India Survival Kit: About Life in India for Expats and others Visiting or Moving to India

Cultural tips for newcomers to India:

How Indian Society Functions: A few cultural tips for those working in India

India, historically famed for its spirituality, is now known more for its software engineers and call centers. The software boom and globalization of the economy has given rise to a great economic divide, as it shored up the bank accounts of its active patrons while the rest of the populace was left behind. Indian cities stand testimony to this divide as gleaming high-rises tower above filthy slums (ghettos). The sprawling slums of makeshift huts and houses are micro-economies filled with people struggling to survive on a daily basis. They reek – both literally and figuratively – of poverty, are centers of chronic unemployment, lack even basic sanitation facilities, and are breeding grounds for several diseases. Yet the inhabitants bravely fight adversity and surprisingly many sport a cheerful countenance.

On the other side of the divide lie the upwardly mobile middle class and the globetrotting elite. The elite are the super-rich minority who haunt upscale social clubs, vacation in Switzerland, shop in Paris, and dine in London. But the growing middle-class, estimated currently to be about 300 million strong, forms the backbone of the Indian economy. It is the middle class that supplies Corporate India with the educated, hardworking manpower responsible for its prosperity.

A final point worth noting is about the contrasting roles of women in India. A substantial part of the rural labor force is made up of women, who are paid wages lower than their male counterparts. In cities, most women are well-educated and independent. It is very common to see women ride two-wheeler scooters and motorcycles on the roads. Whether a working professional or a home-maker, women still handle the bulk of household chores. As a wife a woman usually upholds traditional values; as a mother she is respected and as a mother-in-law, feared.

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