Hindu husband, Russian wife. White gods or lower caste? What do Indians think of foreigners

© Photo from the personal archive of Anna Tikha-Tishchenko

She told Rosbalt why it is quite easy for emigrants from Russia to adapt to Indian society. Anna Tikhaya-Tishchenko, an internet business owner and author of a popular blog.

- What, in your opinion, caused the choice of Russians who decided to move to India? Most of our compatriots choose European countries for emigration ...

People move to India more often at the call of the heart, and not of reason. Many people go for the newly acquired spirituality, which is so lacking both in Russia and in the West. For example, in Auroville, the so-called city of dawn, there is a whole Russian community of several dozen people. They are building the society of the future together with the inhabitants of hundreds of other countries. There is a similar community in Puttaparthi, where, until recently, one of the great spiritual leaders and teachers, Sai Baba, lived. People come to such places in search of themselves, but they find a whole layer of religion, philosophy and even, I'm not afraid of this word, a new meaning of life. They no longer want to return to the past, so they stay here - they open a business or get a job.

There are also many Russian wives in India. Nobody knows exactly how many of them (us) are here, but I'm sure there are thousands. Indians, more than anyone else, are close to us in mentality. At the same time, they are excellent husbands with traditional family values. Russian girls feel this and are increasingly becoming Indian wives.

There are also those who have not emigrated, but have lived in India for years - contract workers on Russian-Indian projects. For example, in Metrostroy, which has been building the Chennai subway for a couple of years. Or in Russian companies represented in India, such as MTS.

And, of course, there is Goa, beloved by Russian downshifters and creative youth. But everyone already knows about him ...

- You mentioned that Indians are close to us in mentality. What are these similarities?

Indians are the same dreamers in whom the ideal world prevails over the material one. They, like us, are ready to invest their energy and time in philosophical reasoning instead of directing the same energy to improving everyday life, for example. At the same time, in many ways, both Indians and Russians can be compared with children. Both are a little naive, a little mischievous. They do not respect the rules and laws, preferring a constant search for workarounds and loopholes. At the same time, they are devoted to friends, always ready to give them the last shirt. They are sincere and hospitable.

When it comes to women, we have a similar desire for chic, sparkle and bright colors.

In general, despite the fact that in India, like ours, there are sprouts of feminism and emancipation, society remains patriarchal, therefore, in Russian-Indian couples, there is usually no resonance of expectations from the roles of spouses.

It can also be added that there are many linguistic analyzes showing the similarities between the Russian language and Sanskrit. In addition, even the Roerichs, in their expeditions across India, found tribes whose clothes can only be called Russian folk costume. All this and much more suggests that the Indians, at least the northern ones, are very similar to the Slavs.

- Tell me, is there any statistics about how many people live in India for whom Russian is their native language?

I have heard all sorts of assessments. For example, information circulates on the Web that there are about two million people from the territory of the former USSR in India. As for the official data, according to the Russian consulate in Chennai, only about 500 Russian citizens live in South India. These are 4 out of 28 Indian states, but the scale is clear. Although not everyone is registered at the consulates, since the corresponding law does not exist. In addition, many regularly come with tourist visas and spend more time in India than in Russia.

- How do local residents feel about Russians who have come to their country for a long time? Is there a difference in attitudes towards them and towards other foreigners?

I have come across an extremely positive reaction to my Russian origin. To begin with, Russia has at all times closely cooperated with India, and at the same time did not act as its colonizer. Our countries have launched many student exchange programs, many Indians have studied with us. The Russians helped India build nuclear power plants, a subway, and are working on space programs here. Every third elderly Indian tells me that at one time or another he did business with the USSR, and later with Russia. So it is surprisingly pleasant for Russians to be in India. With the exception, however, of the previously mentioned Goa, where by their behavior Russian tourists have thoroughly discredited their country in the eyes of the local population.

- In what areas do Russians mainly work in India?

Those who live here permanently work in a wide variety of fields. Some have their own small business - for example, a cafe or a guesthouse. Someone accepts tourists from Russia, some are engaged in trade, or rather, export of Indian goods to Russia. There are also employees of Russian cultural centers, teachers of the Russian language, translators.

- How easily do our compatriots adapt in India? What is the most difficult thing for Russians when communicating with local residents?

You know, it's always individual. The most difficult thing in India is the heat. After living in Russia, we all think that eternal summer is the best thing that can happen to a person. But live in it for several years, and you will not know where to get away from it. In general, there are many things in India that are difficult to get used to - dirt, insects, crazy traffic, power outages, constant strikes, the lack of many of our usual food products. But in the bottom line, the advantages still outweigh, and we eventually get used to the shortcomings, and they cease to bother us so much.

The main problem is, of course, the language barrier. When it is overcome, there are no special difficulties in communicating with Indians. By communication, I mean friendly and small talk, official meetings. It is clear that street vendors are very clingy, and passers-by with little education strive to take pictures of any light-skinned creature with their phones. But these troubles happen to all foreigners, we are no different here.

