Granted, not being a woman, I am not the target audience for this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed Beth Whitman’s guide to India. This is not a guidebook to the individual sites but more a strategy book for how to tackle India. It guides you through:

• what to pack
• how to secure your valuables
• what you did with your left hand back there in the toilet
• why you should sit on your left hand at the dinner table
• how to dress and comport yourself

Some of the information in the book is definitely targeted at women, but I found much of it to be useful to me as well. I have often been told by travelers that India is a challenging country. A first time visitor would be well advised to consult a tool like this book before their first trip to India.

For more about traveling to India as a woman listen to the recent interview with Beth Whitman on the Amateur Traveler podcast.

Wear a big mustache, lose your job. That’s what happened to an airline employee in India.

Victor Joynath De was grounded by Indian - formerly called Indian Airlines- in 2001 for refusing to shave off his handlebar moustache.

He had earlier lost a case in a lower court which ruled that the airline was within its rights to sack him.
According to Indian rules, all crew members should be clean shaven.

A moustache, if worn, should not extend beyond the upper lip, says the rule book.

The guidelines do not apply to Sikh employees who are allowed to keep moustaches.

The Indian Supreme Court has now stepped into the case asking for Indian Airlines to support its position. The supreme court has assigned two clean shaven judges, but one could see why supreme court justice P. Sathasivam (pictured) might be asking “Hey! What’s wrong with a mustache that is longer than than the upper lip!?”