India Without Lies

From the author. India and me
Chapter 1. India is a different world. Shock at first acquaintance
Chapter 2. Can you touch the untouchables?
The caste system of India today
A little theory. What is the caste system
Manifestations of the caste system that have disappeared or changed today
Evidence of the caste system’s existence
Chapter 3. The rich and the poor. India is truly a land of contrasts
About the rich
About the poor
Chapter 4. Indians who can survive in snow, downpours, insect clouds, and the kingdom of dust. A little about climate
Chapter 5. How dirt gets along with cleanliness in India
Chapter 6. Features of the Indian mentality, or What is this Indian—an Indian-Hindu?
Chapter 7. A loyal shadow of your master. The Indian woman in the world of men
We know everything for you
Job description
Men’s and women’s camps
Sari—the best friend of a girl
Entertain yourself
Eye contact is canceled
You and your master
What ignorance is darkness, so learning is darkness
A squirrel in a wheel. Women’s working days in India
Quiet joys of an Indian matron
Chapter 8. You have a merchant—we have goods! How an Indian chooses a husband
When the search for a suitor begins for an Indian bride
Preparation and dowry
For 9 girls, 10 boys
What is most important when choosing a husband for an Indian bride
How the “contest” happens
Chapter 9. Building immunity, independence, and unpretentiousness from childhood
Little Indians
Chapter 10. Small joys and big holidays. How Indians rest
Ganpati Chaturthi festival, or Ganesh’s birthday
Krishna’s birthday (Janmashtami holiday)
Autumn Navaratri, or Durga Puja. Festival
Durga—the Mother Goddesses
Karvachot
Chapter 11. How often should Shiva be worshipped, why you can’t shave on Thursdays, and how much it costs to receive spiritual protection from a snake bite. Hinduism in modern India
Chapter 12. Righteous Indians and harmful habits. Chicken curry, alcohol, cigarettes
Chapter 13. How to eat tasty, filling, and without meat
Indian cuisine
Chapter 14. Indians and yoga
Chapter 15. Ayurveda in the 21st century. How to cure a cough, give birth, and look younger
Chapter 16. More colors, shine, oil. And most importantly—combining the incompatible. Indian fashion
Chapter 17. What always lives in an Indian’s heart
The family house
Chapter 18. White gods or a lower caste? What Indians think about foreigners
Which caste do Indians place foreigners in?
Is it true that foreigners for Indians are on the level of the lowest castes—or practically untouchables?
Is it true that Indians admire white skin?
Why Indians like being friends with foreigners
Why Indians like taking them along to relatives and friends, showing off their acquaintance
Why Indians like posing for photos with foreigners
Is the interest always sincere and friendly?
How do Indians treat foreign/Russian girls?
Do the relatives of the Indian groom rejoice in his marriage to a white woman or feel ashamed of it?
Chapter 19. Tourist India. To go or not to go? Go!
Chapter 20. Pros and cons of living in India permanently, through the eyes of a foreigner