- How did India become your second home?

In March 2010, I was in the Indian city of Pondicherry for the wedding of my friends from Brazil. They recommended me a good guesthouse worth staying in. My future husband turned out to be its co-owner. Already in December of the same year, I left my job at a Moscow investment company and moved to India. Since then, we have already had two daughters. Lie three and a half, the world is a little over a year old. I try to realize myself here professionally. A couple of years ago, my friend and I started our own internet business. Now we are developing two online stores and ourselves together with them. In addition, I have a fairly popular blog about India. Sometimes I also write articles for Russian online and print media.

- What do you personally miss especially? And what, in turn, attracts you the most about life in India?

About what I miss most, I have already written on my blog more than once - our products, the celebration of the Russian New Year, Moscow social life. Although recently I have realized other, not so obvious, but no less important subjects of my nostalgia. For example, I really miss the opportunity to sleep and wake up under a blanket - they are not even sold in South India, nor are duvet covers.

In India I love a lot, it’s much easier to say what I don’t like. I like its richest nature, brilliance, I like the soulfulness of human relations, society's focus on family and children. I love Indian instrumental music and amazingly melodic singing, classical Indian dances. Indian clothing is very comfortable and close in spirit to me. Not saree, but tunics with jeans, leggings or harem pants. Well, my husband is especially dear to me in India, of course. Thanks to him, the adaptation to the country went almost imperceptibly.

Interviewed by Tatiana Khruleva

This is probably an Indian prince, a model from the clothing catalog, no less. Maharaja. Imagination draws something like that.)))

Indian men - stress or exotic? I sit at the computer at night, I work, I don't bother anyone. Someone frantically starts dialing me on Skype. I politely ask, through a written message, who and why knocks on my Skype in the middle of the night. It turned out that a black-haired vyunosh from India, Kashmir state, 31 years old, wants to meet at random and talk. There is no limit to surprise, what if I'm a bearded man? The Indian boy insists on talking and sends his photo. I politely refuse. And now, for the third day, the restless Indian guy, to no avail, calls and texts me on Skype at night and in the evenings. It's time to blacklist. However, it became interesting what such restless Indian men are like?

The Slavic wife has always been the pride of foreigners from America to Japan. Whatever reasons give rise to such a high demand in the brides market, our women cannot be denied the popularity. In turn, modern ladies are also good at navigating the situation, and from time to time there is a fashion for men from a certain region. Today American and German "classics", Arabic and Japanese "extreme" have receded into the background. The focus is on mysterious India and no less mysterious Indian men.

And this is the average improved education option. Let's say a doctor, or a programmer.

Here's the wildly improved average.

Many may disagree, but certain tendencies in the marriage field exist in one way or another. For an explanation, psychologists advise turning to a banal market theory - no matter how cynical it may sound, in matters of marriage, we consciously or unconsciously act according to the same scenario. It is not customary to say this out loud, but other things being equal, they will stereotypically prefer a Japanese worker, a Scandinavian designer, a French lover and, for example, a German husband. Generalizations are rather arbitrary, but they also form a certain fashion.

Historical and social information. In India there are more men than women. Since in order to give a daughter in marriage, one has to pay the groom a certain amount of money, the birth of a daughter means losses for the family in the future, since she will take away significant funds from the family in the form of a dowry. In this regard, in India, at one time, selective abortions were common, when, when determining the sex of a child by ultrasound, a woman gets rid of the fetus if it is a girl.
Now in India, it is officially forbidden to determine the sex of a future child using ultrasound. Of course, in modern India there is a certain part of women who have received an education and live according to more civilized rules. But their number is not so large as to speak of a significant improvement in the rights of Indian women. Attempts to prohibit electoral abortion by law do not yield great results, which has led to a change in the composition of the population towards an increase in men. However, this problem, created by the Hindus themselves, has not yet prompted the Indian society to change dramatically.

Unlike European standards, it is enough for a woman in India to be a good wife and mother, and a man does not need to be explained why he should fully provide for his family and help his parents.
We will not talk about women for whom getting married abroad means a chance to improve their standard of living. However, even those who are looking for great and pure love often limit their search to a very specific region or even one country. This, in principle, is understandable: cultural differences can be insurmountable, and few in their minds want to live anywhere in Zimbabwe. In general, hot Ukrainian women are close to temperamental Italians, economic Russian women are close to detailed Germans, and calm Belarusians are close to restrained Scandinavians. Such inclinations are confirmed by the statistics of marriage services.

Bollywood.

Of course, people are everywhere different and beautiful and not beautiful. The percentage is equal in almost all races and nationalities.

This is the call for recruits into the Indian army. Real photo from the fields. As you can see, everything is very different. Of course, the nationwide, somewhat unpleasant, in my opinion, “blackness and swarthiness” is obvious.

