Field notes: India - through its people

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The people shaping India’s future

Most travel articles about India will tell you where to go and what to see: the Taj Mahal at sunrise, a tiger safari in Madhya Pradesh, maybe a Rajasthani fort or two.

But at InsideAsia, we’re interested in more. Not just the photo ops or the top ten sights. But the stories, surprises, and transformations that unfold in front of you, if you take the time out from an itinerary to notice them. Because what makes India extraordinary isn’t just its palaces or mountains. It’s the people shaping its future: in street-side market stalls and megacities, or on trails and temple steps, often in ways that don’t make the headlines.

So, as part of our India research, I went looking. Not for the ‘must-sees’ – but for the lived reality of a country that refuses to stand still. Expectations are quickly overturned here – and the mix of people I met demonstrated the multifaceted, ever-evolving, super-charged sub-continent India is today.

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A country on fast forward

Walking the popular Triund Hill Trek, in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, I expected to pass the odd hiker beside the quiet pine forests and Himalayan views. Home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, I'd imagined peace, solitude, and a long walk above the tree line. And mid-week, that’s what I got. But on weekends, it’s something else entirely: Instagrammers in coordinated trekking gear; Bollywood songs blasting from a Bluetooth speaker, day-trippers posing against the snow-capped backdrop, some, ever so casually, in flipflops.

This isn’t the old image of rural India. And that’s the point.

Walking through a nearby village, my guide paused to point out a group of farmers bringing their harvest in by hand. “This is the last year it will be done this way” he commented. Technology is bringing changes to even the most rural of regions.

And when I asked what was changing beyond the visible, he didn’t mention roads or buildings. He talked about coconut oil.

“You’ll see queues of people for the coconut oil stall in towns and cities, because that’s the latest cooking oil trend. It might be back to ghee next month. Social media is changing what people buy, eat and believe. It’s speeding everything up”.

From the mountain tops to market stall trends – nothing here stands still.

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A billion different ways to live

India is home to 1.4 billion people – that’s an eighth of the world’s total population. And with such density, comes diversity.

In Mumbai, a billionaire’s 27-storey home (complete with three helipads and its own ice cream parlour) stands less than ten miles from the biggest slum in Asia. Along the Ganges, locals bathe and wash clothes, while tourist-filled luxury cruise liners slide past.

And in Kailashpuri village, beside the Eklingji Temple, we drove past a sadhu who’d given up all possessions and spends his days staring at the sun in meditation. “He’s famous,” my driver explained. “That’s how he connects to God.”

But none of this is contrast for contrast’s sake: it’s coexistence. Billionaires and sadhus. Tech-driven trends and spiritual endurance. I saw a man whispering in Nandi's ear – a sacred statue of a bull, believed to bring spoken wishes to Lord Shiva – while filming on his phone.

In India, these identities don’t cancel each other out – they stand side by side. Until you visit yourself, you can’t quite capture just how stark, and intertwined, they are.

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Small places, quiet revolutions

It’s not just the billionaires and big cities that reflect a changing society. Smaller social operations are making a profound difference, too.

In Jodhpur, I spent a day with the women of the Sambhali Trust. Meaning ‘strengthening of the deprived’, Sambhali supports survivors of domestic violence, widows, and LGBTQ+ individuals through handicraft skills training, education and community. Their workshops fit around the busy lives of women, so even if they only have a couple of hours a day to upskill, they can.

The impact of the enterprise is palpable. One woman told me she used her earnings from her own sweet stall to send her daughter to school, despite resistance from her alcoholic husband: “I knew that the money I had earned was mine to give for my daughter’s education – even if my husband disagreed.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon block printing with a group of women. We stamped cloth rhythmically, the patterns gradually forming, and they were generous with their time and stories. As we left, I felt like I’d got to know them on a deeper level – learning about their lives in ways I never could’ve if I’d stuck to the Golden Triangle sites alone.

In Agra, I visited Sheroes Hangout. A warm, defiant space: part cafe, part community hub, it’s entirely owned by the women who work there who’ve survived acid attacks. “We don’t use the word ‘victims’ anymore,” one told me. “We’re survivors. And that mindset is growing, all across India.” We hugged as we said our goodbyes.

Tourists come in for a chai and leave with an understanding: these women are blazing a trail for others – smashing the perception of victimhood.

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Allowing India to unfold

Some of the richest moments weren’t those I expected at all. In Mumbai, I watched a young girl suspend herself in mid-air using only a rope – a practice dating back hundreds of years. Earlier that day, I watched as an early morning flower seller carefully select the marigolds for genda phool – celebratory decorations. And in Varanasi, we popped our heads into a mud wrestling training enclosure, and saw a wrestler return from the Ganges with a pot to water the sacred Tulsi plant – a moment I’d have missed if my guide hadn’t pointed out the significance of the act.

None of these moments were big ticket items on the itinerary. But they’re what stayed with me. India is full of moments like these – as long as you leave room for them.

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You don’t “do” India

In India, people are moving forward in countless different directions. Some are doing it through business and tech, or documenting their mountain climb on social media. Others seek comfort and purpose in devout traditions. For me, most importantly, perhaps, it’s the subtle, yet significant social shifts that collectives like Sambhali Trust and Sheroes are championing – giving space, support and a positive future to people from marginalised backgrounds.

India isn’t something you tick off. You can’t finish it. You can’t see it all – not in one trip, not in ten (just ask Jess!). But you can continue to experience it – and that’s what makes it addictive. It’s not about the distance you cover. It’s about how deeply you notice what’s right in front of you – and engaging with its people is the key to experiencing more.

So, go. Let the itinerary breathe. Ask questions. Sit down for longer than you think you should. Because India will challenge what you think you know. And that’s exactly why it’s worth your time.