Essential India

Brought to you by Penguin. With beauty, as with so much else, knowledge is power. Here's all of mine. Why has my favourite eyeliner stopped looking flattering? What can I do about the skin on my neck? Am I too old for contour? What is contour? Every week, tens of thousands of women turn to India...

This is a groundbreaking account of the development of Indian business and enterprise from the colonial period to the present. It not only introduces listeners to formative business leaders (including Jamsetji Tata, Ghanshyam Das Birla and Walchand Hirachand Doshi) and leading firms (Wadia Group, Kirloskar Brothers Limited and Shapoorji Pallonji) but also analyses their presence in the country’s economy, their growth over time and their true impact on society.

In this guide, I covered all four corners of this great country, but not every city in every state. Instead, I covered cities and states with the most popular and prominent tourist attractions. I hope you will find this audiobook valuable in more ways than one, as I not only discuss what to see in India, but how to get prepared, how to apply for a visa, what to expect, how to plan your trips from a financial point, what type of travel agencies you can trust, what modes of transportation are the best, important cultural aspects, what food choices are safe, and so much more.

India's huge population of 1.2 billion people is as varied and colorful as the spice markets of Old Delhi. Each region, caste, and community has its own culture, reflecting unique histories shaped by conquest, creativity, and religion. Steeped in ancient traditions, exceptionally fatalistic, and intensely passionate about their culture, the Indians are also ingenious, creative, and world leaders in cutting-edge science and technology. Show interest in their country, and it will be reciprocated with genuine warmth and friendship.

This book contains both Hindi words and phrases which will be a useful asset for trips to India. The book also contains conversational Hindi a tourist might find useful, for instance when they are shopping, booking a ticket, at the hotel, dealing with beggars, at the restaurant, and so on. So, if you are traveling to India then this is the book to take with you. Or perhaps you are a student and planning a study trip to India then this book will be useful too.