What kind of questions can you expect to be asked by the average person in India?

As a person who has lived in India for almost 2 decades, I have heard a lot of odd questions and underlying assumptions about foreigners. Hear my reaction to the top 5 overly personal questions, invasive or just plain strange questions I get asked regularly in India.

Does India seem intimidating? Are you afraid you'll do something which may offend people when you visit? Or even if you attend an Indian function outside of India, what do you do?

In this episode, Jessica shares a number of stupid things she did and mistakes she has made over the years, with humor and lessons attached.

She also talks a fair amount about overcoming a white saviorism mentality and learning to take a back seat to Indian leadership.

Additional Resources:

We also had a mic malfunction for part of the episode. Apologize for some muffled sound in the middle.

Is India safe for foreign travelers? I believe that in 95% of situations, having the right skills and language will help you get out of sketchy situations. 

But how?

With most Hindi travel guides out there, the book is going to teach "Namaste, Mera naam Jessica hai. Aap kaise hain? Aapka naam kya hai?" While these are not bad things to learn, but actually not that important if you’re just trying to survive in India.

But what are the things you need to know? How to book a taxi and how to give directions to an Uber coming to pick you up. How to get out of an uncomfortable situation, how to negotiate or count money. How to tell someone to leave you alone!

In this podcast, we talk about how to get out of situations:

-how to get around by taxi, auto, train and airplane -negotiation strategies and vocab

-how to get out of compromising/scary situations

-managing money, counting and smart ways to manage payments.

This is a segment from "Travel Hindi You Will Actually Use" - a 10 part course which will teach you all this and more!

See the Video version of this episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/670cSlPHHm8

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Review me on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen— i’m going to enter you into a drawing to get my latest course for free! So just click on my Invisible India page wherever you listen and leave a review! It will help me so much and I will see your comments there. It means a lot to me.

Also, be sure to download the India Travel Guide- 30 pages of LOTS of tips, including safety for women! 

https://learn-hindi-anywhere.teachable.com/p/my-downloadable-india-travel-guide

https://blog.feedspot.com/indian_culture_podcasts/

Asking questions in Hindi might be the most important thing you can learn.

In this episode, Jessica talks about the importance of asking questions and not just making declarative statements in Hindi.

In this episode, we talk about "kya - what." "Kya" is the most important word you need to know to be able to ask questions in Hindi.

https://learn-hindi-anywhere.teachable.com/p/hindi-grammar-foundations

If this is your first trip to India or eighth, this episode highlights the top 10 pro pointers you need to known to reduce the headaches, inconveniences and ripoffs that are likely to happen while visiting India.

Download the new e-booklet "The Traveler's Guide to India"

What's Included in the e-booklet?

30+ pages of practical tips, which will put you years ahead in:

-Language Learning

-Transportation

-Money & Payments

-Guide to Food
-Communication Strategy

-Things NOT to Say in India

-& so much more!

Also see the accompanying YouTube video to this episode!

https://youtu.be/H918-ESq2JI

Links included in the episode:

Gender Based Inequality & Violence- Episode 15

Learn Hindi with me! www.learnhindianywhere.com

Navigating the Indian medical system can be incredibly confusing, intimidating and even downright frustrating if you didn't grow up in South Asia. Knowing the ins and outs of how the medical field is run in India is crucial to being able to care for yourself and others in routine visits and especially emergencies.

If you are visiting India, living in India as a foreigner, or an NRI who is caring for someone, this is the episode for you.

A recent injury prompted me to record this episode while my mind was fresh with lots of doctor visits, medical tests, procedures, pharmacy experiences and even emergency room dramas. I cover it all in this episode and give practical tips of how to get through most situations.

I also summarized this information in a free PDF guide on my website www.invisibleindiapodcast.com. Save it on your phone or print it out for your next visit to India.

I've been following Indicast with Aditya Mhatre and Abhishek Kumar for 17 years. They are the hosts of India's longest running multi-person podcast. Covering major business tycoon stories, to media personalities, to the latest news, these guys are the dynamic duo of Indian podcasting. 

In Part 2, Jessica talks with them about predictions for future digital India and how they think tech has changed the ways people live.

Part 1 about their personal lives of being two of India’s first podcasters and how the show came into being.

Hear about some of their most popular episodes and high profile guests and most interested episodes that would have never otherwise gotten exposure in the mainstream media. 

Find Indicast at ⁠www.theindicast.com⁠

Mentioned in this Episode:

See the new Kids’ Hindi Starter Course. Meant for kids Ages 4-10, the Kids’ course culminates years of experience with hard data on how kids learn best. Shot in a fun YouTube style, it is designed to keep even the most active kids engaged.

Check out Jessica’s other Hindi courses, including Overcome Hindi Pronunciation Pitfalls, and Hindi Hacks You Never Knew You Needed!

Be sure to subscribe to Jessica’s newsletter for discounts and special announcements about courses and other important items.

Aditya Mhatre and Abhishek Kumar were two of the first people in India to start podcasting, and today more than 15 years later, their show theindicast.com is still running. Interviewing some of the biggest celebrities in India, with humility, intellect and humor, Aditya and Abhishek are a dynamic duo.

During this interview, Jessica gets behind the scenes of what it meant for Abhishek and Aditya personally to run the show this long and how the podcast has opened new opportunities for them during the dawn of Digital India.

Mentioned in the Show:

See the newest Hindi course from Jessica at www.learnhindianywhere.com

Sign up for my newsletter to get special recommendations and deals on language learning services and products at www.invisibleindiapodcast.com.

What NOT to say in Hindi as a kid!

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To see my NEW Hindi courses and the Hindi Learners' Corner for one on one consultations, check out www.learnhindianywhere.com!

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER to get deals, tips and discounts on upcoming products and my courses as well. I don't send annoying stuff and definitely not every day. Only when its relevant.

In Episode 80, Jessica Kumar and Mallika Thoppay take on colorism in South Asian communities.  

Mallika shares about her activism and how colorism affects everyone and hurts us all. She works with children in helping them to accept others as they are and stand up for themselves if they are being discriminated against.  

She authored "Unfair and Lovely" to combat colorism in India. The book tackles colorism and is an effort to nip this social issue in the bud. It chronicles the journey of Sahana, who is a middle school girl. She and her sister, Surabhi, move to a new city and start attending school there. Both of them aspire to succeed at their new school, academically and socially, hoping to make new friends, participate in extracurricular activities etc.. Sahana happens to be darker skinned than Surabhi. The book delves into how the sisters' journeys are different, and how Sahana has to overcome the obstacles she faces. The author's hope is that the book teaches kids to accept everyone, regardless of physical appearance, and to stand up for themselves when the situation demands it.

You get get this book in the US & India. 

In India: http://www.tinyurl.com/unfairlovelyindia

In US: http://www.tinyurl.com/unfairlovely

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60794691-unfair-lovely

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Be sure and follow my Instagram for a giveaway of the book in the US and India both!

Be sure to watch the YouTube version of our interview as well. https://youtu.be/GSJhv-oK6sc

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER to get deals, tips and discounts on upcoming products and my courses as well. I don't send annoying stuff and definitely not every day. Only when its relevant.