10 Things You Might Not Know About India

Here are 10 things you might not know about India.
1. Hardly anyone pays income tax

Only 3% of Indians pay income tax, in a population of 1.2bn
2. The rise of the ‘wedding detective’

Indian families are turning to “wedding detectives” to check the background of their prospective sons and daughters-in-law.
3. Read all about it

While Western countries are mourning the demise of the newspaper, India’s print industry is in fact booming.
4. Horn noise = pneumatic drill

Painted on the back of almost all lorries and trucks are the words “Horn OK, please”. Honking is encouraged in India for drivers who are coming up behind another vehicle.
5. It’s a young country

India is a young nation. More than half of its 1.2 billion people is aged below 25, and two-thirds below 35.
6. Everywhere you go, you see plastic chairs

7. They’re piling on the pounds

India is now on the brink of an obesity epidemic. Stop at any service station and you’ll see queues of Indians gorging on McDonalds or other processed foods.
8. The scourge of spit

Mumbai has introduced a “spit inspector” to fine those who share their saliva in public. Many people spit after they’ve had paan (a mix of betel nut and areca, and sometimes tobacco – which is chewed but not swallowed). This produces a reddish stain which can be seen on the side of many white walls. It’s common to see “do not spit” signs in taxis, on the back of rickshaws and on the front of buildings.
9. Roadside ear cleaners

India’s unusual street-side service
10. Don’t wear new clothes on a Saturday

India might be home to some of the world’s best scientists and engineers, but a lot of that rational thinking can go straight out of the window when it comes to observing ancient superstitions.
From BBC