Little girls here is no place 3: Novouralsk beaumonde went to India

Our city is very small and complex. Special. Willy-nilly, people know each other, see each other, judge each other, discuss personal life. If the views are appraised, if the conversations are either rumors and gossip, or hypocrisy and flattery. Our city is a kind of shell, within which you do not want to look like an idiot, appear weak, stupid or ridiculous. This is the Novouralsk complex - the realization that you are being discussed, that you look somehow wrong and say something wrong or do something wrong.

The Novouralsk complex took possession of me in India. At first, I was afraid to come up and ask, “How much does it cost?”, reluctant to say hello to people, afraid to look ridiculous, even in a club in a bar shy to go to the bartender alone and order a drink. In the company of a friend I was not shy, but I was afraid to do anything. And only after the trip I realized that there I had complete freedom from complexes, and I used this freedom very rarely. It was only recently that I started thinking about it, and I realized what makes me closed and distrustful of people. This is exactly the complex.

Features of Goa

Usually, anyone who travels to India is advised to try their Old Monk rum. I’m not a big supporter of rum, so I can’t say that I liked it somehow, but the beer “Kingfisher” stuck in my soul, it’s not as loose as ours, it’s pleasant to drink, and not so hopsy. Warning: Alcohol is bad for your health, but I can sometimes do it :D

The mixture of Indian spices is called masala, and it is placed everywhere. For tandoori dishes (in the Indian tandoor oven) - one masala, for tea - another. The shops even sell chips with spices Lay's Masala. This hot thing is masala, however, I love such dishes - I always loved spicy. So it's not just curry that India is famous for. The first dish I tried in Goa was Chicken Tikka Masala (chicken with Indian spices), washed by both cheeks and rice. Masala tea (a mixture of spices and tea leaves) is also special, for an amateur, with notes of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and pepper, very tasty. It invigorates and inspires with its spicy aromas. However, I brought him very little, I thought I might not like it. I liked it, I didn't!

What is good about India is the fixed prices in stores (fixed price). The packages write the maximum price for the sale of goods, which helps tourists to avoid deceptions by sellers. Knowing the fixed price, you can safely bargain in the market to the desired price. However, not all products on the market can be sold in stores, which is used by market traders. Therefore, the advice – you will sit in India, first go shopping and study fixed prices, so that you do not fall for the bait of cunning market sellers.

Ayurvedic medicine is especially popular in Goa. Ayurveda translated from Sanskrit – “knowledge of life”, a kind of traditional medicine that is passed down from generation to generation. Ayurveda is said to treat the whole body with natural medicines that have no side effects. Common methods of treatment: Dhara (ploughing (balding) of medicinal oils and milk - a mixture of these drugs is dripped on the forehead from a pot suspended above the head. Helps with migraine, insomnia, diseases of the muscular system, mental tension and some skin diseases), Ndajavarakizhi (with the help of healing lotions and vapors applied to sick places, profuse sweating is caused. This method of treatment is used for rheumatism, joint pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some skin diseases), Kizhi (poultry of healing leaves, herbs or powders applied to the whole body - recommended for arthritis with inflammation with swelling, spondylitis and injuries received during sports) and Rasayana chikitsa (rejuvenation therapy, which includes body massage with the hands and feet of two therapists). The Ayurvedic procedure costs about $20 per session, but I was not interested in Goa. I think it's worth trying - by the way, it's great for squirrels, and if they have the means, they can at least every day do themselves a massage and steam in herbal baths.

We have poplars growing in the Urals, a little to the south - oaks, but Goa is famous for banyans. This unusual tree, which has another name - Bengal ficus, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest crown area and looks very luxurious. The banyan is unusual in that it has a huge number of hanging air roots. One tree looks like a small forest.

What do you need to know about India?

Like Russia, India is a democratic state. The president is elected here for 5 years. He appoints the Prime Minister and members of the government, is the supreme commander of the armed forces of the country. Practically executive power is exercised on behalf of the President by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. Legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament consisting of the House of the People (lower) and the Council of States (upper house). The current president is Pratibha Patil, a woman born in 1934, who has led the state since 2007.

India has a well-developed industry, both heavy and light. Since sugar cane grows there, India ranks second and first in the world in terms of the area of irrigated land and the number of cattle. Livestock is developed, although Hindus try not to eat meat.

The currency in India is the Indian rupee. One rupee is equal to about 0.6 Russian rubles. The dollar is more than 49 rupees. That is why in India you can buy goods much cheaper than in Russia.

Each bill features a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. He is a man of legend, a philosopher and a politician whom everyone reveres. Why? I'll try to explain. Earlier, in the XVIII century, India was a British colony (before that, who only did not encroach on Indian lands: Muslims, Portuguese, Dutch, French...), and English rule lasted until the XX century. In 1915, Mahatma Gandhi joined the struggle for Indian independence from British colonial rule. In 1921, Gandhi became president of the Indian Congress. He developed a tactic of nonviolent struggle against the colonizers, which meant boycotting English goods and refusing to cooperate with the British. In 1942-1943, the territory of Bengal, north and east of India was gripped by famine, which killed 5 and a half million people. In the end, the Indian struggle for independence was crowned with success in 1947, but the consequence was the division of the country into the Indian Union (with a predominantly Hindu population) and Pakistan (with a Muslim majority). In 1950, the Union of India became the Republic of India, but Gandhi did not live to see it.

Mahatma Gandhi fought against caste inequality and wanted to achieve intercaste equality, he also tried to reconcile Hindus and Muslims, even resorted to a hunger strike, but he never achieved full reconciliation. Gandhi was assassinated, and on January 30, 1948, he was killed by an extremist bullet at the age of 78. This is who is now being painted on Indian money and to whom monuments are being erected in different parts of the country.

I've noticed something nice about India since we're talking about money. Slightly torn bills are not accepted anywhere - neither in the store nor on the bus. We were continually swindled by handing over money that was never accepted anywhere else (mostly 10, 20 and 50 rupees). We got rid of them by tipping them.

Speaking of politics. Indians watch the news, respect Putin, and consider him, to quote my second online friend Jai, “a good person.” I want our country, like India, to be governed by a woman. I mean, the men are getting weaker, let them rest. Road to the matriarchate!

Hee, that's fun.

Afterword

I dreamed of India after the trip for another week and still dream. I think I got it. However, the realities of life bring me back to work, to people, to the Urals-Novourals, who are... specific, special, unusual. I want people around me to smile, it’s not hard. Hindus do not hesitate to say hello to people they have never seen before. Why do we, like the friendly Russian people, appear to be complex and sullen against their background? That's a rhetorical question, friends. Travel more and you'll understand. However, I would not live in a country of elephants, tea and masala. It hurts a lot of adventures...

Evgenia Stepanova