India and rape has become near synonyms, especially following the horrific 2012 gang rape of the 23-year old physiotherapy student in Delhi that resulted not only in her death, but global and national outrage, the growth of the Gulabi Gang (a gang of female activists dressed in pink, who carry sticks and attack men who try to violate women across India) and harsher laws against sexual assaults.

It’s big enough of a problem that sees female travelers shunning the place due to the perceived threat. Tourism fell by a whopping 35 percent after news of such sexual abuse were reported. Female travelers should follow clothing customs, and be more alert to their surroundings. 

Pretty (tough) in pink

Disdain towards women is the problem. This begins from birth, where female infanticide is a huge problem. Families don’t want the burden of daughters, and choose the easy way of killing them at birth, or do sex-selective abortions. 3 million girls are lost to infanticide in India alone. If lucky enough to survive, she faces sexual assault in broad daylight, domestic abuse, and is largely reliant on the protection of her husband. If her husband dies, so does her prospects.

There’s a town in India with 6,000 widows, all cast out by families after their husband died or simply left alone

It’s incredible that such barbaric behaviour is still in practice. While worshipping the plethora of female deities and goddesses, Indian society still subjects almost half of its population to such treatment. It begs to question the role of the female in Indian society – are they Madonnas to be worshipped like the deities, or Magdalenes to be scorned?

Realistically speaking, it is cheaper to raise a son – no need to pay extra for expenses (such as tampons or bras) or to raise a dowry. Sons are also better regarded, since they are the ones who will carry the family name, and this disparity in perceived worthiness of both sexes carry on towards how one gender treats the other.

Paratha, roti prata, roti canai… Many names for something so simple and delicious. Known mainly as paratha in India (roti prata and roti canai are mostly used in countries like Singapore and Malaysia), it is a street food that has found itself on the menus of formal events such as weddings.

Paratha is a combination of parat and atta – cooked dough, literally.

 A fried flatbread, paratha is usually eaten alongside a variety of curries. The bread is usually stuffed with ingredients like paneer or potatoes to provide more flavour.

I can’t even throw or catch a ball in sport, but look at these two paratha makers.

You know a food is famous when it has got an entire street dedicated to it. The Paranthe Wali Gali, ‘lane of paratha-makers’, is a street located in Delhi known for its paratha. The area was established in the mid 1600s by Shah Jahan (that’s right – the Taj Mahal emperor!) but wasn’t known as such until the late 1800s, before the first of the parantha shops moved in. Today, it is an unassuming lane, but it is famous amongst many locals and gaining popularity as a food destination globally – the lane even has a romance movie named after it. Perhaps one reason why locals flock to the lane is the fact that 30 rupees (A$0.60) gets them something to fill their stomach, a sum that is affordable to workers earning even minimum wage.

No need for flashy signs – the crowd knows where the good food is.

All the food sold in this place are vegetarian, due to the fact that the owners are Brahmin. Additionally, the parathas don’t use onion or garlic, as a large percentage of the customers are Jains.

While bearing striking similarities to the roti prata found in Singapore, subtle differences are present and a smart traveler would revel and partake in food that locals eat, if only to get an insight to a slice of their daily lives. After all, food is a universal language that everyone understands and needs!

Talk about relationship goals – hardly anyone else can say that they built a mausoleum for their long dead spouse. Heck, I doubt I can even build a proper sandcastle for my loved ones, let alone a symbol that instantly brings to mind my country.

I can try making a sandcastle version of this, though. 

The Taj Mahal – literally ‘crown of palaces’ – is easily one of the most recognisable infrastructures in India. Many people know about the story of how India’s Emperor Shah Jahan was heartbroken when his wife died, and wanted to erect the Taj Mahal as a symbol of his love for her, but not many people know that it is actually a tomb containing the earthly remains of both Shah Jahan and his wife.

Myth had it that Shah Jahan had wanted to build a matching, black marble mausoleum across from the existing white marble Taj Mahal, but was deposed before it could be built. Aside from the incredibly touching love story, the Taj Mahal is widely applauded as being a celebration of a perfect mix of Islamic, Indian, Ottoman and Persian architecture. 20,000 workers, as well as 1,000 elephants, took more than two decades to build this declaration of love.

Every part of the mausoleum is meticulously designed

The Taj Mahal sees over 3 million visitors a year, with both domestic and international. While locals visit (and pay substantially less to enter the attraction), it is still largely a symbol solely for the gawking spectators and tourists. Almost 30% of Indians live below the poverty line, and such grandiose display of wealth and love doesn’t contend with reality. If anything, the Taj Mahal might be a wonder to tourists, but an irony to the social situation in India. While Shah Jahan celebrates his love for his wife, Indian women continue facing domestic and sexual abuse.