Why did the trends suddenly turn to the East? Psychologist Elena Kostyuk explains this by ideal cultural and genetic compatibility. At first glance, this is not at all obvious: how is it possible - incomprehensible and somewhat barbaric India and we, all so ... different. In fact, Indian culture at one time became almost the basis for the Slavic. Vedas, runic writing, pagan gods and legends, even language (and now you can find many words of the same root), and most importantly, family values. An Indian man, like a Slavic woman, is focused on creating a family; the intra-family way of life also does not differ much, but the most important thing is that these ideas largely coincide. Unlike European standards, it is enough for a woman to be a good wife and mother, and a man does not need to be explained why he should fully provide for his family and help his parents. Plus beautiful courtship, a rather mild temperament and the needs of the family in the first place - this is the new Indian-Slavic cell of society is ready. This is a kind of balance between the radical East, too strict towards the freedom-loving Slav, and the West, obsessed with cold rationalism.

The guy looking to meet me at random via skype. Sorry friend, you got hit. Be careful with online dating.

Why do we need this?
The main reason is the banal imbalance of men and women in the main three suppliers of brides Russia-Belarus-Ukraine. It is known that there are disproportionately few men here, and if you also subtract the infantile egoists spoiled by traditional education, drinkers, have certain problems and are simply lazy at last, then the figure will come out completely microscopic. Whether it is India - they just have a sorely lack of girls, but there are more than enough guys of all stripes. Any Slavic woman, just walking down a street in an Indian city, will forever receive a vaccination against all complexes, a hundred compliments and a dozen marriage proposals (a couple of which will be in all seriousness). In India there are many poor, many rich, and there is also a quite typical middle class for us. Not all Indians will be able to live with a foreigner, not all earn enough for our usual level of comfort, not all have good intentions towards a white girl. Some are downright ugly and many are uneducated. But there are just a huge number of pretty young (and not only) people - with an excellent education, the right worldview and the desire to start a family.

Our girls marry in the "Olympiad" way - for exchange students or former students. Someone left their heart on a tourist trip, while others, inspired by example, deliberately register on Indian dating sites. By the way, unlike Western resources, most of the men there are focused specifically on creating a family. And it is considered normal when relatives or close friends fill out the questionnaire. True, due to the same tradition, many give preference to Indian women, but a lot of attention falls to the lot of Slavic beauties. And Indians know how to take care of in the best traditions of Bollywood - with poems (sometimes even with dance songs), passionate confessions, promises to throw the world at their feet and love until death, dramatic gestures and other attributes of sugar melodramas.

Why do they need it?
Everyone has their own reasons. One of the most important is the inability or unwillingness to find a partner in India. In some states there are very few women, and even fewer are suitable for a young man with modern views. Often, Indian women are low-emotional, shackled by traditional upbringing, and often uneducated. Sometimes financial situation, family status or parents' plans become obstacles. In addition, among young people it is prestigious to have a foreign girl: Slavic women are considered very beautiful (especially exotic blondes for the East), caring and smart. A wife from abroad is also a challenge to the foundations, insolence and self-affirmation, because today most marriages are arranged by agreement between parents and resemble bargaining, where the material condition and social status of both families are taken into account, and the interests of young people have a purely symbolic meaning. As a result, the norm is a situation when there is practically no sex life in a young family. A husband may never in his entire life see his wife without clothes, and relations on the side are carefully hidden only from neighbors.

However, in this spicy barrel of honey, half is tar, when the pros turn into cons. It is not uncommon for white girls to play the role of an expensive toy (including a sexual one) before marriage at the choice of their parents. Indians are capable of fooling around for years, having children, living in two families, lying about the death of their mother, telling the Great Sad Story of their whole life and inventing other reasons that "still" do not allow them to introduce their chosen one to the family or to officially register a marriage. At this time, the "poor lover" may well raise three children at home or prepare for his own wedding. For some reason, it is believed that all foreign women are fabulously rich, therefore, a narrow-minded, but cute, dark-skinned vyunosh can persistently drag any lady with a foreign name down the aisle. At the same time, the "madam" must pay for the entertainment of the "poor but selflessly loving" young man, and if she is lucky, then for something bigger than a drink in the club.

Historical reference. The tallest men are in Northern Europe, the lowest are in India and Southeast Africa. The average height of an Indian man is 165 cm.

Why Indian?

* Ddiana: Because of the character. Calm, takes good care of children, house helper, no bad habits.

* 0lu: I was purposefully looking for just such a man. Their role was played by bright films, and passionate dances of Indian macho in videos, soulful chats with the inhabitants of Hindustan, Indian friends with whom it was very interesting ... But the main thing was their perception of life, positive thinking, their desire for complete reunification with the soul of their beloved.

