The average Indian traveller is perceived to be loud, aggressive and lacking in civic sense and invites hostility. We speak to frequent travellers to get the larger picture
You board an international flight, smile at the thought of a relaxed, well-deserved break and close your eyes as you await take-off. Your peace is shattered in seconds, thanks to a bunch of loud, aggressive co-passengers. From fighting for space to stove their cabin luggage in the overhead compartment to asking for exchange of seats, they literally demand attention. There's no respite from the cacophony until you reach your destination. Sounds familiar? Indian tourists are perceived to be lacking in etiquette, so much so that several travel agencies hand out a list of dos and don'ts along with tour itineraries.
Entrepreneur and frequent traveller Puja Sahney is not surprised. “The behaviour of a section of Indian tourists has come in for criticism in Europe and South East Asia. I have visited Thailand at least seven times and with each visit, I notice how Thai nationals are increasingly hostile towards Indians. We have brought this on ourselves. It's embarrassing when a hotel manager tells you that it takes the house keeping staff 40 to 45 minutes to clean a room vacated by Indians as against 17-20 minutes for others.”
Agrees MNC employee Praveen Kumar and adds, “I have seen fellow passengers steal airline cutlery and even tissues from washrooms. It's embarrassing to say the least. Calling out for the airline stewards instead of sounding the alarm provided shows us in bad light.”
Jumping the queue while waiting for the taxi, taking photographs of women on the beach, littering the streets and fussing over the food served are some of the common complaints. Tour operators also have to deal with the lack of punctuality. Avid traveller and owner of Travel Channel, Shalini Nakanna points out, “Tour operators are sticklers for time. On some occasions, I have seen European tour operators leaving behind a few Indian tourists and moving on with the tour. Knowing Indian tourists, South East Asian nations reluctantly wait during group tours.”
This apart, Puja feels that the lack of etiquette, to a certain extent, stems from the demographic profile of travellers. “It's cost effective to travel to South East Asian nations, Thailand and Malaysia in particular. For some travellers, it's their first international visit and they tend to take the open nature of society in these nations for granted,” she says. The hostility towards Indians in massage parlours, for instance, explains this phenomenon.
If the behaviour of some travellers is painting a dirty picture of Indian tourists as a whole, take heart. We are not alone. In a recent survey done in the US by the online business portal LivingSocial, Americans felt the US traveller tops the list of rude travellers and 20 per cent of respondents admitted to stealing towels in hotels.
Nevertheless, a clean-up act remains high on priority list for the average Indian traveller.
Clean up your act
Talking loudly so as to announce your presence half a mile away is not cool.
At a buffet table, respect the queue and await your turn. Do not eat standing near the buffet.
Don't invite trouble by taking photographs of foreigners sunbathing on a beach.
Don't litter the streets. Use recycle bins.
Leave your hotel room and washroom in a tidy condition. Stealing towels and toiletries show Indian tourists in a deplorable condition.
Keywords: travel tips, Indian travellers, frequent travellers, travel behaviour
We need to consider the article in the right perspective: It has been written with a view to help us introspect and improve, albeit in the context of some uncivilised and uncivic behaviour that has come to be generally attributed to Indians in general, but not just to us, when it comes to the do's and don'ts.
The writer may be of Indian origin or Indian and and civic sense of an Indian citizen is on agenda, so she set about informing and educating us like a Britisher would do in a British publication.
Her intentions are noble and essentially patriotic and please take in that way. Its not a civilised and logical excuse, that if Tom and Dick can do it and get away with it why cannot Harry? It is up to you. If you behave in civilised way its good for you! And do not feel ashamed if your compatriot does something funny in your presence and you think how the others are going to think about you! If they cannot see separate chaff from grain in this assessment exercise, care not and move on!
Let alone in abroad. Indian sub continent people are quite indiscipline. Recently I visited Thirupati, The people over there did not have 1 percent devotion. Every one wants to over smart other. My worst night mare was that.
We should not be so self-critical. Like many above me have observed, it is mainly students, tourists and the 'on-site' crowd that causes 'embarrassment to India and Indians'. The reason is mainly the lack of exposure to other cultures. As time goes by, if they settle down outside India or do more trips outside the country, they will change, adapt and teach their kids what their parents did not teach them for the lack of knowledge or necessity.
Indian traffic gives a glimpse of the society and how do we behave. There is nothing one can do about it as all are busy in excerciing their freedom thanks to Indian democracy & constitution. Politicians and press are above law forget about jumping queue & talking loud.
