India is a comparatively safe destination for travel. Though, there may, at times, as anywhere else in the world, be political unrest or other disturbances. These are generally localised tremors affecting either a town, city or a very small part of the country, leaving no impression on normal life in the rest of India. Moreover, with hi-tech communication network in place, the news of these happenings, often the premonitions too, is quickly carried in the media. So, you can avoid venturing there.

There are some areas, like parts of the Northeast, parts of J&K and some districts in central India, that are affected by terrorism of various groups. However, there are only rare instances of these groups picking up on tourists. While travelling to these areas it is best to stay within the popular circuits, avoid interior regions and seek advice from state's local tourist office.

As for other crimes, like theft and muggings, these are prevalent as anywhere else and are much more common in larger towns and cities. You need to take usual precautions of not leaving your luggage unattended or blatant display of money or valuables at public places. Also, avoid lonely places, especially at night, as much as possible. Ladies should avoid wearing revealing clothes, particularly in north India, or display excessive affection in public places. The following guidelines may help you in making your sojourn an enjoyable experience.

• Do not show your money or valuables in public. Most hotels have a safe deposit box, which should be used to store all valuables not immediately needed.

• Make photocopies of your passport, insurance, traveller's cheques and all other important documents and store them separately.

• Change your money or traveller's cheques only at banks or through authorised money changers and obtain a receipt for the transaction. This will be required to reconvert any Indian currency left with you to hard currency at the end of your travels.

• Avoid keeping all your money in one place.

• Avoid lonely places, especially at night.

• Do not trust strangers blindly. Ladies should take extra care when travelling alone.

• Preferably bring luggage that has a lock. This will be needed whenever you are using left-luggage facility at railway or bus stations, etc. In addition, especially if you plan to travel by train or bus, carry a chain and lock to secure your luggage at night.

• Report any theft or loss to the police immediately and obtain a copy of the First Information Report (FIR). This will be required for obtaining duplicates/replacements. Also, report the loss to your embassy/consulate at the first available opportunity.

• Choose your hotel with care. Crime and criminals have percolated even to regions hitherto considered very safe and hospitable.

Safe health
A large part of India lies in the tropics and is, therefore, infested with a large variety of bacteria, viruses, et al. Mosquitoes are a common menace almost all over the country, except in cold, arid regions of northern states. Epidemics do take place, mostly following a natural calamity like floods or earthquake, but these, again, are localised tragedies that do not affect rest of the country, as happened in Surat, in Gujarat, a few years ago. In all such cases there is no reason to panic. India is quite a large country and no infection has ever been able to cover the entire limits.

You will, though, need to take precautions against some seasonal diseases while travelling through different parts of the country. The most effective guard against the mosquito, and thus the diseases transmitted by it, is to keep your arms and legs covered with clothing and use mosquito repellants, which are easily available in the market, on other exposed parts of the body.

You will also be best served by not taking either green salads, unless you have washed the vegetables thoroughly with clean water, cold foods (especially meats), water from wayside stalls or dhabas, or any eatable that you are unsure of. While bottled drinking water is now available even at small towns and villages, especially on popular tourist circuits, not all brands have been found to be of standards laid down by the government. Therefore, stick of popular or multinational brands. Else, carry a quantity of water purifying tablets that are available at many medicine stores in the big cities.

The quality of India's health services is as varied as its other facets. These range from overcrowded government hospitals to modern specialised private institutes that match the best in the world in facilities and expertise.

Most states maintain multi-speciality general hospitals at district and state headquarters and smaller hospitals at sub-divisional and block levels. These are inexpensive but manned by good, qualified staff and can be used in emergencies. There are also central government funded medical research institutes and hospitals, like AIIMS, Delhi, PGI, Chandigarh, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Medical Research, Lucknow, JIPMER, near Pondicherry, that provide excellent medical care in a variety of disciplines. However, these are usually referral centres and can also be crowded. Good private medical institutions are mostly concentrated in the metros and some of the larger cities. These, though of global standards, are more expensive.

Hospitals, even at sub-divisional and block levels, have a 24-hr medicine store. These, however, may not stock some rarely used medicines. In larger cities and metros, almost every district has a number of stores, apart from the ones attached to the hospitals, and blood banks that sell all Indian brands and formulations. Though medicines are fairly cheap in the country, it is worthwhile to bring your prescription drugs. It is also advisable to get shots for Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Diptheria, Tetanus, and Japanese B Encephalitis before coming.