Understanding Indian Cultural Differences: 16 Do's and Don'ts

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Good cultural differences

1. Guest is God. In India it is an honor to have a guest, doubly so if it’s a visitor. This is because they have a beautiful proverb that says “Atithidevo Bhava” which means “the guest is equivalent to God”. For this reason there’s a good chance you’ll be invited to someone’s home.

2. The people are so genuine and friendly. We have met some of the most kind-hearted and generous people we’ve ever known during our travels in India. Even though these people didn’t have much money, they welcomed us into their homes and spoiled us with the most delicious food ever.

3. Spirituality and religion thrive. Upon every street corner in India is a religious statue or place of worship. It is the birthplace of yoga, meditation and the concept of enlightenment.

4. Indians try to offer amazing service. India is known for being a “service-oriented culture” and almost everyone tries hard to please.

5. Exquisite color creates eye candy everywhere. Indian’s love color. Whether it’s the clothing, the food or the houses, everywhere you look, you will be overwhelmed by beautiful arrays of color.

6. The resourcefulness and ingenuity is mind blowing. While driving the streets you will find the most eye-opening resourcefulness. From people carrying a bed frame or sheet of glass on the back of a motorcycle to a truck so over laden with goods that the driver can barely see out the front window. This no doubt stems from the poverty and need to survive.

Potentially uncomfortable cultural differences

Note: All of these cultural points I’m about to share are from our experience as Western observers. None of them are intended to offend anyone in any way. We are sharing them purely so that other Westerners are more prepared and to help reduce their possible culture shock.

1. Chaos is everywhere. Almost all road rules including red lights will be ignored. The streets are bustling with people, livestock and every kind of vehicle you can think of all tooting their horns. This can be quite a contrast from the quiet streets of the West. Furthermore, you may find it hard to locate your seat belt making it rather unsafe.

2. Personal space is rarely respected. Whether you’ re looking at photos on your camera, lining up to catch a bus or just standing on the street there’s a high possibility someone (or group of people) will approach you, nudge past you or come a bit too close for comfort. With over a billion people in a relatively small space, this isn’t surprising, and it isn’t culturally rude.

3. The caste system still exists. It’s composed of “priests” known as Brahmins, “warriors” known as Kshatriyas, “merchants” known as Vaishyas and “workers” known as Shudras. Unfortunately this division seems to cause discrimination between the castes and can get confusing without knowing the ins and outs.

4. Most animals get abused, except for cows. Be it a dog, cat, chicken, or an ox drawing a cart, animal abuse in India can be shocking and seems to be everywhere. The one animal that is largely exempt from this abuse is the cow because it holds particular importance in the Hindu religion. Although, you often see cows eating trash which is a different kind of abuse.

5. Almost everyone will try to get your money. Since over one hundred million Indians are living on less than $2/day the struggle for survival is real. The main thing is to have your wits about yourself and be compassionate. One quick side note is that I suggest you don’t give money to beggars as you will likely attract a crowd. If you want to give money, find a charity or school who will do a lot more good with the money.

6. Anticipate incessant staring. It doesn’t seem to be rude to stare in India. You will find it can be overwhelming at times but the main thing is to ignore it. Sometimes I pretend I’m a celebrity and then it’s more of a novelty than a problem.

7. Lying or bending the truth. It may be due to communication difficulties, but it seems that often Indians don’t have a problem with lying. Whether it’s a taxi driver or a shop owner – there’s a good chance they will bend the truth or flat out lie if it helps them make a sale. I suggest you try to get informed beforehand and ask the right questions, ones that can’t be simply answered by “yes”.

8. Expect to see spitting. A lot of men use chewing tobacco which means there can be a lot of spitting on the street. Many women also don’t have a problem spitting publicly when they need to.

9. Littering and trash are ubiquitous across India. It is yet to be understood that littering is a bad thing and so the streets act as open trash cans. The trash then piles up and the solution is normally to set it on fire!