India is not a country. It is an idea. A very, very complex idea. And to get your mind around an idea as complex as this, you have no option but to travel to some of its best and greatest cities and towns and find out for yourself what exactly it is that makes India tick. This is by no means a definitive list. Just a round of cities and towns I have visited and lived in.

Kolkata

Kolkata is the cultural capital of India. It is the birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore. The magnificent Howrah Bridge frames a city where Bengali culture and intelligentsia thrives.

Bangalore

Bangalore is the bona fide tech capital of the country. It is home to tech giants like Infosys and Wipro as well as many enterprising youth who are currently turning it into a wonderland of tech start-ups and other entrepreneurial ventures.