Why You Should Never Visit India
India is a place that people either love or hate. Some people find it to be the most beautiful country in the world, while others who have visited say they’d never return.
The truth is, both of these opinions, and everything in between, are correct. India is indeed a beautiful country with a rich history, friendly people, good food, and a unique culture.
This does not mean, however, that it is without its faults. As with every country, India has its negatives, and these can turn people off visiting. The drawbacks should definitely be considered before traveling there.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the challenges you’ll face when you visit India, and why you might not want to do so any time soon.
High homicide rate
According to Business Insider, India makes it on to the top 20 most dangerous countries list. Due is mostly due to it being home to several terrorist organizations, such as ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Illegal firearms manufacturing
Regular people have easy access to cheap, locally made firearms – tamanchas – which are weapons that are manufactured in India by skilled gunsmiths in illegal factories. Read more about them in this Live Mint article.
These are preferred over recognized brands as they don’t get jammed, and they’re much more affordable – a fraction of the price. You can pick one of these up for under $30!
With the average person being able to get their hands on weapons so easily, this makes the country dangerous.
High theft and robbery rate
According to this India Today article, every 3 minutes a robbery, theft or burglary takes place in India.
In fact, theft makes up 80% of the crimes committed in the country, with Delhi responsible for the majority.
Theft towards tourists
Petty theft, such as pick-pocketing and other opportunity theft, is rife in India. It’s very easy for tourists to be targeted in crowded cities and not even notice they’ve been robbed.
Most of the pick-pocketing in the subway is done by women, many of whom have children with them.
Plenty of scams
Traveling anywhere abroad makes you an easy target for scammers and tricksters, because you’re unfamiliar with the way things work in the country. You’re much more likely to just go with whatever someone tells you, out of ignorance.
There are several scams that tourists can easily get sucked into in India, as this article from The Culture Trip describes in detail. Some of these scams include:
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taxi scams – different methods used to get you to pay more than your trip is worth
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fake tour guides
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fake money – if you’re not familiar with what the currency looks like, locals can give you counterfeit notes
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train ticket scam – where you’re tricked into buying fake or higher priced train tickets from scammers who say that the ticket office is closed
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free gifts – people, more often than not young homeless kids, tie a “bracelet” around your wrist, and then demand you pay them
It’s too crowded
To say that India is crowded is an understatement of epic proportions!
With a population of 1.36 BILLION (yes, with a B), every inch of the country is heavily populated.
In the cities, this overcrowding is dire. India’s capital, New Delhi, has a staggering 30 million people; in Mumbai, 20 million; and Kolkota, 15 million. These 3 cities alone make up almost the entire population of the United Kingdom.
Now, with so many people, getting around the country will be frustrating and challenging, especially when you need to use public transport.
On the road, the traffic in India is some of the worst in the world.
India is also famous for having impossibly crowded trains and subways, with the Delhi metro system carrying a whopping 2.7 million passengers per day.
It’s heavily polluted
You can’t have that many people without pollution becoming a problem, and in India, the pollution levels have reached an alarming rate, placing India as the third most polluted country in the world (according to these statistics from iQair).
Why is India so polluted?
It’s a mix of economics and population. The poorer people in India can’t afford to buy gas, so they rely on coal for their energy needs – which creates more pollution.
There’s also a lot of pollution from vehicles, which is more of a problem in big cities.
Pollution accounts for 18% of the annual deaths in India, which is roughly 1.7 million people.
If you suffer from breathing complications such as asthma, this probably isn’t the best country to visit.
The water is unsafe to drink
As with many countries that lack good water sanitation systems, India’s water quality is also an issue. Particularly the tap water, which has been deemed unsafe to drink.
What happens if you drink India’s tap water?
Drinking dirty water could lead to diarrhea, typhoid, dysentery or cholera, all either very unpleasant or downright life-threatening.
As such, you’ll need to buy bottled water all the time. This will start to add up in such a humid country.
The food might not agree with your stomach
The food is also an issue, as there are many dishes that might not agree with a western stomach. This can be due to different cooking methods or ingredients used in the dish.
Too spicy
You might be used to Indian dishes made in the west, but nothing will prepare you for those made in India. Everything is spicier and richer, and likely to leave you sitting on the toilet all day.
Raw fruit and vegetables
Tourists are warned to stay away from eating fruits and vegetables that don’t have peels or haven’t been cooked. This is because they may be contaminated.
It’s too hot
You’ll be sweating all day and all night, because the average temperature in India is 32C, with the summer months (December – February) routinely reaching a sweltering 40C.
Terrorist monkeys
This is quite a unique problem, and might seem funny if you’ve never experienced it, but these guys are no joke.
India is home to over 50 million monkeys, many of which live in the big cities and terrorize people. There have been cases of large gangs of monkeys stealing from and attacking the locals, shopkeepers, tourists etc.
They can’t really be stopped, either, because the laws don’t really apply to them.
Abject poverty
One-fifth of the country lives in poverty, and this becomes obvious as soon as you get there. That’s 320 million people.
In Delhi or Mumbai, you won’t be able to make your way from one part of the city to another without crossing hundreds of beggars.
Homeless children
It is estimated that over 11 million children live on the street in India. The movie Slumdog Millionaire highlights this growing problem, and gives a compelling account of the challenges these children face.
Any tourist witnessing this level of poverty, watching people and young children scramble to make a living, is bound to be saddened by this. It can be sobering, depressing and downright agonizing to see people struggle, knowing there’s really not much you can do about it.
Final word
I hope this post has armed you with enough information to make deciding whether or not to visit India easier for you.
Do also bear in mind that everyone will have different experiences, so if your heart is set on going there, you should listen to it. Despite all of its flaws, India has many great points, which is why so many people continue to flock there each year.