Think of India and what comes to mind? Elephants? Maharajas? The Taj Mahal? Heat and dust? Indira Gandhi? Bollywood? Stomachache? Beaches and Temples...? India has it all. Even to travel one hundred miles can be like crossing an international boundary. The language will be different. The food new and surprising. The roads blacktopped or sprinkled with potholes. Whatever you say about India, somebody will prove you wrong because this ancient country is where contradictions began. For every DO there is a DON'T. And when we tell you Don't wear black to a wedding the fashionistas will be head to toe in black and sequins at the 's most chic weddings.
　  And if you think India still lives in the dark ages, think again. It provides computer software to the world. Regularly wins international cricket and hockey matches. Has an economy growing at a faster rate than yours. Holds peaceful elections for half a billion or more voters. And has some of the best universities and research institutes in the world.
　  But it can also be maddening for the unsavvy visitor. Fiery curries, bed-tea, feeding the monkeys, paying a taxi fare... such are the stumbling blocks for visitors unless of course you've read the sound advice provided in this latest addition to the dos&don'ts series. How should you be dressed when your bed-tea arrives at the crack of down? And when the taxi driver demands you pay 12 times the fare on the meter, do you lose your cool? Not if you've read our advice to calmly ask for the 'fare conversion chart'. The mystery that is India is unlocked in this lavishly illustrated, comprehensive guide to doing the right thing in this fabulous country. Can you ask somebody his or her caste? Wear bermudas in public? Kiss your boyfriend at the bus stop? Eat at a roadside mobile kitchen? DON'T be offended by personal questions such as 'how old are you?' or 'Why aren't you married?' They're asked out of interest and are considered rude. DO be assured that you can ask these questions too. DON'T be startled if Happy and Pinky and Bubbles and Snoopy are actually huge, burly, turbaned Sikhs. Indians love their nicknames.
　  DON'T step out of your house in a group of three. The work will not get done. Want to know what happens if you don't let the eunuchs bless your child? Then DO buy this book!