* Jalpari: Yes, of course, everything is beautiful in Indian cinema, the heroes are ready to give their lives for their beloved and overcome all obstacles, while singing beautiful songs.

And in life everything is much more prosaic. And for the most part, Indian men, on the contrary, are brought up not too romantic natures, do not know how to court (because arranged marriages are frequent) and strain (you do not need to win a girl). So all these rainbow tales are only in films. In life, everything is completely different.

* NatalyaGhotra: I and an Indian are relieved of drunken Fridays, the smell of fumes, the stench of socks and armpits, mat, secondhand smoke and disrespect for my mother.

* Luanika: My Indian knows how to love sincerely and tenderly, and passionately, and devotedly and ... I used to think that only in Indian films there is such love, but it turns out that they really are. Our relationship can be called solid Indian cinema, sometimes with real dramas.

* Nadia: Reliable and loyal! This is exactly what Russian men cannot boast of!

* Alia: Many people go to India with pleasure solely to see the country. But only a few remain there. Another thing is that many simply get used to it and humble themselves, because they see no other way out. I know more than one couple who broke up because the girl could not agree to live in India.

* Oxana Devi: My Indian compares favorably with the Russian guys. Educated, athletic, non-drinking, non-smoking, non-matyukaty, with respect for the female sex, parents (including mine, even though they did not accept him). And, of course, interesting. It is obviously clear from our men what can be expected and what will happen in the end, and with him everything was new and unusual! Well, how can you not fall in love at twenty years?

* Kusaka: My Indian smokes, and he can drink in such a way that my Russian relatives opened their mouths. Therefore, to the question of why an Indian, I cannot answer in the same way as many girls. And even though these bad habits confuse me myself

and stress, I love him, smoking and wildly emotional, drinking vodka in Russian, but very gentle, caring and too smart. He turned out to be so much like my dad, who was my best friend in life, like no other originally Russian guy.

* leno4ka_love: I never had any obsessive thoughts to connect my life with a foreigner, especially with an Indian. Now I see that in many ways the Indians are superior to the Russians, at least my husband. Indians are much more likely to commit romantic acts than Russians. And they know how to have fun very well and most often without alcohol. In our relationship there were many of the same moments as in Indian cinema: romance, passion, and the intensity of relations with an unknown ending. They are all very hot. So this is another plus for the Indians.

Thanks for the replies from forum.bharatconnect.net.

But this is all at the top of the photo were expectations.))) But the harsh reality.

Bollywood with borscht flavor
Maryana is a typical Ukrainian woman with curvaceous forms and an explosive character. She met her future husband Prana at one of the conferences. Behind a typical jock, in front - an intelligent with glasses. He intrigued the girl as an exotic curiosity. All week they conducted exclusively semi-scientific disputes, and after two years of their life in front of an Internet camera. The young man still could not earn money for a bright future and tell conservative parents about his Ukrainian love, who slowly threw him photos of girls suitable for marriage. Temperamental Maryana tried several times to break off the relationship, but each time Pran put on a drama in the best Bollywood traditions, and she gave up. So that the girl did not get bored, he sang national songs and even showed sketches, wrapped in a curtain. But when the second year of sobbing and scandals in front of the camera was already ending, the girl set a condition: if he does not solve his problems in three months, she leaves. Pran realized that everything was serious only when, after this time, Maryana stopped answering calls and letters. A month later, an Indian stood on the threshold of her "treshki", where the grandmother, two hamsters and a dog lived with the girl's parents. Right on the doorstep, he made an offer and, quickly orienting himself, divided a large bouquet of roses into three dumbfounded women. To say that the parents were in shock is to say nothing. Mom clutched at her heart and moaned that she would not let her girl go to the Papuans, grandmother regarded the guy as an unusual animal and all the time tried to feed him with bananas. As a result, after talking with the future son-in-law, the father made a decision: there should be a wedding, but in Kiev.

In Jaipur, they came to watch the Ukrainian daughter-in-law with the whole street. And for the family, the news of their son's marriage was a real horror. The mother did not even want to talk to her, and the father defiantly poured the cooked borscht into the farmyard. The carefully selected gifts were scornfully handled and distributed to neighbors. On the very first night, the mother-in-law screwed the doorknob to the wall hook, so that the bedroom of the young people remained open all the time, "because you never know what can happen behind closed doors." By the way, the husband's parents did not openly close their doors either, and the mother went to bed right in the sari. The next day, relatives came running and, without ceremony, climbed into the suitcases to examine the clothes, touched the hair and fingers with extended nails, talking in the local dialect. Pran announced that they would live with their parents, and then hell began.