Educated Indians do not have any etiquette forget about ordinary Indians.
The article is totally anti -Indian and that particular lines of instruction 'Clean up your act' really annoyed me. It's like what are we, some 4 or 5 year old child who doesn't have any sense of so called word 'etiquette'. We Indians are more cultured than any other citizens of other countries and this article is totally unacceptable.
Another point I wanted to make was that of course, its not only most of us Indians, but from my current experience of living in Germany I can say, also the Germans lack in this big time. While in Germany, expect a mob behaviour (extremely loud, lewd comments about football teams) on most trains on Sunday as fans return from stadiums. It is normal by Germans to spread their legs wide and place all their luggage on the 3 out of 4 seats around them. They will only pick up their small bag if one asks them too. They are also the worst starers in the world, right behind the Swedes. However, all this does not sound as bad as the Indians, which I would agree with. Its time for us to clean up our behaviour, during travels abroad and otherwise as well.
The article certainly puts to light what we are mostly lacking in (not only while traveling, but also otherwise). Staring, stealing, lewd comments, 'expecting' supreme service, talking loudly, chewing with our mouth open, breaking queues, not using a deodorant and a chewing gum, all these are basic courtesies which a majority of us lack. However, how to overcome this in our people? The moral education is nowhere to be seen in schools or by parents. Gone is the trend of reading children books like 'nandan' and 'champak' which mostly had stories about moral conduct. A strong establishment of moral education needs to be there which should go hand in hand with 'global etiquette' teaching, in school. IT companies and others, should provide a small 2 hour workshop on basic etiquette and cultural differences to any employee traveling abroad for the first time. More of such articles in newspapers in all languages would have the desired effect as well! We can make this happen.
Wonder why we Indians get so touchy when we learn something critical about us. Why can't we accept that we DO exhibit this nouveau-riche attitude? Do we have to point fingers at others and say, "They do worse .." or "They do the same" etc? I've seen Australians behave very badly in Bali. I have seen whiteys from all parts of the globe embarrass themselves in public, be it in India or in other Asian countries, where, for some reason, they seem to believe the women are 'easy' and that they can get away with ANYthing just because they're white. Yet, i don't harbor any jingoism for India. Most of us (whether we're tourists in a foreign land or settled there) are a culturally poor race with embarrassing manners. Well, sure, there are boors hailing from all countries but the numbers are not as high as Indians. We need to take an honest look at ourselves and change for the better. We have the history and the culture. But we need to incorporate and truly internalize that into our lives.
Also it is about how humility is perceived in our society. In our society,a person who is humble and respectful towards others
is perceived as weak and insecure.Generally Indians doesnot seem to believe that mental strength and success in life can coexit with humility and politeness.Also everytime a celebrity from India is detained in a foreign airport for routine questioning, we make a big fuss about it saying it is racism etc. But
hardly ever we give a thought about how much hate exists with in us,one Indian to another. One region to another, one language to another, one skin color to another, one religion to another, one caste to another.Unfortunately even after so many years of
independance and so much progress,we are not able to leave behind our regional,religious,linguistic,political differences and become Indians to the core.
I think for all this to change,we have to become Indians first.Only this can save our country in the long run.
Having spent some part of my work life in the west as well as in east Asia, I could not agree more with this article.
Also I think the rude behaviour and lack of civility stems from the very nature of our society. As Mr.Rahul rightly commented,we face intense competition in everything.so unless one has political influence or inherited loads of money,aggressiveness is an essential trait even to survive in the Indian society.Recounting some of my own experiences abroad, people never say "Please", are rude to air hostesses and treat them like our own servants, try to jump queues in airports, all these happen fairly often.I was travelling from Malaysia to Bangalore last week and the flight was crowded.One Indian gentleman had comfortably placed his luggage in the overhead bin, and he was not letting anyone keep their luggage close to his saying that his ipad in the luggage will get damaged!Even the flight stewards were not allowed to adjust his luggage so that space could be used better
I can't agree more! Such uncultured behavior is almost always from students and IT onsite crowd. It is a fact that many Indian students don't use deodorants, it is also a fact that we Indians tend to sweat a lot. Many times I was embarrassed by such “stinking” fellow country men in public libraries and trains in Melbourne. Once I was on my way to office on a busy morning train which was crowded with office people. Then this Indian student started chatting up a school girl loudly with silly questions like "Where are you going?” - she was wearing a school uniform!!! & what are your hobbies etc (In this country even druggies don’t try to chat up underage school girls- highly offensive). I wanted the earth to split open and swallow me in!! After 30 minutes of humiliation this chap ended the session with a question “Do you know where I am from?” the girl replied “Sri Lanka?” He said “No, I am from INDIA!!
