Spring Quarter Book Review - “Culture Smart! India: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette"

Catherine Kristensen
6/9/10
Spring Quarter Book Review
Nicki Grihault: “Culture Smart! India: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette"
ISBN # 978-1558687059

OVERVIEW

Nicki Grihault’s book, “Culture Smart! India: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette” is a great resource for anyone traveling to India. Frankly, I think this book should have been a required read for all trip participants, as it is loaded with helpful information. Each of the nine chapters highlights a different aspect of culture in India. The book has many great maps, charts and images. It is organized in a thoughtful way, which makes it a great resource on the road as well. I plan to take this book with me on our trip, as its abundance of phrases and real life applications are superb.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Anyone looking to learn more about the history and current status of India would be fascinated by the topics covered in this book. There is a chapter on business, so this is a great find for business travelers. There is also a chapter on religion which is one of the best resources for attempting to decipher India’s varied religious systems. I was very impressed by the wide array of topics that were covered and will highlight a few of the topics in the paragraphs below.

The “Time In” chapter helps to understand life in India. It goes into great detail explaining births, deaths, marriage, housing and home life (including toilets!). I found reading about the term izzat (saving face) quite interesting, as it is an important part of India’s society.

The “Time Out” chapter does a great job preparing would-be travelers for their pending lack of privacy and personal space. It also explains how tipping is customarily done on the front end to help make things happen. This is a useful tidbit of knowledge in case you are having trouble getting what you need while traveling. It was interesting to read about the approach of ignoring beggars and how that practice is ingrained with karma. Grihault made a great suggestion to avoid giving money to beggars and instead give small snacks or fruit.

This book also educated readers about the fact that it is illegal to take rupees out of India. This clarifies why you are unable to obtain rupees in America in preparation for your trip. We will all be changing our dollars at the airport, as your arrival serves as the first opportunity to obtain rupees. Encashment receipts are needed to exchange your leftover funds at departures, so it is important to hold on to those.

STRENGTHS

The concise nature of this book is one of its main appeals. Small enough to carry around with you, it makes a great travel companion. It elegantly provides a surface overview of many of the topics that travelers often wonder about and don’t have a resource for. The book is written in simple languages and includes lots of clip art, which is very helpful for image association when learning new terms.

WEAKNESSES

I think that this book would be even more valuable if it had a small set of standard phrases as a glossary in the back. The Hindi words are interspersed throughout the book, so unfortunately, there is no easy way to go back and find the exact word or phrase you are looking for. Such a change would obviously make the book a little bit thicker, but that would be handier than having to purchase and carry around a second book.

The section on religion was great, but it would have been better if it had perhaps a concise chart comparing the various aspects of each of the religions discussed. There are so many dimensions relating to India’s religions that it would be helpful to be able to at a glance compare the main aspects of some of the key beliefs.

CONCLUSION

India is a land of diversity and contrast. This book helps to the reader to sort through the varied experiences that await them in Bhārat. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I found it to be a quick read with lots of great facts and figures. I will definitely keep the “Culture Smart!” series in mind for any future international travels, as it has served me well for preparation for this trip.

Arriving to a new, foreign land with knowledge and information about your destination is the best way to travel. That is not to say that there won’t be surprises along the way, but being informed can enable you to engage more with locals and avoid stress and confusion along the way.