The more you prepare in advance, the more you'll be ready to jump right into your Indian experience. This section will suggest some preparations you may want to make, and help you find the resources you'll need. "Getting to Know India" is divided into the following subsections:

• Reading about India
• Books
• Encyclopedias
• Browsing Areas and Subject Headings
• Newspapers
• Travel Guides
• Travel Web Sites
• Films
• Geography and Maps
• Languages

One important fact to know before traveling to India is that some major cities have changed their names in recent years. They have officially stopped using names given by the British Empire and returned to traditional names. For instance, Madras is now Chennai, Bombay is Mumbai, and Calcutta is Kolkata. However, many Indian adults still use the British names when they speak, since they grew up using these names. This can be confusing to travelers. Make sure you know all the names that may be used to refer to a city before searching for information or traveling there.