25 Reasons Why Every Americans Should Be Envious of Indians

Whilst the US is a pretty amazing country, there are just some things that you can do in India that would seem totally absurd anywhere else. Wherever you go, whichever street you stroll into, India has something to offer that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Here is a list of 25 things that you can only do in India that is sure to make an American green with envy.

1. Cross the busiest road with ease

Indians are masters of crossing roads. In India, you can manoeuvre through any road without even having to think about something called a zebra crossing.

2. Enjoy in the smallest of things in life

Indians may be poor but we are creative. With the most amazing games costing not a single dime, you can have the best fun amidst the streets, with a simple bat and a ball and a game of gully cricket.

3. Head bobbling

Indians are the masters of speaking without saying a single thing, so much so that we can have an entire conversation with our friends via expressions and the infamous head bobble.

4. Living with Parents

Whilst in foreign cultures, it is a taboo to live with your mother after a certain age, in India, it is considered to be a matter of pride if a mother is able to prevent her son from leaving.

5. Multilingualism

Most Indians have the distinct advantage of being multilingual. This is actually not such a big deal when you consider that every child has one mother tongue, one language taught in school and one language if he/she shifts location.

6. Have a distinct name for every relative

We have distinct terms for every possible blood relationship that we can have in a family, so there is almost no scope of confusion as to whom we are referring to when we call for them.

7. Bargain Proudly

A big part of the lives of any Indian is bargaining. No matter if it is Rs.50 or Rs.500, the bigger the savings, the greater the sense of accomplishment.

8. Enjoy spicy food

An Indian’s palate is used to spice. Many Indians can even have chillies as an accompaniment to a dish, a reason why most international food chains often have to tailor their menu to suit Indian taste buds.

9. Have the widest variety of dishes in your repertoire

With the use of a bevy of spices, Indians can create entirely different dishes out of the same ingredients.

10. Dig in without kitchen utensils

Indians are used to consuming food with their hands from a banana leaf while squatting down. The best part of this technique is that you get to lick your fingers for the last bit of food too.

11. Navigate through a huge crowd as if you are walking on an empty road

Indians have an innate compass when they are walking through the most crowded places and can squeeze through invisible gaps in a throng of people.

12. Celebrate like a pro

Indians have the most number of festivals in the world and when they do not find a festival, they create one, with all the festivals from all cultures being celebrated in India.

13. Have an arranged marriage

Contrary to popular belief, Indians are not always unhappy in an arranged marriage. In fact, most of the arranged marriage couples in India claim to find love after the match were fixed by their parents.

14. Keep heirloom clothes

Most Indians have at least one ‘sari’ in their closets that belonged to their great-grandmother that they value way above any other very expensive sari that they may possess.

15. Have the best medical care

Indians can opt for medical care in government hospitals where they have to pay less than Rs.50 to consult some of the best doctors in the country and often get a number of necessary medicines for free.

16. Find the best things not in malls, but small retail shops

If you want to get a true taste of Indian shopping, hop on to any small scale retail shop. The best part is, you can talk to the shopkeeper for hours even if he is a complete stranger and get special discounts.

17. Borrow things from your neighbour

In India, we can borrow almost anything from our neighbours, from groceries to the neighbour’s son for help with our son’s homework and rarely be refused.

18. Land up unannounced

Indians rarely call or schedule a visit before showing up. Too much formality, as most Indians say.

19. Measure distance in the time it takes to reach there

If you ask any Indian how far a place is, he will give you an answer based on the time it takes to reach the place by walking or on a vehicle.

20. Have the best names with the coolest meanings

All Indians have a beautiful meaning behind their names. Whether it is derived from Sanskrit or from the local language, if you are Indian, chances are, your name has an inner meaning, which is rarely possible with western names.

21. The concept of ‘Adda’

Whilst some may argue that ‘Adda’ is basically a form of gossip, the main difference between gossip and ‘Adda’ is that you do not need a fancy place to chill out and hang with your friends. A roadside is a perfectly viable place to chat for hours and laugh loudly to your heart’s content without anyone passing you quizzical looks.

22. Go over capacity in public transport