“India has got it!”: lifestyle migrants constructing “Incredible Indias” in Varanasi and Goa

Abstract

Hundreds of lifestyle migrants repeatedly spend long periods of time in India; they return to specific places where they meet others leading the same lifestyle. Some appreciate the spiritual aspects and some learn Indian music, whereas others are simply searching for a relaxed life. This article is based on ethnographic fieldwork among lifestyle migrants in Varanasi and Goa. The lifestyle migrants in Varanasi appreciate “authentic ancient India” whereas those in Goa celebrate a discourse of freedom. In this article, I discuss what that authenticity and freedom mean. I argue that India provides a setting – a physical location – for these lifestyle migrants’ own performance of India. Interestingly, sections of the Indian population participate in these same discourses, although there is a social distance between the lifestyle migrants and local populations.

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