Our country is a great one but one problem amongst Indians is that we underestimate the value of our nation. We are constantly complaining about the things that are not good and we fail to remember the things we are in fact much better at than the rest of the world. We have achieved huge progress in the 70+ years of our freedom and that is a reason for immense pride. This country draws more than 7 million tourists in one year and has far more to offer than just spiritual enlightenment and expanded waistline.
Here is a list of things that India is better at than the rest of the world.
1. Mountain Cities
India has a large number of cities in the mountains, or ‘hill stations’. These are havens for all humans alike. These are places of serenity and calmness where one tends to connect with nature and the simple things of life. It is free from the city hustle, pollution, and, the fast-paced lives we lead. It just lets people unwind and recharge for a bit before going back to their mundane everyday lives. These are popular vacation hubs for people to visit especially during the winter season. A hotspot for couples to visit for their honeymoon, these places are also flooded with love!
2. India has the Best Remote Sensing Capabilities in the World
India’s remote sensing satellites advanced to prevent reliance on satellite information from the USA, which regularly experienced postponements. In 2013, India experienced a twister of enormous strength however the loss was just a single individual, on account of convenient readings. We are pioneering the industry with experts who are coming up with better technology by the day.
3. Gesticulation
India can be a country with more than 800 dialects but there is one language that unites all of us; gestures. The furious head shaking and wrist flicking gestures are considered to be the most dramatic and it is just an inherent part of our DNA. In some parts of India, when people point their thumb towards their mouth it can mean anything from ‘what do you want?” to “have you eaten anything?” to “what do you think you are looking at?”. To make things worse, we do have a habit of shaking our heads from left to right. This is to signify that they are in fact following and agreeing with what you are saying and not disagreeing with you!
4. The Indian Space Program is One of the World’s Most Cost-Effective
Apart from using the satellites for groundwater prospect mapping, crop acreage, and production estimation, etc., India’s Mars mission has been lauded for its cost, being completed at a minuscule $73 million. India’s space program has focused on developmental missions right from the beginning; mainly establishing communication satellites, weather forecasting, and remote sensing technology. India has earned worldwide recognition for launching lunar probes, building satellites, ferrying foreign satellites up, and has even succeeded in reaching Mars. It has since become one of the most cost-effective space industries in the world.
5. Obsessing Over Cricket
The two ways in which the Britishers benefitted our country are railways and cricket. They left the country in a bad shape but made sure to leave behind these two legacies. Cricket has now become a way of life. It is no longer reserved for the upper class, but rather has made its way into every gully in the country. Watching an Indian Premier League match is a whole spectacle. There are cheerleaders, there is theatrics, there are fog horns, fireworks, and drummers.
6. India’s Thorium Based Nuclear Program is One of the Best in the World
India has the world’s largest deposits of Thorium, a naturally occurring radioactive chemical element that can replace Uranium for nuclear fuel. Thorium is known to be safer and also has a greater capacity for generating energy. India’s three-stage nuclear power program was formulated by Homi Bhabha in the 1950s. It was introduced to secure the country’s long-term energy independence, through the use of uranium and thorium reserves found in the monazite sands of coastal regions of South India. The ultimate focus of the program is on enabling the thorium reserves of India to be utilized in meeting the country’s energy requirements.
7. Barbers
A simple haircut means a lot of things in India. You just have to tell the barber and relax. They take their scissors all over your hair and that is just the beginning. The best part is when the hair cut is done, the customer is wiped and toweled off and then a firm set of hands begin to give a head, neck, and shoulder massage. This converts into a facial slapping skull pounding process known as ‘Champi’. Beware of the swift neck crack! It will take you by surprise but will give you so much relief.
8. India is One of the Most Proficient in High Altitude Mountain Warfare
Most of India’s conflicts have been fought in mountain regions at dizzying heights and temperatures touching -60 F. The US, UK, and Russia even send their troops to train in our high-altitude warfare schools, proving that we have one of the best alpine fighting units in the world. The High-Altitude Warfare School is a training and research establishment of the Indian Army. It is one of the most famous warfare academies in the world. India is considered a hub for mountain warfare skills as most of the country’s north and northeast require such skills.
9. Accessorizing
Jewelry and accessories are a part of India’s rich tradition and culture. Each part of the country has a different kind of stone or precious gems to offer to the world. People travel from all parts of the globe just to view these exquisite pieces and with the hopes of acquiring one. Dressing up and adorning oneself with rich jewels has been a part of the culture from the time of kings and queens and that culture is still visible in most parts of the country. From Hyderabad pearls to Jaipuri gems, intricate Indian jewelry is coveted all over the world. The women in the country wear heavy jewelry and do all the labor daily.
10. India’s Dabbawalla System is Almost Flawless
The dabbawalla system is one that holds the working class of the country together. Dabbawallas pick up home-cooked lunches and deliver them to the people at work. It is popularly claimed that only 1 out of 6 million deliveries are ever mixed up, which is impressive, especially in the dense and hectic swirl of Mumbai. Streets and trains bustle with these dabbawallas, who very efficiently do their work, every single day of the year.
11. Old World Train Travel
Having the most extensive and oldest railway systems in the globe, trains are India’s lifeline. We celebrated 160 years of Indian Railways this year, which carries more than 20 million passengers a day along 65,000 kilometers of track. The toy trains go along the coastline and climb high mountains. These luxury trains and Shatabdi speed trains are called the lifeline of a nation. The history of luxury train traveling in India dates back to the days of erstwhile maharajas who used to travel in opulent personal carriages for purpose of state visits. There are more than 7000 train stations across the country. Cost-effective and fast, trains are not only the preferred means of transport for Indians, but also for foreigners.
