India is proudly a young and developing nation, and an ancient civilization. This dichotomy itself conjures up myriad possibilities of astonishing proportions. Even for an India obsessed citizen of this country, the pace of India’s growth, its political milieu and rapid development is mind boggling. If this year’s academy awards are anything to go by… Nostradamus was looking far ahead and may be India was indeed a sentiment when he made his predictions.

Even while travel designers were discovering India and building stories to lure travellers – the country has morphed many times over at critical junctures and taken some invaluable positions. And this change is everywhere – in the metros, urban centres, small towns and obscure hamlets. Just knowing that what you see today, is but a glimpse of a moment in time in a part of India you may never come back to  again – it stops you in your tracks! Going back to a place you loved travelling to even within a span of 2-3 years is like going to a new destination. The change especially in two tier cities and smaller towns, villages along fast developing highways and once remote mountain towns, is drastic. Hence there is a bit of urgency to see all you can and assign the here and now of the country to misty-eyed memory. A good curator of the India experience will ensure that there is that heady mix of the exotic you have romanticised about, add experiences that intrigue you and connect you with the often incomprehensible lure of the country to discover for yourself – through its people, culture, heritage or natural history. Match this with thoughtful and fine logistics, you will leave as a poet and lover of the sub-continent. I have seen this happen again and again, especially after the pandemic when people from around the world couldn’t wait to return to India.

If this is your first time to India, how you wish to discover the country is pretty much laid out through our very successful PR campaigns aptly monikered “Incredible India”. The north is where tourism built a robust narrative around the globally recognisable Taj Mahal and Rajasthan. Beginning with the political capital at New Delhi, it is easy to access the Taj Mahal and drive on the now silken highways into Rajasthan – its heritage and hospitality built and fine-tuned for years around mighty forts, erstwhile palaces and royal homes to include festivals, landscapes and signature cuisines. In the last decade or so, smaller hamlets and obscure forts have been built as destinations for travellers to live a stop-time moment in their lives through experiences often lead by the owners of these forts and heritage residences. The idea is to show you the everyday life of pastoral communities who still live as beneficiaries of the land. You will discover enduring cultures and craft traditions which may be on their last century of survival, not finding validity and patronage among their own people. On the other hand Kerala in peninsular India has poised itself as god’s own country – as radically different as virgin coconut oil is from ghee (clarified butter often abundantly used in cuisines of the North). You will stand spellbound at tropical landscapes and a culture as subtle as the nuances of the language you will hear spoken in the south.

If you love wildlife and nature, you cannot miss discovering India through her natural heritage, resplendent in forests, nature reserves, private farms and estates. Just discovering the conservation challenges of the Royal Bengal Tiger whose rights to survive and thrive received a huge impetus with Project Tiger and the institution of the Tiger Task Force. Exploring the Indian forests is to understand our diminishing natural heritage and the intrinsic link between conservation of the Big Cats and health of the forests. India boasts of 15 species of wildcats spread across the country from the western ghats to the central Indian jungles, from semi-arid forests of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the forest of the terai and the Trans Himalayas. As a lodge owner in Corbett – the first National Park under Project Tiger defines his conservation narrative – seeking the Tiger will ultimately introduce you to the immense richness of the Indian jungles. And that is the spirit in which you have to explore wildlife tourism, to return with a deeper sense of our natural world and its effect on our lives around the world.

By the time you have made your third to fourth journey to this country, you are well and truly smitten and this is when India truly unveils herself. Her craft and textile traditions, her pungent curries, syrupy sweets and mild food traditions for healing and rejuvenation. Her ability to help you find wellness of mind, body and spirit through traditions of Yoga and meditation with the Himalayan masters. Her cultural and spiritual richness often showcased in festivals and celebrations, and finally the abundance of spirit of her people – who welcome you to their homes and hearts – no matter if they inhabit a humble mud house or are masters of opulent forts or mansions. India is transformative for those who travel with curiosity, without judgment or trepidation leaving you richer though your experiences in the country!