How RUDE are we? Just look at "India Media", "Indian Press" and "Indian Govt" you will know the truth. If you still do not understand then watch NDTV & CNN-IBN news channel then you will know how RUDE Indian media anchors, then compare with "Fareed Zakaria" on GPS!
India media do not know etiquette, then how do expect the same from public. Who is louder among Sagarika, Sonia, Nidhi, Barkha, Rajdeep, Renuka Chowdhary, Zeinab Badawi(BBC), Fareed Zakaria(CNN)?
Yes, it can be quite embarrassing. However, I think, we do not do it intentionally. As a society, most of us have grown up in a scarce environment and a lot of crowd, having to fight to get into a bus or buy a movie ticket. A bit of cross cultural orientation for both business or pleasure travelers should help. However, there is also a fundamental, 'not following the rule' and 'who will come to know' mentality. I have noticed that, almost always, only when the plane is landing in India, before the seat belt sign is switched off, people start standing up. Getting drunk on air planes is another embarrassment.
In terms of being rude, during a recent visit to Latin America, I observed that several American tourists were outrageously rude with their co-passengers, which to an foreign eye, appeared intentional. But, as a nation, we are so many of us, such things can attract more attention1
Well, I have been living overseas for more than a decade and article highlights nothing new. However, the author had point but the approach lacks common sense. Hence, I would like to moderate the comments including some feedback responses.
1) First of all, these things are NOT limited Indian alone. I saw one foriegner jumping quque in Chennai Airport during m last trip, though I didn't bothered but the Sardarji in front of me questioned him and told him go back! - In India we don't follow these rules so an one expecting them to follow overseas is more than expectation.
2) Talking loud is the rich and famous in India. Perhaps "Saif Ali Khan & Kareena Kapoor" does in style. Have they apologized publicly for the incident? Certainly NOT! Has anyone asked an apology from them? May be not. Has anyone in ashamed of this incident? No one including the culprit bollywood stars! - This is the real India!
I have been in various foreign countries for long time. I think we Indians are not taught many basic mannerisms like "thank you", "please" by parents and in society.
The author and many readers have commented about Indians lack of social habits,
whereas we are perceived as weak in upholding these so called social values we are the greatest in upholding the freedom in our culture and religion. Go to sny country in this world and talk or try to follow a different approach in their religion, at best you will be driven out, a worst you will be killed. All these so called social habits are no more than 100 years old, people who claim to be upholders have been hanging from trees in their own loads for lack of culture.
These rules seems are only for symptomatic correction. Basic problem
lies in our society, where unless you are not loud, you are not heard
of; unless you dont show your aggression, nothing keeps moving as it
should; almost no sex education, high barrier for intermingling with
opposite sex, no wonder people get out of control when they interact
with women of relatively open society. And aren't we people fighting
for an inch of space, be it land or money or education or jobs, we
mostly have to snatch it and cling to it, so same behaviour goes for luggage space in aircarft.
Indians abroad is one thing. Indians in India are even more rude.
At Chennai airport last year, there was a guy who had placed his bags
on the seat next to him. Finding no other seats in the vicinity, I
asked him if he could move the bags so that I could occupy the seat. He
moved 2 of his bags, but left one of them in the corner of the seat. He
expected me to sit in the remaining space!!!
Once when travelling by a night train, my mother and I had lower berths. After I was asleep for a while, I was very annoyed to find a group of men occupying the edge of our berths to play cards. They turned on the lights, and kept talking loudly although everyone else was asleep. In the garb of celebrating Diwali, my neighbours usually wake us up at 3:00 am with loud firecrackers. Not the 1000-wala or 10000-wala, but individual crackers that go off 1 by 1 for the next few hours.
In general, Indians only think about their comfort, their fun. This is
especially true when in groups.
Having lived 55 out of 65 years outside India, I completely agree with this article. The problem is even the so called educated Indians in India do not appreciate the nice things, compassion, etiquettes or fairness. Most of my friends in India are well settled professionals and are well to do. They do not reply or acknowledge an email, return calls or have any basic courtesies. They never ring you unless they want something from you. You ring them, they want to talk to you for hours because they do not foot the bill. They turn up abroad and expect to be treated as VIPs. You go to India, they have no time for you.Most will stoop to any level to save a few pennies. They do not know what shame means. They are loud, arrogant and inconsiderate. They are not house proud and are happy not to maintain buildings in order to save a few rupees.