Maryana had to get up at half past five and do all the housework, wash for the family, cook exclusively local food and not leave the house without permission. She found things spoiled, the surrounding aunts in her Guerlain lipstick, and in the living room - the next matchmakers. After a week of such a life, the girl rebelled. Maryana personally hammered a huge latch on the door and ignored all the knocks of her mother-in-law until 10 in the morning, then put on jeans, a very revealing top and, taking a neighbor's teenage girl, went shopping. By lunchtime, she was greeted at the gate by the whole house, but attempts to scold her came across a response in the spirit of "hands on hips - and a tank." As a result, when Pran came home from work, there was a pot of borsch and a dish of dumplings on the table. The young people ate with pleasure, but the parents did not touch. For two days Mariana hosted the kitchen until the family gave up. Grimacing diligently, they nevertheless tried Ukrainian cuisine for several days - from mochanka to jelly, but in the end they presented their son with an ultimatum: he must take his wife "where he took" or he is not their son.

Here Pran rebelled, he took his wife and went to live in Delhi. Suddenly it turned out that it is customary here to hire an assistant (and in fact, a servant) to do housework, that you can equip the apartment to your liking and cook only for your own pleasure. Outside the parental home, the husband changed a lot and tried to fill the void that had formed far from friends, family and favorite work. Gradually Maryana liked India, Pran helped her open a design studio, they traveled a lot, and gifts flew to Kiev from all over the country, and three years later they had twins. When the children were two years old, the young family decided to go to Jaipur again. This time, the kids were able to melt open hostility, and borscht became a signature dish that the whole street is now happy to cook. The marriage of Maryana and Pran is already six years old, and both have not regretted their decision for a minute.

Twice past
Anna and Nikhil's romance began during the rainy season in Mumbai. The handsome doctor knew how to look after, and by the end of the vacation the girl left head over heels in love. He called her every day, and six months later, she again gathered in India to support the man in a difficult moment. He did not come to meet her, and the girl got to her lover's house herself. But Nikhil did not even let her on the threshold, so as not to disturb the peace of dying parents. Anna rented a room in a cheap hotel and fought with insects all day, and in the evening Nikhil came and spent the night with her. He constantly borrowed money for taxis, food and "suffered a lot." One evening he called and said that his parents were very bad and he would not come, but what a pity: they would never see his bride. The girl rushed to his house so as not to deprive the old people of their last joy, and what was her surprise when she found an elderly couple quite healthy and not even aware of her existence. But worst of all, Nikhil's wife, a pretty young Indian woman with a baby in her arms, came out to greet her. By the way, the man turned out to be not at all a respected and busy doctor, but an ordinary waiter who borrowed clothes from his friends for dates. Having lost his temper, he threatened to post intimate photos of Anna on the Internet and deleted them only under an oath that he would never see her on the doorstep of his house again.

Among Indian youth, it is prestigious to date a foreign girl: Slavic women are considered very beautiful (especially exotic blondes for the east), caring and intelligent. A wife from abroad is also a challenge to the foundations, insolence and self-affirmation.
A year after the Nikhil affair, Anna married Arjun, a guide from Agra. The wedding mehendi had not yet gotten off her hands, as it turned out that she was obliged to obey her husband in everything, wear only Indian clothes, cook only Indian food. She is obliged to please his friends, who make noise in the kitchen all night long and can spend the night in a camp in their house for several days, but cannot spend money on themselves. A silent elderly Indian woman helped her with the housework, and the neighbors only talk about housework and TV shows. A culturologist by education, Anna was crazy about this medieval life, but everything suited her husband. Slow, like all Indians, he never did anything, earned little, and commanded a lot. The girl was able to live in Agra for only a year and a half, she often wandered among the many attractions and, it seems, was the only way to save herself. It has been a year since she returned to St. Petersburg, where she lives with her son Arnav, and it seems that now she is allergic to Indians.

All ahead
- I met Sanjay on the Internet two and a half years ago. He wrote to me on a dating site, where I registered to raise my self-esteem, - says Olesya from Minsk. - The idea that my boyfriend might be Asian, I dismissed right away. Not for racist reasons - very different cultures. However, India was a desirable exotic for me, and I really wanted to talk with a real Indian. And when Sanjay wrote a correct and polite message, I thought that talking is definitely not forbidden, even if the person does not like outwardly. And his photo, I must say, was terrible. At first I bombarded him with questions like "is it true that ...", he wrote long letters about himself, and then we did not notice how we became friends.

When he turned on the camera, I realized that I was hit. The guy turned out to be a real handsome man with a stunning smile, I even crawled to the floor and sat, I was silent, and he was afraid that I did not like it. Directly on the Internet, Sanjay suggested that I meet, and then marry him (we had not even seen each other then). Then he came here, met my family, I heard his parents only on the phone. I have to wait another two years for him.

Maybe I will seem crazy to someone, but for me there is no closer person. He speaks to me on Skype every day for two years, supports me, endures all my tantrums and whims. It is very difficult to love at a distance, and I tried to break it more than once - it all became so unbearable, but even from another country he managed to prevent it. Sanjay is soft and at the same time does not allow himself to be overwhelmed. And he is very, very patient - we don't have such men.