12. India is One of the Most Diverse Countries
India is diverse in a lot of ways. Languages, flora and fauna, food habits, people, cultural values, and historic lineage, are just some of the main categories! The country has been hailed as one of the most complex amalgamations of various cultural identities. With a population of about 1029 million people, these billion-plus people speak about 1,632 different languages and dialects. A large number of different cultures, knitted together in such a close and perfect manner, make India’s diversity one of the wonders of the world. India is also known by the name of the land of many religions.
13. Enterprising Street Vendors
India’s road merchants sell the typical products, from books to studs to packs of masala popcorn and cooked peanuts. Vendors having the sound judgment to take advantage of any lucky break – a year ago when Starbucks opened in Mumbai, the lines were so long, a tea-seller set up for business outside and offered his products to holding up clients.
14. Agricultural Produce
India is one of the leading producers in the agricultural field. Almost 70% of the country functions on agriculture. India is the largest producer of cotton, millet, dry beans, chickpeas, pulses, banana, mango, papaya, cumin, ginger, chili pepper, and turmeric. We are home to some of the most exotic fruits and spices and that is why our food is also a class apart.
15. A Festival is Always Around the Corner in India
India is a land with so many religions and each religion has a bunch of following festivities. It is rare for a week to go by without there being some sort of celebration. Indians will normally extend invitations to anyone and everyone from next-door neighbors to travelers whom they may have met that morning on a train.
It is a wonderful sight to see and experience such festivals. From having a yummy mutton biryani during Eid or dousing people in color during Holi, each and every festival has its own importance, story, and tradition behind it, and Indians cherish and respect every aspect of it. Yes, these festivals spread happiness, joy, and love but they also give one thing- holidays!
16. Indians are Known to be Multilingual
The majority of the people in India can speak at least two or more languages. We know our mother tongue and thanks to schools, we learn Hindi or English rather proficiently. India being multi-lingual, multi-ethnic, multi-religious has been truly multi-cultural for many centuries. The four religions born in India- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world’s population. The number of bilingual speakers in India is 314.9 million, which is 26% of the population in 2011. It is well known that India is one of the largest bi/multilingual countries. Indian constitution (8th Schedule) lists over 18 languages for official/ administrative purposes, while more than 1652 mother tongues were reported spoken in India according to the Census of India 1961.
17. Comfort Food
From Mumbai’s kebabs to Amritsar’s Makhan Fish, India’s addictive food leaves no room for worries over waistlines. Steaming chicken Kathi rolls, crunchy sweet and sour Bhel puri, or creamy lassi from even the starkest of roadside shacks are bewilderingly tasty and satisfying. Each and every city has something that is famous in the street food category. You can experience a city truly only by eating the food of the city.
18. Indian IT Industry is the Second Largest in the World
Yes, we are not the largest. Yet. China stands first here but yet again we have surpassed them in a lot of ways, this will be the next! India is a vast hub for IT industries and one is popping up every other minute. India will continue to drive the global IT market for the next few years. India is the world’s largest sourcing destination for the information technology (IT) industry, accounting for approximately 67 percent of the US$ 124-130 billion market. The industry employs about 10 million workforces. More importantly, the industry has led the economic transformation of the country and altered the perception of India in the global economy.
19. We have a Foundation in Ayurveda
Ayurveda studies the harmony between humans and the environment and treats every individual as a whole, assessing body, mind, and spirit to assist in maintaining overall health. India still has a system of Ayurveda in place, using ancient techniques to cure people’s illnesses based on a holistic approach with the patient. Some scholars assert that Ayurveda originated in prehistoric times and that some of the concepts of Ayurveda have existed from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization or even earlier. Ayurveda developed significantly during the Vedic period and later some of the non-Vedic systems such as Buddhism and Jainism also developed medical concepts and practices that appear in the classical Ayurveda texts.
20. Movies and Cinema!
The 103-year-old Indian film industry is the largest producer of films in the world with over 1,600 films released every year – in as many as 20 different languages! India is home to the world’s largest film industry, both in terms of the number of films produced as well as tickets sold. While Bollywood and Hindi-language cinema constitute a bulk of popular cinema made in the country, several regional industries are just as dynamic and noteworthy.
21. Postal Services
Yes, e-mail may have taken over, but spare a thought for the amazing reach of the Indian postal service. With 154,919 post offices, India is leading the world in this (postal) department. At the time of independence, there were 23,344 Post Offices, which were primarily in urban areas. Thus, the network has registered a seven-fold growth since Independence. The modern postal service in India is more than 150 years old. Warren Hastings had taken initiative under the East India Company to start the Postal Service in the country in 1788. It was initially established under the name “Company Mail”.
22. Bookworms
Did you know Indians are the biggest bookworms in the world? Indians spend an average of 10.7 hours reading every week! This is almost twice the number of the US or UK. Considering we do have a lot of time to waste on every other thing that distracts us, Indians are known to spend a lot of time around books.
23. Stock Exchange
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai is Asia’s first stock exchange and is known to be the fastest stock exchange in the world. It has a median trade speed of 6 microseconds and more than 5500 companies are publicly listed on the 137-year-old BSE.
24. Monuments and Architecture
India is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World along with some other beautiful works of art and architecture. We pride ourselves on the ancient tombs, temples, and monuments that still stand strong to this day!
25. Yoga
India is regarded as the birthplace of yoga. Large number of tourists travel to Varanasi, Rishikesh, Mysore and Kerala to practise yoga. While some come in search of lives true meaning, some come just to experience the spiritual vibes of holy places in India.
Just like the architecture of India was made to last, at Deshpee, we do work that is designed to last.
Deshpee is a group of companies striving to make the world a better place. We lead in digital marketing and interior designing, and we have a unique skill of launching new brands. If you want to stand out like our country does, visit us at www.deshpee.com and we will help your launch right away!
