living in India

[luigee]

hello,

 

lately, I've been getting an urge to go and live in India for a while. However, I'm not familiar with how the process works. I'm an american citizen (born and raised in sunny california). How can I go about living in India and If i like, apply for citizenship If I fall in love with the country???

 

Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

 

luigee

[karthik_v]

Hari Bol,

 

The ideal person who can guide you is Shri. J N Das, a young American who has chosen India as his home and serves Krishna. He is the moderator of this forum and you can email him.

 

I am from Chennai, India, now in the USA and I can say a few things. Even major cities in India are inexpensive. So, with a little bit of savings in US $ you can live comfortably there. Infrastructure may be of initial concern to you, as will be civic hygiene and pollution, but you get used to them.

 

I assume that your prime attraction is spiritual pursuit and the temples there. If so, you won't be disappointed at all. First talk to a knowledgeable person like J N Das, so you are fully informed.

 

India has very good hospitals and a vast English speaking population. Also, transportation is very cheap. People are friendly, though you are likely to be cheated by cab drivers. So, your first impression after getting off the plane won't be pleasant. The customs are also corrupt. The climate can get hotter in summer. North has 3 seasons - summer, winter, monsoon. South has 2 seasons - summer, monsoon, but is very humid.

 

Normally, you get a 5 year visa, if you are going there for religious reasons. I think you should state that you are going to study scriptures. I don't know if you can become an Indian citizen, just by falling in love with India. Sure you can, if you fall in love with an Indian girl. But, now India is offering dual citizenship to India born American citizens. If the USA responds, which is likely, Americans too may be able to get dual Indian citizenship in the near future. Time is a bit relative in India, so near future means about 10 years.

 

hope that helps.

[luigee]

thanks Karthik_v,

 

I really appreciate your help. I'll definitely email J N Das as soon as possible.

 

Thanks for all your input. And yes, My quest is a spiritual one. However, I've always had a fascination with the Hindu culture and people years before I decided to explore Hinduism as a religion. I guess my quest is a mixture of many things.

 

Also, I do hope that America agrees to a dual citizenship - I would love to be a citizen of India and of American.

 

Luigee

[karthik_v]

Dear Luigee,

 

Since you mentioned that your quest is partly spiritual, a nice way of getting a 5 year visa will be by joining a course in Sanskrit. This helps you learn the language in which many Hindu treatises are written. I think the government of India grants 5 year visa to those who want to learn through some religious organisations as well and ISKCON is one of them. Some of the prominent places in India which you can think of from a spiritual/learning perspective are:

 

Kashi [benaras], Vrindavan, Rshikesh, Mayapur, Kanchipuram, Srirangam, Tirupati etc..

[dasa]

I would recomend that for your first visit there you pick a place where there is a large community of western devotees. Mainly Vrindavan or Mayapur, at the Iskcon pojects you will have a lot of association and be around many people who have already done what you hope to do. There are modern inexpensive guests house to stay in while you are there. The first time it would be better to travel there with some one. If there is an Iskcon temple near where you live, i would recomend seeing if you could travel with some one when they go. It is much easier to get a 6 months visa (it's almost automatic) for your first visit.

[karthik_v]

Dear Luigee,

 

What Dasa Prabhu has said is very correct. That way you can get acclimatised. Perhaps, you can take a 6 month visa and go to Mayapur or Vrindavan and stay in ISKCON guesthouse. You can also spend those 6 months travelling across the country visiting the many holy places. That way you will have some idea as to where you want to live ultimately. There are over 100 Vaishnava temples alone that are called divya shetras. They are scatterd all over from the Himalayas to Tamilnadu. In addition there are also many holy places dedicated to Lord Shiva. So, a travel is a very rewarding exerience. There are many ISKCON devotees from the USA who travel regularly that way. I understand that you live in the SF bay area. If so, I can introduce you to some western devotee with whom you can talk face to face.

[Krsnacandra dasa]

I don't think that it's necessary to live in a place with lots of western devotees. I've been to some places in South India where they haven't seen a caucasian in decades, and the hospitality in many cases was much better than in areas with a sizable western devotee population. If you're open to the idea of learning Hindi (start learning now!!!), you don't have to stick to a place where there are lots of westerners.

[karthik_v]

Krsnacandra dasa Prabhu,

 

You are correct. Often, being in a place without many western devotees is a learning experience in itself, though initially it requires flexibility. In fact, if Luigi is thinking of living down south in a place like Sri Rangam or Madras, perhaps learning Hindi is also not needed. He can do well with English. I was suggesting a place with some western devotees only to avoid initial culture shock. When you live in the USA, you are accustomed to many things like wearing shoes at home, using toilet rolls, using left hand for eating, self-serving while eating etc., which are often forbidden in an orthodox Indian household. So, I thought that some association with western devotees will help.

[Krsnacandra dasa]

Karthik Prabhu,

 

Dandavats. Thank you for your insightful posts about life in India.

 

[This message has been edited by Krsnacandra dasa (edited 03-27-2002).]

[luigee]

thank you all for all your information. It has definitely given me a lot to think about. I will definitely do my research and think about what exactly I want to do. I probably will go the route of learning Sanskrit as a way to get a visa - learning Sanskrit is something I always wanted to do, so this gives me an extra push to finally do it.

 

I will save these posts on my computer and refer to them as needed..

 

thanks again,

 

luigee