Quick Facts of India which Volunteer must need to know
- India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
- India is the largest democracy in the world, the 7th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.
- The world’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
- Chess was invented in India. Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
- Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
- Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
- The ‘Place Value System’ and the ‘Decimal System’ were developed in India in 100 B.C.
- Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
- India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India’s wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
- Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
- The four religions born in India – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world’s population.
- The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world’s largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
- India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.
Materials to bring for Volunteer in India
- Camera
- Mobile phone
- Mosquito & Insect repellents
- Medical first-aid kit
- SPF/sun protection, sunglasses
- Info books on India
- Map of India with Jaipur
- Toiletries- ( Must bring toilet paper, soap, shampoo or any type of toiletries you required everyday. )
- Flash light
- Electricity adapter/converter
- Sunglasses
- Walking shoes (for work and travel)
- Towel
- mosquito net
Communication
- Volunteers can communicate with their friends and families by phone and internet. There is very good internet service also available for volunteers in Host Family. You can use any type of communication to call back home. We provide contact numbers to volunteers of all VWI staff members and project location. International Direct Dialing from India is available in all cities. Volunteers are requested to bring their unlock mobile phone so that you can change your local Indian sim . If you use your phone to call in your country or use here it will be expensy for you. We suggest volunteers which are joining the project for min 3 weeks to buy local sim here.
Exchange of Currency in India
- Volunteers Can find Exchange Rate of Indian Rupee (INR) at: http://www.xe.com/ucc/
- Volunteers can change their currency when they arrived on Delhi Airport or if you exchange your currency outside it be cheaper for you. If you convert your currency on Airports they charge some amount for exchange. There are many government and private Shops also available in Jaipur where volunteers can convert their currency & travelers cheque. You can also use Bank debit Card to withdraw money in India from any ATM’s.
How to reach Us.
- By Air:
All our program runs in Jaipur, India which is in the North Western Part of India. Jaipur has a good connectivity from all major airports in India and also all over from world. We advice volunteers to reach in Jaipur by flight; however there is train and bus connectivity also availably but it is strongly recommended for the first time travelers in India to reach Jaipur by flight. As you don’t know anyone here and we are the first friends for you. We are available to pick you up from the Jaipur Airport; once you start up the things here you will know how the life/system works here. We will guide you all the way. According to your travel budget you can search for the flight tickets for Jaipur, India and can also look over internet for the cheap flights. Some of the agencies over web have the filter for the cheap air tickets. You can look for the below links:-
We strongly recommended you to come Jaipur by flight.
If you are not coming direct to Jaipur by Air you need to come in Jaipur by Bus or by Train. Below is the information how you can reach us.
We suggest you to come here by Volvo Bus. Trains from Delhi to Jaipur are come by fixed timings and it will also not be sure you will get easily seats available. We suggest all our travelers which are coming from Delhi to assume Bus.
There is an excellent bus service between Jaipur to Delhi. Non-AC and AC Volvo bus services are available. There are many bus services available but use only Volvo AC Bus for travel. AC Volvo costs about Rs. 600 ($12) approximate per seat and the bus is taken through well maintained highway and has good shock absorbers. Volvo A.C Buses starts from Bikaner House which is very close to Indian Gate, Delhi. From Delhi Airport there are good government buses and car taxi available which drops at Bikaner House. Tell the bus driver or taxi car driver to drop you at Bikaner House. Bikaner House is 19 k.m’s from Delhi Aiport. From Bikaner House there are Volvo buses coming in every 30 minutes which can drop you at Jaipur Bus Stand (Sindhi Camp). These buses take 6 hours to reach Jaipur.
Click on the below link to find time schedule for Volvo Buses. https://rsrtconline.rajasthan.gov.in/busenquiry
- By Train:
Tell taxi driver to drop you at railway station & you can book ur tickets from there. You can book your tickets through online also by the below link. We recommend you to book train tickets in Advance as many time trains are full and it won’t make you sure you get seats available at the time when you come to book tickets from booking window. If you need help we can also book tickets for you.
You can get good A.C coach in US $ 20 and chair A.C in US $ 10. You can book shatabdi express 2015 which is the best train.
After Reaching Jaipur by Flight, Bus or by Train Our staff member will be there to pick you. If in such case you get late to join the Program call us at 9414779349 or 8769379279 our staff member will pick you from there and drop you at our guest house.
Note: Kindly give Us your arrival pick up details in advance. So that our VWI team will be prepared before your arrival.
