness to insulin-producing plants and leaves that historically increase your lifespan by two years.
For me, this experience in the forest was a cherished opportunity and unforgettable blessing. It exemplified the moments in life when your problems and worries feel small.

India's spiritual nature is especially evident in the forest.

MARKET

Devaraja Market: a source of cultural capital.

The market is the daily meeting grounds for thousands of vendors and shoppers. Each vendor brings a unique item to the table, and the list of items at the market is seemingly endless.

The market itself is surrounded by a plethora of shops and stores. Shoppers can purchase high-end jewels, saris, luggage, clothes, and candies among hundreds of other products.

The real fun begins inside the market itself.

Devaraja market is arguably the most colorful arrangement of stands the world has to offer. People are loud, bustling, hustling.

Flowers perfume the air and aromatic oils linger among incense stands. Fruits paint beautiful collages, and dyes stand brilliantly.

Here, India comes together.