I have my own small business in Minsk, and I am one of those girls who will not have, and will buy Louboutin shoes. I need comfort and prosperity, and I know that Sanjay will not be able to provide them. I cannot give up my ideas: I have worked for this all my life. You can say that I am a bitch and a career woman, I know that if I decide to be with him, then there will be big problems - we just have completely different levels of minimum comfort. But even being sure that our common tomorrow is impossible, I believe: he will find a way out, and I will get my personal Bollywood love story.

Keitan Subaji, a 28-year-old Goan and physical education teacher, has never been outside India, but he has many friends and acquaintances among foreigners, including Russians. In an interview with "C", he shared his views on Russian women, Putin and the changing life around.

“Russian women are very strong,” says Keitan. - You can make decisions yourself. For example, if you want to travel, you do it. You make your own money and leave. Nobody can stop you, nobody has the right to ban you, because this is your life.

Indian women have different values, they are much more dependent on their family: parents or husband. They are unable to break out of their lives. If a girl is 25 years old, her parents only think about marrying her off. If she declares that she is going to see the world, they will twirl a finger at her temple: she is crazy! And God forbid, a girl wants to travel alone, people will immediately decide that she is a whore.

It's bad when your family decides everything for you: where to study, whom to marry. Each person has his own feelings, and he should have a choice: to live as your mother lived, and before that, grandmother and great-grandmother, in the same house, in the same environment, or live in the modern world.

Reference: Goa is a state in the southwest of India, the smallest state in terms of area and one of the last in population. Former Portuguese colony. Population - 1.5 million people.

- But your women also work and earn money?

- Yes. When I worked at the bank, there were six men for every ten women. My boss was a woman. But they only spend the money they earn on family and boyfriends. Nowadays many Indian girls go to study abroad, become photographers, models and never come back.

- But what happens if you lose it, lose your family?

- Of course, this is bad, not only for Indians, for any people. But we have too much family influence. If you are struck out of the circle, you will never be accepted back.

- Under what circumstances can this happen?

- With the most different. For example, if you fall in love with someone from another caste. I have a friend from the Brahmins who fell in love with a girl from a lower caste: there people earn their living exclusively by manual labor: they make some things from bamboo sticks or something like that. The girl reciprocated him, but they could not be together precisely because of caste differences.

- What is the real difference between people from different castes?

- Yes, there is no difference! In India, there are two lower castes: some make things from bamboo sticks, others, for example, clean shoes. A guy from that caste worked with me at the bank - he was no different from me. We even shared food with him, and that was fine.

- How can you find out that a person belongs to a certain caste?

- We have different surnames. Of course, you can change your last name, but everyone still knows where you came from, they see your skin color, which is slightly different. Now many do not care about this, but there are still many religious and superstitious people in India. We are the largest country in the world that believes in supernatural powers.

- What professions are the most prestigious in India?

- Teachers, doctors, policemen. Almost everything depends on the latter. If someone catches you at night, the cops will help. If you want to have a late night party, the cops will help. If anyone offends you, the cops will help. Even tickets to the Sunburn Festival can be bought from them.

- But do they have to pay for everything?

- And a lot of money. You pay the cops and they solve all your problems. So everyone here wants to be cops.

Such different people

Keitan dreams of travel: he intends to first visit all 29 states of India, and only then go beyond its borders. A month ago, he traveled around Rajasthan (this is a state in western India, on the border with Pakistan - author). He says that he was amazed by the people and how they differ from the people of Goa: “They are much happier, although poorer. They are funny, enthusiastic, very musical. It has beautiful architecture, delicious food, although there is no fish there due to the lack of the sea. "

“Last year in the Himalayas I saw snow for the first time in my life and flew in an airplane for the first time,” says Keitan. “If I really liked the snow, although I’ve never been so cold before, then I definitely don’t want to fly anymore.”

- What do you like to eat?

- Fish curry with rice. For ten years I worked in a café on the seaside, which belongs to my family, and, naturally, I ate free of charge there. So, every day I waited until five o'clock in the morning to eat curry from freshly caught fish. And I'm not tired of it.

But, in principle, I can eat any food. If you're hungry, eat whatever. Give me some bread and cheese and I'll eat. Once my Russian friends even treated me to lamb shashlik. It was very tasty.

- Do you like fishing?

- Oh yeah! This year, from April to July, I fished almost every day from 7 am to 10 pm alone.

- What is your favorite vehicle?

- I love driving a bike. We wanted to go to Rajasthan on a bike, I invested all my money in preparing it, but then my friend and I counted the number of days that we would spend on the road, and the time we would spend on the spot, and decided to move forward by train.

- How do you feel about Russians?

- I like Russians, although I must admit your language seems very rude. Because of this, many locals consider you aggressive. And not only locals.

