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.

Varanasi

Varanasi is the spiritual soul of India and one of Hinduism’s most sacred towns. A lot of the locals say that the town is older than time itself. After a trip through its streets and a journey to its ghats, you might as well start believing that to be true. The Banaras Hindu University calls it home.

Jaipur

Rajasthan is a land steeped in culture and the legacy of a hundred Rajput Kings. Jaipur, the “Pink City,” is its crown jewel. It is an oasis in the middle of the Thar desert, with heritage monuments like the Hawa Mahal and the Nahargarh Fort, just to name a few.