COLOURS OF INDIA:Historic buildings glimmer above Udaipur's romantic lake (above), a red-robed Buddhist monk steps out of Leh Palace (left), while (right) a Rajasthani cameleer leads his animals over the dunes. The desert is in stark contrast to the Himalayan peaks (lower right) that guard the north,
INDIA is one of those names that rolls effortlessly off the tongue. Everyone knows someone who has trudged its wilderness, gorged on its spices, choked on the fumes, ridden the rails, ogled its temples, marvelled at palaces and returned with a tale of epochal adventure, quite unlike the pedestrian shoebox five megapixel trivia of modern travel.
Everyone claims a musty uncle from the Raj, an aunt who married a maharajah, a son lost to The Beatles and contorting maharishis and, perhaps, more lately, a chat with a bloke in a backroom office in Bangalore who had a Scottish accent. There is nothing pedestrian about the experience. Incredible India it is. The place is a headrush of legend, history, dust, cows, charlatans, wildlife, heritage,
heaving airports and bawling infants. Yes, India rolls effortlessly off the tongue. But it takes more than a fair bit of effort to visit – or indeed, comprehend. Imagine a country the size of Europe, with several languages and scripts, a torrent of diverse cultures, harbouring the world’s highest peaks, verdant Alpine valleys, expanses of shimmering desert, vast plains, forests, and tropical beaches lapped by azure waters. Then imagine a nation of over one billion people all nodding their head to say yes, or was it a no…
With every State a complete destination, India is best done in bite-size morsels. Pick a theme, or a region. Negotiate the airport scrum at 2am and the rest is a doddle. Put away your watch. This is Indian Standard Time at its serene best. It’s the way history was meant to be savoured, timelessly.
INDIA is one of those names that rolls effortlessly off the tongue. Everyone knows someone who has trudged its wilderness, gorged on its spices, choked on the fumes, ridden the rails, ogled its temples, marvelled at palaces and returned with a tale of epochal adventure, quite unlike the pedestrian shoebox five megapixel trivia of modern travel. 
