Like many before me, I fell in love with the colours and chaos of India. Steeped in mystery and mythology, swept by time and conquest and bedecked with pageantry and ritual, there is nowhere like India. But what I found most of all is that India is an experience, more than a destination. And though it can be overwhelming at times, there is no point in trying to solve, understand or fix India. It’s a country of more than one billion people, and it has a momentum entirely its own. The moment you think you understand India is precisely the moment you’ve missed the point.

I surrendered to India’s magic and found truth in these words by author Rumer Godden, “Once you have felt the Indian dust you will never be free of it.” Neither words nor pictures can evoke the complexity of the culture, the diversity of the terrain, or the intensity of the traditions. To feel her magic, be touched by her spirituality, or join in her celebrations, I can tell you from experience — you simply have to be in India.