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Karl Rock: The Kiwi traveller who has explored 33 locations across states in India

Now residing in Gurugram, Haryana, Karl Rock is a YouTuber and a traveller who shifted from New Zealand to India a year back to explore the culture

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Living life on our own terms, following our dreams and what we’re truly passionate about, is something invariably all of us want. For some of us, it’s travelling, but we’re often restricted by several factors, be it financial constraints, regular routine, or others. However, a few of us go against the odds and leave the rest mesmerised by their adventures.

One such man is Karl Rock, who loves travelling and believed that India is his passion. This Kiwi traveller and a YouTuber, introduced to the Indian culture at the age of 18, went a step ahead and learned Hindi, only to surprise many today when he started his India tour. He has explored India more than most of Indians and is left to visit 3 states and union territories, having covered a total of 33 locations across the nation, along with Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Karl has also written two books for the expats in the country. One is called the ‘India Survival Guide’  which is for the foreigners to travel safely in India. The other is titled ‘Learn Hindi faster than I did’, which can be a bible for those who don’t know the language at all. It is true that language can be a major barrier for tourists in a country like India. Karl just wants to simplify the art of learning the language better. 

Book: India Survival Guide 

In an exclusive interaction with Mumbai Live, Karl shares his experience of roughly a year, where he got to know India better, eventually falling in love with the cultural diversity and even a Haryanvi girl. 

Introduced to the Indian food by his ex-girlfriend, who made a ready-to-cook Indian curry when he was fairly young, Karl had the urge to explore India more and felt a connection with the country eventually. 

He said,

It all started with my passion for Indian food. I've never had Indian food before and my girlfriend at the time made butter chicken for me for the first time. My mouth was exploding. There was nothing authentic about it at all but I fell in love with the Indian cuisine. And from there, I just started exploring the Indian culture and the Indian history. Ofcourse, I keep exploring the food and my passion for India just grew and grew. It became like an obsession, and so much that I moved from New Zealand to India.

Leaving behind a potential career in the music industry, Karl became a full time traveller from being a sales expert. In order to integrate himself better in India, he started to learn Hindi. His little command over the language has surprised many Indians in his videos and real life. 

Having traversed through the Indian streets across locations, Karl seems to be much in awe of the diversity in the Indian culture. Residing currently in Gurugram, he seemed to be much in awe of the Maharashtrian culture. 

Having visited Mumbai 5-6 times, Karl expressed, 

Mumbai is an incredible city. Every time I come here, I discover something new. When taken by some locals to eat Maharashtrian food, I have tried over 10 different types of dishes. I have never seen such a menu anywhere else in the world. This is one of the reasons why I love India, the diversity. Every single state is different, the food changes. Every time I come back to Maharashtra, I realise that there is so much more to the state. There is so much more to Mumbai that I just haven’t seen yet.” 

Inspiring others to come, visit and experience the Indian diversity, this Kiwi explorer makes youtube videos on the locations he explores and the little experiences that he has. We don’t often come across people who make us fall in love with our own country all over again. It’s about time we stop loathing over the Western culture and embrace our own.  

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