In the 60s of the last century, when hippies appeared in Goa, life changed a lot. Before that, we were only engaged in fishing and growing rice. Americans and Europeans brought new subcultures alien to us, for example, nudism. Then there were Jews, many Jews, but when Russians started to travel to Goa, Jews fled to other states.

Everything becomes different. We, too, began to constantly think about money, drink a lot, always rush and show aggression.

- What do you think of Putin?

- Of course, Putin is a dictator, and some of his decisions seem stupid to me, for example, the fact that he banned Russians from traveling to some countries. But on the other hand, you can see that he cares about you. I would like India to have such a ruler.

- Now I want to work at school, with children, moreover with small ones, - specifies he ... - The second important thing for me is studying yoga: I plan to go to special courses. Yoga gives calmness, peace, relaxation for the soul and body. It makes you younger and healthier. After comprehending the technique, I want to teachthis people. Free, everyone.

Photo by Olga Revenko

To be honest, the attitude towards Russians and in general everyone from the former USSR is not very good. Hindus do not care if you are Belarusian, Ukrainian, Armenian or Georgian. You speak Russian and you are Russian. Even having learned by nationality that you are not from Russia, you are still Russian for them. Over the past 20 years, the flow of people who traveled abroad has changed a lot. Excuse me, but with the fall of morality in Russia, with the renunciation of traditions by the majority of the population, it has led to the fact that, in principle, quite decent people in our understanding, they also look like Hindus, Hindus, are moral monsters. Well, think for yourself. In the 90s, it was fashionable to become a bandit. Now a deputy. The main thing is money. Nobody cares how much you have realized in your profession. The main thing is what you ride, where you rest. Intemperance in everything. To waste money. Pass by a disabled person. To be ripped and so on. All this imperceptibly migrated into our attitude to rest. Imperceptibly, the tourists themselves are showing off when arriving. They drink worse than at home. Women often go to rent men for themselves. Prostitutes keep their way there. The father of the family believes that if for his money he feeds the family and brought them on vacation, then he is the head. They forget that they also have to be an example for their children. And one example. Get drunk, get impudent, send obscenities, if something goes wrong. But are you a man, if you have not demanded ... And the locals notice and see what is happening. They see women who are drunk in shorts often wander about wherever they go. Guys, of which two thirds are drunk from morning to night. And it's not uncommon to pester local women. Even as a joke. Not everyone does this. But there are enough copies at any resort. One company is enough in a month for Russians to be hated throughout the resort. On Goa, I just put one of our flags with a tricolor. His wheels were punctured three times. Then the flag was stolen ... And the punctures ended. What did you expect. It is not uncommon for bargaining to find out that you are Russian and do not discount prices. It is not uncommon for a German to smile from ear to ear at the reception ... to a Russian ... indifference. People are different. But the fact that not only in Goa, but in general in the world they began to dislike Russians is the fault of the Russians themselves. For most often those who are accustomed to taking everything in life unceremoniously go to rest, without burdening their actions with moral principles. Many believe that if they spend money, then they should dance the lambada, only at the sight of a wallet. You can spit in glasses and put out cigarettes there too. And then resent the crumbs on the table. And in India, in Muslim countries, such behavior is considered not just not ethical, but criminal. Of course, no one will rob you there. That you are Russian. No one will rush to hit you in the face. But I’d better give you advice. Show less that you are Russian. Or go where the Russians don't go often and where they don't know about them yet. With its lack of culture, the most cultured nation disgraced itself to the whole world. And it is not necessary to say that it was someone who created an opinion about the Russians. No dear. This cattle is precisely our people. Any bandit, bribe-taker, official who is stupefied by bribes, they are as much a part of the people as famous highly cultured people. It's just not a bad thing before issuing tours, every tourist should be reminded that even though he is going on vacation, he will be a representative of his state, its history , culture. By him will be judged about his homeland. But the overwhelming majority of tourists for some reason do not care. True, I do not understand why Israelis are not very popular in Goa. I couldn't find out.

There is almost more debate about what Hindus think of whites among visitors to India than about the reasons for vegetarianism and the sacred cows. "So what do they think of us?" - the guests of Hindustan ask themselves a question, facing either negative or sincere benevolence, or incomprehensible, sometimes annoying attempts to strike up friendship. There is no indifference - that's for sure. We are arousing interest, and obvious. But do they consider us higher or lower than themselves? What do they really think?

The Indians are crowded and curious about me. Maharashtra.

What caste do Indians class foreigners / Europeans / pale-faced?

They do not belong to any. It was difficult for me to pass this philosophy through myself and understand. A foreigner can be respected or despised. He may, in our opinion, clearly correspond, for example, in Russia, to the level of the 1st caste of India - to be a scientist, or the 3rd - to be an entrepreneur. But the Indians will not attribute him to any caste. They do not even try to sweep away the occupation of the pale person or his money with their caste system. It is a question of birth. The foreigner is outside the caste system of India.

