Shamli, India

Capital City

Forget the mythical Krishna pit stop - living in Shamli is a gritty, pragmatic affair. This city of 107,233 people sits 100km from Delhi, a bureaucratic headache with a literacy rate of only 82.97%. Shamli's history as a rebel hideout during the independence movement still looms large, as freedom fighters burned down the local government offices. While the town was recently designated as Uttar Pradesh's first open defecation-free district, the day-to-day challenges of living here are no fairy tale. Shamli is for the hardened urbanite seeking an authentic, no-frills experience of small-town India.