India may be an evolving economy. It has to learn from countries like Cuba, Vietnam, Dominican republic etc. which are peanuts compared to India!
Absolutely true! Being an Indian, living outside India, it is so embarrassing to see my fellow citizens behave with complete lack of civility. There is also another category of Indian travellers who are claim to be civilized outside India, but go back to the deplorable ways as they return home. Please clean up your act for the outside world, and for the outside people viewing you in your own world.
Great article and very true.
The challenge comes from a dichotomy where we live in one way in India and find the need to temporarily change our etiquette when we visit abroad. This duplicity is not sustainable and the core bad habits manifest. We forget that democracy provides only 1 right...the right to vote. In all other aspects, Democracy gives us the unique opportunity to respect the rights of others :). What is disturbing is that even educated, high income world-traveled Indians appear to have fundamental challenges respecting others in a community.
- The person driving in a Mercedes Benz in India rolls down the window and spits paan out. - The IT professional traveling by plane walks out of the airport and throws the baggage tag on the street. - Observe the mound of chappals outside a person's home! I have asked some of them politely, "If you were in Dubai or Europe or USA, would you behave this way?". Surprisingly, the answer is, "In my India, I will do as I please."
Like some have said above, I think most Indian's on travel behave the save way as they would behave back in India. Rude, loud and being offensive of all sorts. This is however, thought of as normal behaviour by most Indians. And as someone above has pointed out, normal Indians do not have the opportunity to learn otherwise or even experience otherwise. Lucky few are our NRI friends who have spent some years outside India and who have overtime learnt to be different. So while I agree with what the author points out, I am not sure if a list of dos and don'ts are going to make any difference. If these dos and don'ts are strickly enforced (I don't know by whom) then the average Indian on a vacation will have a miserable time. The only way forward is we changing our behaviour here in our day to day life in India. We have to be polite, curtious, leave the place tidy after use and so on. Only then can we hope that our behaviour will be different (better) while on travel.
I think this behaviour is stemming from the fact that we are a populous nation. We have to fight for everything in life - crossing the street, waiting for food at the restaurant, taking a train, applying for a government job, getting to school, nothing is easy - there is a fight for survival among the large mass of people. To give a comparision, look at the people in the USA. There is a wide difference in personality and social behaviour if the person you talk to is from Oklahoma or New York. New Yorkers do not have the time and patience to talk to you, or to help you. But with an Oklahoman, he/she has all the time you need.
Our villagers would behave very well if they get to be on a "foreign" trip.
India has never had the industrial revelution and prosperity to inculcate a civic sense in our population. From the time of birth to their death, Indians are used to strive and grab and fight for their basic rights. When we travel abroad, we show put this adversity on display.
Yes, its embarassing, but also understandable. Indians don't act better - because they have never known to live in a world of plenty - where you don't have to fight for cabin space etc ..
Not only when travwelling but I see that in my daily life in Toronto. People
a) ready to jump queues,
b) talking extremely loud in an indian language,
c) throwing things on the road,
d) cleanliness in terms of personal hygiene,
e) staring down people,
f) asking ppl where are you from/which state/which caste etc.,
g) HUGE TALL POPPY syndrome when they see a fellow Indian. For heavensake I dont understand why?
But, a lot of the above is practiced by immigrant population but the body language that goes with it sends people away from them.
Karthik - I have a romanian colleague. He visited Berlin last year with his kids. One of the kid threw something in the train. Immediately a german guy who was with his father came and said "take it and drop it in a trash". So, germans are consistant with everyone.
I am in agreement with M. Gnanasekaran. Please do not insult all Indians by criticising their lack of etiquette in public. When we were a spiritually developed nation in antiquity, the "civilised Westerners" whom we now adore, were Barbarians. It is true, in the course of history, we have now become an undeveloped, developing country. But, to talk about Thailand and India in the same level, is meaningless and laughable. India, with all her religious, cultural and religious heritage can in no way be compared to other nations. Educated westerners know that with all their material affluence, they can in no way reach the high spiritual standards of India. People whether they are Indian or not, can be rude or nice anytime. Indians may talk loudly, or jump a queue, but we don't go about colonising countries, killing others who are different, sexually molesting children or aggressively polluting the world.
