India - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

India is in transition. Since the publication of Culture Smart’s first guide to India in 2003, it has been transformed from a developing, third-world country into the world’s fastest growing economy. Today, a huge, confident, emerging middle class is exporting technology, brains, and enterprise to the rest of the world. At the same time, young Indians educated abroad are returning home to take advantage of the new opportunities, bringing Western expectations and lifestyles with them. The impact of all this wealth-creation, modernity, and individualism on the timeless values and ancient caste structures of India is beginning to be felt well beyond the great cities, adding yet another facet to the giant kaleidoscope of Indian society.
 
This completely new and up-to-date volume by American author Becky Stephen is unrivalled. It highlights the many subtle and not so subtle changes that are taking place in Indian society, describes and explains those areas of life where traditional attitudes and practices continue to prevail, and offers original insights, practical tips, and vital human information to guide you through the pitfalls and delights of this complex, vibrant, and increasingly important country.