by Hannah from India.

Stereotypes and Misconceptions are two primal things that brush away the reality. So, here are 7 misconceptions about India. Get ready to know the reality.

1. India is NOT poor.

India is a developing country, home to millions. But definitely not the negative side of what the media depicts. Yes, it is not SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. The country itself is actually rich, don’t be surprised when I say India has actually 119 billionaires and ranked 6th among the world’s wealthiest countries.

2. India is NOT hot.

India is the 7th largest country in the world with a total land area of 3,287,590 km square, therefore the weather conditions in the north are completely different from the conditions in the south. India has deserts in the west, cold alpine covered mountains in the north and humid tropics in the south west. India’s summer climate in the south west can be classified as hot and tropical but during the monsoon seasons the temperatures decrease in number. The northern states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim have very cold continental influenced climates. India too has summer, rainy, winter and spring seasons, although the temperatures can vary  significantly depending upon the geographical locations.

3. Indian is NOT a language.

Given the great geographical locations, we have 780 languages to be precise. Hindi and English are the languages which are widely used throughout the country, we also do not have a National Language.

4. NOT All Indians are Hindus.

Although Hinduism is a dominant religion, where over 80 % of the population are hindus. The country is a secular country respecting all religions. The rest 20 % are minorities like Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains.

5. Arranged Marriages.

One of the most thought misconceptions about India are arranged marriages. Not all of us are forced into it, my parents weren’t and neither were my grandparents. Love marriages are allowed and LGBT marriages are Legal by Law. I wouldn’t completely deny the fact that arranged marriages dont exist; it is still practiced, but seldom.

6. NOT all of us can do yoga.

It is quite sad that Indians have forgotten about it, whilst the rest of the world has gained accustom to yoga. A lot of us don’t do yoga, although there are a lot of classes. Yoga has lost its cool in India.

7. I don’t have an Indian name; I have a Name.

This particular misconception occurs to me always, whenever I introduce myself here in Germany. Most of the people normally ask ‘But isn’t it a western name?’ the answer is NO. Not all Indians have traditional Indian Names, not even half of us.

Found it interesting?? What are the misconceptions about your country, leave it in the comments below. Let’s get to know the reality better.