The root cause: Feudal arrogance. Why do Indians break the queue? Because he is not entitled to wait. He has been brought up as the centre of the family.
Why do Indians spit? Because that's out national habit.
Why do Indians talk aloud on phone? Because sometimes the network breaks but still they wants to be heard.
Why do Indians take photographs at waiting lounge? How else will they
show their friends (through facebook) that they were at the airport?
Why do Indians lack punctuality? My friend has a theory: When the
British left India, the north Indians kept their dressing. The South
Indians kept the language and discipline. :)
everyone admits in a proper way. however we are of a nation with a capacity of above 100crore. we have to think how man are frequent travellers to abroad, what is the percentage of them? etiquette depends upon the one who is performing. we the people of india know how to behave ourselves, which makes so many countries to adopt some of our cultures and heritage. i wish all would have understand the things happening.
I agree that it is true. I have seen many indians do the same.
As an Indian, I want to tell everyone please clean up your act.
One has to admit that in India, it is a daily habit of people to do what they are loathed for doing abroad(considering only loud behavior). But it should also be considered that these are mannerisms that we are used to doing all our life. More importantly we are not doing it deliberately compared to wetern tourists. We all have our ways and should learn to mutually respect the same. Some amount of civil behavior should always come by as handy.
I have to say, those who criticise the author are in denial or haven't seen these kinf of behaviour. I migrated to UK in 2002, 10 years on I now realise how some of my behaviour in the early years would have been so stupid. Lot of people mentioned British/German tourists being rowdy and aggressive when drunk. Atleast they are, only when drunk.
Just want to share incidents with you... yesterday I have seen a German family fighting with Apartment owner to cancel 3 months of contract as they were unable to bear the smell of spices. An Indian family residing beside them use to open door while cooking and make notice at night. Once I was travelling to Berlin with my friends. One of my friends played a song in the train though I told him not to do so. He got badly scolded by a German couple.
There are always European kids and young people making noise but we can’t just follow them. May be its also irritating for European the same way but they can’t abuse all fellow Europeans cause he or she is one of them.
I accept the fact that the author has provided. But it is even more concerning to see people comment saying, British / Germans / Americans are even worse. It only shows that we do not learn from our mistakes, but instead try to argue why we are such a bunch of illiterates when it comes to manners. The concern of the author here is that we, in India do not even have a proper system to teach our future generations about public manners.
There are rude tourists everywhere, and thanks to cheap flights their numbers
have soared. The Western tourist is often also very rude. The only people as a
group that I have found relatively civilized would be Japanese or Koreans. Regardless of nationality or ethnicity, the simple point is that one ought to be civilized and decent in behavior when one is not at home. While there may be problems due to Indians not being familiar with the way things work abroad, it cannot be used as an excuse. When in doubt, one should look at how the others act and behave and use that as a guideline, or as a last resort, ask.
What puzzyles me is that many people in their comments have defended such behaviour by justyfying that others too do it. WHAT A SHAME.
This is not always true. European tourists are more rude in behaviour compared to other countries. We Indian's should not take the etiquette of what foreigner's do. I have seen people spitting inside US buses, Youngsters used to laugh at and make loud nasty conversation including bad languages. We think we are bad, but that is just simple as saying that "the other island is greener". Article like this just make ourself feel inferior and make others feel that India is still a dark world. Many American's ask even today whether we have credit cards, Bikes, Mobile phones etc in India. This is bad. We have a very good Cultural history. Humans are all the same, but it depends on how we see them that really matters. Bias is still there in western and European nations, and it is still unfair to just blame our nation for everything.
The reason - An intense self-centeredness.
I find this trait not only among many Indians who travel abroad
but also in Indians all around me, and expressed everyday, when I drive through traffic, when I stand in queues, when I have to listen to ring-tones and people answering calls in movie theaters, when I see people grease the palm of the restaurant manager to jump the line, when people park where ever it is convenient to them, when people switch on their phones while the aircraft is landing and so on and on and on.I think that a sign of a cultured mind, Indian or otherwise, is one that is able to think beyond one own self and take into
account the emotions of those around and of society at large.
