Hospitality

I travelled quite a lot in the last years and I met several Indians. They all come from different regions and backgrounds, and they are completely different one from the other. I think it is very difficult to stereotype Indians because India is huge and there is a big difference from North to South and from city to village. However, there is a common point to all Indians I met so far: hospitality.

Hospitality is sacred in India. A guest, especially if foreign, is treated in the best way possible. The first time I visited the house of a poor family, I was not aware of the Indian customs, so I felt really embarrassed and tried to refuse the drinks and money that they were giving to me. Then my friend explained to me that it would have been rude to refuse to be treated as a welcomed guest.

Recently I visited families in terrible conditions of poverty. The houses were crumbling down and had a roof made of woven palm leaves; there was no water or bathroom and entire families were forced to live in one room. Despite their poverty, every time I entered a house I was at least offered a seat on the only plastic chair present. I was always asked a few questions about my life and even though I sometimes felt “guilty” of being a rich European watching the family’s poverty, I understood that the family was happy to have received my visit. It even happened that, after my visit, the nearby families asked me to visit their homes! As if I could do miracles!

I will dedicate a post to the Microcredit groups that I visited, but for the purpose of this post, I often found myself sitting on a chair while elderly women around me were sitting on the floor. Also, I was the only one to be offered drinks and food (that I consumed under 10 pairs of careful eyes!).

Whenever an Indian friend invited me for a meal at their house in Europe, I always noticed the love that Indians have for cooking meals for their guests. They always make sure to have more than one dish ready and I always had the impression of being “at home”.

If you ever have the luck of visiting an Indian family, don’t be ashamed of being treated as a queen, that’s Indian hospitality!