A gap year in India

Gap years in India

Vibrant festivals, rich, spicy cuisine, architectural marvels, elephants and tigers in the wild – there are literally a hundred reasons to choose this glamorous country for your gap year. Opportunities abound because India is still a place of enormous need, and it’s an extremely rewarding place to volunteer. When you’ve finished doing your Mother Theresa bit, you’ll find that inexpensive travel, food and accommodation mean you can enjoy a slice of the high life too. Whether you want to party in Goa or tread among tigers, India has it all, apart from curry…

Getting Around in India
Travel on the world’s third largest rail network is comfortable, safe and reasonably sanitary – in fact, with carpeted carriages and seats that convert to beds at night, and seat-side dinner service, the trains might be superior to some of your regular accommodation! Choose AC1, AC2 or AC3 – these are the upper classes and, while they cost a little more, the AC stands for Air Conditioning which, in an Indian summer, is vital.

Volunteer Projects in India
There are many opportunities to teach English in India, whether you’d prefer to do it in Bangalore or Calcutta. If you want to be right in the midst of it, you can sign up for community work, teach underprivileged tribal children, or look after former street children in a Goan care home.

Thinking of renting a car? Driving in India isn’t a hugely attractive option, as you’ll note if you have the privilege of being driven by a native. Like Africa, road etiquette in India is characterised by loud and cheery disregard for other vehicles: after an hour of clinging desperately to the bus seat you’ll be missing Britain’s super-polite road code.

Places and dates of interest in India
From the Taj Mahal at dawn to yoga on the beach in Goa – there are hundreds of unmissable sights in this kaleidoscopic country. One thing you won’t find is curry – it’s British! Indian cuisine is vastly varied, relying on its home-grown stash of fragrant spices, and different according to the region you’re in: you’ll certainly be able to eat well, wherever you travel. Here are just a few highlights.

New Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur
At last count, India’s capital city was home to some 15 million people. Bordered by the desert, the Himalayas, and the Gangetic plain, New Delhi been the centre of India’s political and social struggles for centuries. Criticised by some as soulless and grey – like many modern capitals – Delhi, while representing the very core of the country, is often forsaken for the more-glamorous Mumbai. Yes, if Delhi is India’s heart, Mumbai, the capital of Bollywood, is its hip. Labelled the ‘Manhattan of the East’, Mumbai is a feast of culture, style, tropical beaches, ear-splitting buses, and some of the finest cuisine in the country.

Jaipur, along with Delhi and Agra (with the Taj, see below), is part of the oft-trodden tourist trail nicknamed the Golden Triangle. Yes, it’s called the Pink City, but don’t mix it up with the Pink Paper. The historical centre is worth a trip – you can hop on a traditional rickshaw and take in the views from Tiger Fort, buy good-value craft items and, if you’re lucky, chance upon a traditional wedding ceremony.

The Taj Mahal
There is some recent debate surrounding the history of the Taj Mahal. It’s universally accepted that the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan dedicated it in memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaz, who died in childbirth. But whether he commissioned this incredible palace is in some doubt – it has recently been claimed that Shah Jahan actually laid claim to the palace, built for Lord Shiva, and renovated it for his own purposes. All the same, the Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders and guaranteed to make a mark on your memory. Visit early to enjoy a little peace and the chance of seeing the palace seeming to ‘float’ on the morning fog.

Goa
Nowhere in India is a better place to recover from your gap work. Easy-going and cosmopolitan, Goa is called ‘Little India’ for good reason. No wonder it’s a top honeymoon spot: Goa’s the place to enjoy beautiful beaches, a little ayurvedic treatment, inexpensive food and tropical climate.

Dates for your calendar
Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Light, celebrated with fireworks, parties and the lighting of lamps. It calls for two public holidays, Diwali itself (New Year’s Eve) and New Year’s Day, which, in India, falls in the autumn.