The author admits that 20% rude people are from US(Survey). Just travel in Dresden, Germany on any Friday night after 9.00pm in local trams. You can see how their own citizens' behaviour. Many girls and guys drink alcohol and leave the bottle inside the tram. They are not supposed to eat ice cream inside the tram or bus. Many cigarette buds you can see. They tease and sometimes misbehave with Indian girls. Travelled in UK and found school going boys and girls behave like animals at public places. Littreally playing with genitals when there many others in the sorrounding. A person about 45-50 years old taking bath in nude state where there was a exhibition for kids in Dresden, Germany. Many foreigners do lip kissing in the woership places in India. Have you not heard of it?
I totally agree with Praneeth. Whatever first time Indian visitors do in a foreign nation is out of excitement. It is another thing that our way of expressing ourselves is a bit loud but that's the way to enjoy. You cannot simply smile in excitement. In our culture it is considered bad to dress scantily but do foreigners agree. They roam around India in mini's and see throughs. Is this ettiquette?
A good article. Some follow the etiquette, but some behave in way as though they have just stepped into the foreign place and they show off...
All that the author worte about indian turists are correct. Monash university, in Melbourne, has got two cafeterias. One is common for every one and the other one is dedicated for south east asian students(read Indian).When I asked the manager as why this is so
the answer was that the indian students are very loud and don't leave the tables even long after they had their food.This put other students in great inconvenience as they get only a short break for lunch.
The next indian phenominon is staring at strangers. Indians,generally don't understand that in some cultures staring is considered as an invasion of one's privacy .To add to that is their bad behaviour in public transport system, like passing lewid remarks at the white girls and lound talking with their foot on the opposite seat.They dont smile or say please and thank you while dealing with others.As individuals,Indians are very nice and amicable people but when they are in a group they generally tend to behave badly.
The arrogant behavior emanates from a class concept that, once one pays for the service one expects the providers to be their servants! The behavior and relationship also goes with it. Talking loud is a cultural norm that one has at home and they just continue with it without realizing that other countries have different norms. Tour and travel is a new rich peoples' activity and they have not matured into the process just yet. Jumping the queue, littering and not being punctual, taking photos without taking permission are all extensions of the behavior they are used to at home, and curiously they tend to associate it with 'smartness'! Time to change and become civilized before they call the tribe cavemen and treat us like one!!
A few years back on a trip to Bangkok I had the misfortune of
being seated next to group of misbehaving Indians and I cannot
recall being more ashamed of my identity as an Indian. They were all grown men, presumably family-men with grown up children back home, in front of whom they wouldn't dare behave like they did on that day. But I don't know what happens when a bunch of friends get together; a mob psychology takes over and suddenly they have this childish and mischievous twinkle in their eyes, constantly come up with lewd one-liners and wisecracks aimed at provoking uncontrollable giggles among themselves. And when they started serving the alcohol, their behavior got out of hand. Some of them started pinching those mini-bottles off the trolley when the hostess wasn't looking and when one of them started touching the hostess asking for one more bottle, she gave him an earful. Meanwhile, I was squirming in my seat.
It is not only the first time travellers lack etiquette. If it is anything first time travellers are somewhat shy and reluctant. Frequent travellers are the worst. Once our guys get to know the nature of environment, the indian mind of "taking advantage" kicks in, also we have the "to the hell with it, i have paid so much money to be here, i will do what i wish" kindda attitude.
Try to say something to such people, the answer is curt "I am able to do it, you do it if you can do it, don't tell me not to do it".
I think it is quite difficult to get change the attitude of such grown ups. Just providing them with just do and don't wont work. Etiquetee,social manners,behaving in public should be taught to people when they are young and should be grown up with that mindset.
I must confess that in India the parenting is not done properly. We are responsible for what our children will be and who are the future citizens of our country. Others do not like us because we are loud, harsh and have no manners. We for example never correct any one who is doing a wrong. When people spit on the road, we just ignore it. We should punish or atleast make that person feel ashamed that he did spit on the pavement or road. Many things are learnt by looking and observing others. But most of us have blind eyes for such things and do not want to learn good things. I do not think we will improve even after another hundred years. I find that our younger generation have no ethics or respect for our own parents. How can any one expect that we will improve. No way.
A must read for IT techies who are taking their first flights to abroad.
But these bad practices are found not only with Indian tourists. There
are incidents such as foreign tourists taking photographs of Indian
women taking a holy-bath at the ghats of Varanashi. When we visit places
and meet people of different cultures, it is compulsory to understand
and respect their sentiments and their lifestyle.
