With each passing year, I find my yearning for India satisfied far more when I visit the small towns rather than the bustling metros. The gnarly beasts that cities like Delhi, Bombay and Bangalore have become do not attract me. They sap my energy. But small town India? Oh, what a delight you are. 

Imagine wide roads criss-crossed in a grid conceptualised by town planners when the city was built. Welcome to Chandigarh, where my parents now live. With malls boasting of every brand you may want, but also local sector markets where you can find treasures galore, Chandigarh and its suburb Mohali keeps reinforcing that we did the right thing by moving my parents from dusty, crowded Delhi to warm and generous Chandigarh. 

India is filled with small towns like these that may not figure on tourist maps. The ones that tourists do flock to, continue to please. My sister just spent 4 days in Jaipur and is half-convinced to move back from Canada to retire in small-town India. Architecture and heritage around every corner, history telling tales wherever you crane your neck up. Shopping in shops where they sit you down and offer you a cup of tea while you browse their collections, even if you purchase nothing. Impersonal malls have nothing on these. 

Bhopal is another family favourite, often overlooked even by Indians. Deemed the cleanest city in India, Bhopal prides itself on its civic sense. The town is built around a beautiful large lake with a promenade around and locals can tell you a few secret spots from where the views are unbelievable. For us, it is family that draws us back, but if you were to visit, you will find caves with paintings from the stone age at Bhimbetka, and a varied cuisine ranging from kebabs to street delights like poha and jalebi.  

The part of India that has my soul, though, is the south. The Nilgiri Hills to be specific. They are such a beautiful part of the country, thankfully not overrun by tourists or over-developed like the Himalayas are. The Nilgiris are lush, wearing a blanket of tea gardens, and protected by the local government. You can not take any plastic into the Nilgiris, not even a bottle of water. This care and concern for the environment translates into a region teeming with plantations, be they tea, coffee or various spices. The Nilgiris are India’s best kept secret, and I’d love for them to stay this way. 

I haven’t yet explored the small towns of East or North-East India, but I have a few on my list. Villages in Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh are said to be breathtakingly gorgeous. As are the temples or beaches of Eastern India in Orissa and around. There’s so much in the country to see that it would take a few lifetimes and then some to discover them all. But yes, if you want to experience the soul of India, you won’t find it in the dusty, traffic-filled big cities. The soul of India is found in its hinterland. Where there is time to stop and stare. To drop into a neighbour’s house or send over something delectable you cooked that day. Where people are distinctly proud of their roots and their culture, but without the arrogance that sometimes accompanies it. You will find the soul of India if you have the courage to step off the beaten path and explore its very heart. 

And like my Canadian sister, you’ll never want to leave.