Customer Reviews

Culture Smart! India: A Quick Guide to Customs & Etiquette

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the kind of book every first-time traveler to India needs! It is short and to-the-point, and gives a very concise guide to customs and etiquette that is required learning for Westerners. Other version of the Culture Smart series are available, so if you're traveling outside the U.S., be sure to get one of these incredibly handy guides. These books are small enough to take with you to for a quick refresher course, too!

I find this book very informative and a quick reference for Indian customs. Although, you cannot touch on every aspect of a culture in a small handbook, the author has taken great pains to explain ways and means. The only caveat to avoid faux paus is to actually memorize the customs before you visit.

I agree with the other reviewers, but I wanted to let readers know that much of this book is repeated, verbatim, in __Customs & Etiquette Of India (Simple Guides Customs & Etiquette)__ by Venika Kingsland. (Not sure who plagiarized whom...) Culturesmart India is worth the extra few dollars.

I bought this guide because I think it is important to know something about a country's customs and etiquette practices before traveling there so one can be respectful of the country and its people. This book summarizes the customs and etiquette practices in an easy to use format and is also small enough to fit in your suitcase or to carry with you on your person.

I bought this book with the anticipation of eventually going to India but more so to better understand my Indian in laws. I always felt like there was something I was missing when my husband and I would visit his family. This book explained a few etiquette questions that I had. It's a good starter book but there is always room for improvement.

India is a culture that is far outside the understanding of most westerners. This book was easy to read and understand and DEFINITELY helped us to respond, behave and act properly in a very foreign land.
The book is direct, concise and well written. We would recommend this to anyone visiting a culture that will appreciate the effort not to offend.
This book was really A+_.

I purchased this book for my brother and sister-in-law who were preparing for an extended stay in India. They were very appreciative when I gave it to them, and they proceeded to read and study before their trip. Both agreed, when they came back, that this cultural guide is one of the best because of its clear and concise style and organization. They appreciated the straight-forward and complete details which proved to make their stay in India more comfortable and less stressful. The book proved to be an essential reference during their trip.

I will be going on a mission trip this fall and wanted something that would give me useful information - this did the job!

This book is a fantastic reference to anyone who is doing business with India either as a buyer or a provider. It gives comprehensive information about the country and its culture and should be an always-in-hand guide.

I am preparing for my first trip to India. I purchased this book along with the Lonely Planet guides to India and Rajasthan. I must say that this book doesn't really give that much more by way of guidance than your basic wikipedia article or the section on etiquette in the LP guide. Most of the book consists in glosses on Indian religion, politics, and culture. While there is worthwhile advice to be found in this book, I do not recommend it as a way to understand Indian culture or to follow Indian norms. In both this book falls short. Instead, this is "India for Idiots", a banal and trifling discussion of the most basic Indian practices ('don't shake with your left hand, bring toilet paper and other boring suggestions are everywhere in this book).

If you want a rough guide, use the web. Forums like IndiaMike provide more in-depth advice about Indian customs than books like this.