Whatever is mentioned is true but it is the behaviour of people from certain States and the others find it also unbearable. Yes we talk too loudly and we must accept it. We should not make comparison with others but we must improve. Even a psychatrists say "never compare your children with other children. It is the parents to be blamed for the tantrums of children"
Yes, the average Indian traveler is loud, uncivil and aggressive. As a regular traveler, I experienced this almost all the time. You are not assured of decent travel even in a 2nd AC coach. The software-MNC-business buffaloes are everywhere. But then, may be this is normal as a society goes through the adolescent stage in affluence.
A well written article on touring etiquette.
The gist of the article, although not totally, but to a maximum
extent appears to be a result of cultural bias against one's own
culture under the shade of westernization. The average Indian is
seasoned to be loud, taught to be aggressive, jubilant and noisy.
After all, that is how an average Indian, yet to be engulfed by
"western etiquette", is seen enjoying his tours, festivals, picnics
and so on. You just can't deny this. Visit a college or school bus on
a trip, travel with bunch of families on their way to 'vanamahotsav'
or a tour bus, you will find it. That is a typical Indian
rejuvenation. However, the article throws light on the fact - "when in
rome do as the romans do" and the numerous acts of 'vandalism' of
Indian tourists and travellers which can't be shed off citing cultural
differences. The acts of cleanliness, respecting others' privacy and
self -integrity can't be challenged. Hence, the author is partially
correct in her perception and presentation of the issues.
Bad on Indians, but good to know the fact.
This habit of displaying no manners or civic sense, talking loudly and disturbing others, encroaching into others space and privacy, intentionally been rude and arrogant are attitudes us Indians display towards each other while we are in India so much so most of us live under the wrong assumption this is a 'natural and normal' way to behave in everyday life that we carry this attitude and behaviour [inbuilt in us] when we travel abroad and show it to others and in process give a bad impression about us to tourists in other countries! All of this will only give a bad impression about us Indians in the global place and finally we will emerge us the laughing stock amongst all tourists that one day some tourist spots will display signboards such as -WARNING - Rude arrogant loud talking Indian tourists in the prowl, be on your guard!
To a certain extent i do agree on this article but not entirely.
I believe such characters do exist in all possible aggresive societies. have you ever seen travellers from china behave in some places.. they are equally disliked at many locations for their loud,bargaining etc kind of behaviour.
Well i have seen this often if the crowd Gujarati family wow.. it is definitely noisy not nescessary be it abroad but have seen this a lot in Bombay itself. In Thailand, Indians are detested it is true.But it is not something new it has been known for 20 years or more also due to the indian population settled there as well as THAIS are known to be rude people. A reason cited by my British friend was "THEY WERE NEVER COLONISED" much to my frown ;)....so Thais are in general rude to any foreigner.Regarding stealing cutlery and tissue , who says its Indians alone i have seen people from all over world doing it.I think the article is confused between first time excited traveller and a frequent trvlr
I agree with the author and have seen the rude and totally unacceptable behavior that charecterises the traveler from the sub-continent. I would like to add a few more of the annoying habits - It's the way they stand and queue up the second after the plane lands to get out, how they take advantage of family with little children board first policy by claiming that their teenage boy is a child, how they have one too many hand luggage and theirs as well as your overhead space, how they find even the silliest places worth being photographed at, including the waiting lounge unmindful of how it bothers others sitting near them.
I do agree that Indians can be annoying, but would certainly add that it's not unique to us. People of other nationality are not exemplary in their behavior either. I have seen some worse examples from others too and it is better that none of us develop a 'holier than thou' attitude.
Do agree somewhat with the article but having lived abroad for last 13 years, there is a significant stereotype assumed about Indians. Travelling on Air France a few times between India-Paris, I have seen food trays sitting on seats as soon as you board the flight from Delhi. We were supposed to hold them while ascending. Indians are quick learners however how openly we react to things which might come across as rude is different than subtle rudeness/sarcasm of others which is more euphemistic. There is no evidence or mention of whether majority of Indians are rude or whether the percentage of rude group out of the total people travelling is any different than other nationalities' statistics. Anti-indian article; should have been more subtle to reflect how to improve/self motivate. How rude are we, compared to what; ridiculous. A rude article, needs cleanup.
In India people are used to living with garbage heaps, dust all around,
broken roads, always honking cars, cows on streets, apathy towards
pedestrian, uncovered drains/manholes, beggars, and much more. Habits
arising out of such environment do not go away just for the sake of a
foreign trip. So it is much deeper problem of discipline and hygiene
with Indians.