Is it true that foreigners are on the level of the untouchables for Indians?

Such an opinion is often and, alas, well-founded. There are Indians, primarily from the first caste, who treat foreigners with arrogance and even some disgust. They also apply to. Shudras eat meat (especially pork, an animal that is considered dirty) and do dirty work. With them, the rest of the Indians keep a certain distance in everything. Foreigners are also there. We eat meat. We do not observe fasts. We do not take a shower every morning. We wear leather goods. And (sorry for the topic) we use (oh my god!) Toilet paper, not water, like people in India and other Asian countries.

Well, and also thanks to those tourists who are trying to engage in disgrace in temples, especially temples with Shiva Lingam. Places that Indians venerate and respect.

Temple on the mountain in Lori

Is it true that Indians admire white skin?

Yes. All but the most notorious snobs really admire white skin. For Indians, white skin is, firstly, very beautiful. Secondly, it is a sign of wealth and high origin. The poorest castes have the darkest skin color. Yes, and among members of the same family, there can also be a difference. Indians also sunbathe) The more time they spend in the sun - doing work, pushing around the markets, etc. - the darker their skin color. The gentlemen sitting in the coolness of the house and moving in air-conditioned cars are lighter.

Everyone loves beautiful people. Everyone loves to connect with the successful. Therefore, white skin really means a lot to Indians. Light-skinned people are attracted to the opposite sex precisely as beautiful. And Indian women are very fond of just looking at white faces and discussing how to whiten to that.

Indian tourists with the white goddess.

Why do Indians love to be friends with foreigners? Why do Indians like to take pale-faced people with them to relatives and friends, to "show off" their acquaintance?

Because it is interesting to communicate with them as with people from another world, because of their broad outlook, unusual manners. If you are not in a tourist place, and an Indian wants to talk to you, this is quite sincere. He is interested, this is new for him, he wants to learn something, he wants to practice English.

Curious and intimidating. Himachal, Himalayas.

Hindus have inequality and hierarchy in their blood. A tourist for Indians is rich by definition, which means that he is higher in level. Acquaintance and communication with someone who is higher in level is an honor and an object of pride for many Indians. If in Russia poor people often treat the rich with ostentatious contempt, sometimes aggressively, in India it is normal and correct to show respect, respect, help, serve a more noble person.

From these two points follows the readiness for friendship, help, the desire to invite home, treat, spend, leaving everything.

Why do Indians like to be photographed with foreigners?

Every tourist faced this misfortune in a crowded place. You are surrounded, lined up in a queue, which grows faster than you have time to take a picture with another person who wants to. Indians become one by one, 3 and whole families. Screaming babies appear in your arms, you are moved somewhere. You lose the opportunity to tactfully influence the process and begin to be rude to be left alone. Or you just run away faintly.

Schoolchildren in Maharashtra cave temples

There are many tourists in India. But there are even more Indians. In hundreds of cities and thousands of villages, a white foot has never set foot.

Indian woman. Agra.

We would like to be photographed against the background of members of some extravagant tribe. So for the Indians, such a photo is a rare success. Those who live in tourist spots never come up for a photo. Only Indo-tourists or non-tourist residents.

I think they can be understood, especially taking into account the habit of foreign tourists to take pictures of colorful Indians in person.

Which of us is the most impudent? Both were in time.

Is your interest always sincere and friendly?

In tourist places, the tourist is perceived, first of all, as a source of income. In 90% of cases, this is true. Indians can have absolutely sincere interest and disposition, but somewhere in the depths the thought continues to live - what if I'm lucky and I'll grab something. Even sweetness :)

Street children. Maharashtra.

Many are offended and say “they perceive me as a money bag”. Do not be discouraged, not only that. But so too, and it's true. Until that moment, until you move from the category of a tourist to the category of an acquaintance or friend.

How do Indians treat foreign / Russian girls?

Foreign girls for Indians are both beautiful and interesting and revered as rich and superior - all of this is there. But there is one but.

It's hot in Asia. What's true is true.

India is a traditional country, and in the opinion of Indians, cheeky behavior, "frank" clothes, excessive freedom, readiness for romantic and not only relationships - and now, bad fame went. Indian single men consider foreign women to be approachable and, moreover, actively seeking erotic adventures. Incidentally, this is true. I can say with confidence, having watched enough tourists who specially come to hunt or simply lose their heads, finding themselves in Khajuraho - the city of Kamasutra temples. Hence the bold looks and harassment of Indian men periodically on the Internet.

Foreigners in India. It is a pity, the face of the Indian on the bike did not get completely.

Are the relatives of the Indian groom happy about his marriage to the white one or are they ashamed?

Depends on the family. Rather, initially they are not happy. Despite the modernity of the family, the beauty or wealth of the bride. The caste issue is a pillar of Indian culture. But there are those who are ready to accept and will accept for the happiness of your Indian groom. And there are those