Customer Reviews

Culture Shock! India (Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book approximately a month before going to India on business. Although this added to my already growing excitement, I found that this book was really geared more toward one who was either going to be casually traveling or living there on a permanent basis.

I found that I was not at all prepared for what India had to offer - now, that wasn't because I hadn't done enough research, rather because of the random and chaotic nature of where I was located.

Pros: The first few chapters go into topics such as political history, represented religions, holidays, festivals, and other good things to know. The author then takes us through setting up a household, to having servants, how dinner parties are organized and executed, and other feasibly useful information.

Cons: Although this is written by an Indian person, the information within is simply given without explanation. I didn't learn why some of the comments made in the book were true until I had been there for a while, and I didn't realize how classist some of the situations presented were until I had experienced the situation myself.

If you are looking to learn of practical things to do, ways to get around, and what to probably really expect once you step off of the plane on your first visit, I would suggest a travel book such as Lonely Planet, or Fodors.

This book is worth reading, but don't expect this to be your only guide.

I'll be brief, so as not to echo others' comments. Preparing for a six month stint in India for business, I was unsatisfied after reading other "guide" books. Looking for something more than a history lesson and hot spot list, I reached for Culture Shock!. This book details subtle nuances that exist between US and Indian cultures. Great read and highly recommended!

This book brought me interesting thoughts about India; both nostalgic and humorous. The book is written with a view to satisfy a female traveller, but it does not make much generalizations in this aspect. Even though a person living in India might feel this book paints a distorted view, anyone who has seen the world outside India will find this book more entertaining and useful.
This is not considered as a tour guide for a person who is just passing through the airports. If you ever thought India is just like what you see in Jackson heights (N.Y.) or Devon St (Chicago) or as in the movie "City of Joy", you are mistaken . Nowhere in the world you could see people living with contrasting environments and outlook of life, sharing a wall between 19th and 20th (21st?) century at the same moment.
Gitanjali Kolanad introduces some assumptions as to why the Indian life is so contradictory in many aspects. The author provides a brief, but well narrated history of this south Asian region and tries to analyze the origin of the social heirarchy,the division of labour and the attitudes of Indians to these.
This book is an honest oversimplification of the problems a foreigner will face and the author gives some valuable advice and certain quick fixes. I would say you need an open mind and this book before you start your passage to India.

I read this book before my first visit to India, and found it to be fascinating. I also found it to be extremely helpful. India's culture is "shockingly" different from my own, and it is essential for any traveller to prepare. I read the book again before my second trip to India, and will before any future trips. It's simply invaluable. I regularly recommend the entire series, although I didn't find the book about Mexico to be quite as wonderful as this...

For business travel in India and general cultrual acclimation, this is the most helpful guide that I was able to find. I lived in India for the better part of the year, and of all the books I found, this one is the best "preparation" for the experience.

Although this is the first book I've read on Indian culture, I think it would be difficult to find another book written with such detail about so many aspects of Indian culture as Kolanad's does. Her insight into how Westerners think is invaluable as she herself grew up in a Western society for part of her life. Being Indian, she gives authority to what she writes. I truly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in Indian customs and etiquette.

Like all books in the series, this book is a must-have for anyone living abroad. We suggest this book to every ex-patriate coming to India.

I had ordered this book in an attempt to get a better understanding of the perspectives of a large group of Indian fellows that I work with. I think the book fit the bill very well. It was also an overall interesting and entertaining book to read.

This book is must reading for anyone travelling to India. I just returned from a visit with a family in Punjab. I read the book before and during the flight to India. I know I would not have enjoyed the visit nearly as much without having read this book.

As a Westerner having already visited to India for some time (and who would like to go again), I found this book to be extremely accurate in its detailed descriptions of the many cultures and customs of this facinating country. I also learned some more things here that I didn't know the first time around, and found it very helpful and entertaining as well.

Although anyone would be very hard pressed to cover the immense complexities of this country, I think the author did a very good job, and should be a must read for anyone going for the first time, along with a "quicky" travel guide book of specific places to go and see.

The only problem I had with the book were in certain parts where she put down some of the religious beliefs and their followers, disregarding the validity and meaning they may hold for those that follow them, with little jabs at the end of each paragraph. It seemed obnoxious, judgmental and opinionated, as if she assumed her view was the only one worth considering. A real turn-off. A little more broadmindedness would have been more enriching.

Other than that, I thought the book was quite good, detailed and well written. Highly recommended.