Let me add another classic one, STARING. Most of them open their eyes in SUPER WIDE mode, fixed and locked on the target person, so as to carry out whole body Xray. Not only young ones but all ages.
I am a Canadian citizen of Indian origin living in this beautiful country of Canada for the last 46 years. I have done quite a few trips to India over the period of years and I tend to agree with the author of this article. It is indeed a shame that East Indians behave like this while abroad. I am so fed up with this queue jumping habit of a lot of them. It makes me sick. All these guys seem to be well educated but absolutely no class. In my last visit to Chennai, Bangalore, New Delhi, I had to go the police personnel standing guard and complain about a whole family breaking a an orderly queue in Chennai airport. Fortunately for me, the lady officer ordered the family to the back of the queue. Blowing cigarette smoke to one's face, spitting everywhere, loud conversations, putting your legs where it does not belong; I can keep going. I wonder when these people will get enough civic sense to learn some basics in human behavior.
As an NRI I have to agree. Many of the Indian tourists are young. Once on bus from Toronto to New York, two Indian boys got on in Syracuse. Some twenty passengers were sleeping as we had been on this bus for many hours. They got out their cell-phones and kept yammering on about nothing to their friends back home without regard for the other passengers. Also some do not use deodorant. Spicy food and a hot day makes young Indian men stink.
I completely agree that we Indians lack basic decency even in India, let alone traveling abroad. I've experienced myself this loud groups of Indian employees/students in London Tube, New York Subway, in my office kitchen & everywhere else. We don't even display basic courtesy in office environment also. When there is more than one Indian the language for communication is Hindi/Tamil/Telugu completely ignoring the presence of Non-Hindi/Tamil/Telugu speaker. We are loud too, loud enough to disturb every one in office.
No wonder why Indians are hated in every corner of the world. It's us who caused this mess with our mindless & arrogant behavior.
I think you have not been to Europe and seen the alarming mess British
and German tourists perpetuate wherever they go. Especially, as part
of HEN and STAG parties. Nowadays, it is even common for them to get
cheap all-in-one package for South east Asian countries, where they
carry on with their wild alcohol and drug abuse. Have you not heard of
people hallucinating on magic mushrooms, puking everywhere on streets,
excreting in their hotel rooms and sometimes even dying in the
notorious blue moon parties of Thailand? I have been to eastern Europe
several times, and natives loathe the presence of rowdy Britishers and
German. Of course, not every British/German traveller is the same. The
points that you made at the end of the article applies to everybody. I
am sure you are even unaware of Western/ Japanese people clicking
merrily the way through poor people's misery & suffering for their
exotic FB pics on Indian streets. You should concentrate on writing
backed by objective evidence!
i agree with some of these points made here, havign experienced it myself .However i also would like to add that if you come to a place like thiruvannamalai,tamilnadu you can see even more rude westerners,.Many of them have sense of entitlement and treat us the locals badly.Additionally our own respect for 'white skin' makes us very serville.During season that is september till march every year it is nuisance for the rest of us who are residents there in thiruvannamalai because it is one of the spiritual shopping centres.SOMETIME ago I stepped inside a highwalled property by mistake not realising who the owner was, and soon enough a westerner cameup to me and ordered me out saying'you have to get off my property'. A foreigner who does realstate business (!) there being white was allowed in and the same person came to me and told that 'he doesnot like indians;.I am not sure what he was doing here then.I wouldnot be furious if he had a legal right to own property.
Thanks for your rules to enjoy a tour.
Excellent article. I have been traveling outside India for the past 17 years and I have experienced many embarrassing moments thanks to the behavior of my fellow countrymen. But I have also seen things improve in the past decade. Indians are learning gradually that they need to wait their turn, respect queues, respect personal space and not make a mess - especially in the toilets. It is unfortunate that what is second nature to citizens of most civilized nations need to be spelled out for Indians. When you grow up in India, you take it for granted that any rule is just a suggestion - you can break it and get away with it. Not so outside India. No Outside Food allowed means don't open your tiffin boxes. When you use the hotel swimming pool, don't jump in with your underwear. Unfortunately, education does not seem to have much bearing on the behavior. The only reason they put up with us is the money.
Well said,. It it time that someone has written about it.
Also, I have seen ppl askign for alcohol many times in international flight just because it is free...
This is true! I have to agree that many Indian travellers are so loud
that they think the Airport, shopping mall or whichever place they are
in is their personal living room.
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