दृष्टिकोण – Indra's Viewpoint

I had been to Agra many times but not from Jaipur. Moreover, it was only this time that we stayed in Agra for two nights in Taj View. However, in 1965, Chander Prakash and myself stayed in a hotel suitable to our means then as executive trainee in an engineering company. But we had covered Agra more extensively and intensively too. We visited all places such as Agra Fort, Itimadud-daula, and Radha Swami Dayalbag Temple in making and Fatehpur Sikri, using local transport, many times a tanga (horse driven). I don’t remember if camel carts were available in those days, most probably not.

I vividly remember the sight of Taj Mahal in moonlit night during August 1965. It was just exhilarating and I still feel happy to think of the uniquely divine sight. We spent daytime in seeing once all around Taj and kept on taking many photographs. In evening we came in again in evening and sat on the platform near the entrance gate. It gradually darkened and Taj Mahal vanished in the darkness. But then moon gradually started coming up and the whole profile of Taj Mahal got clearer and clearer. By 10 PM or so, Taj Mahal was bathing in the moonlight. It was a great sight in itself. You can’t explain that, you can only appreciate, if you experience.

The journey this time to Agra from Jaipur was pretty arduous. At many places, the road that is getting widened was really bad. At Taj Mahal, I was amazed at certain obvious shortcomings rather mismanagement. Even on a weekday, there was a huge queue. Why can’t the authority provide more facilities for security checks, if it is a necessity to save it from terrorists? Why can’t it have sufficient clean toilets, both Indian and European style, particularly for women when it takes a fee for it?

And finally I can’t but mention something about the Hotel Taj View of reputed Tata Group. Anand had booked two rooms from which Taj Mahal could be viewed months in advance. It claimed to provide a clear view of Taj from the rooms. It took time to convince the man at the front desk that we had booked only those rooms. Why would have it happened? We had selected a full moon night to be in Agra to view Taj on a moonlit night from our rooms. In night, we couldn’t see anything because of the fog. However, in the morning as the sun got brighter, we could get a view of Taj. However, it was not that exciting because of haze and smog. Why can’t Taj View be truthful in putting the real situation? Alas! We couldn’t go to see Taj on full moon night. We could have entered Taj Mahal in night for an hour, if we would have booked for it by paying Rs 750 per person one day in advance. We didn’t have this information. Why couldn’t the Hotel provide this basic information about the Taj Mahal, when our booking was done from USA?

But the most shocking was our attempt to visit Fatehpur Sikri. It turned out to be a nightmare. A little before our vehicle reached Fatehpur Sikri, we found goons in the name of guides started troubling us. They had created jams on the main road that is under construction. They tried to get into the vehicle in pretext to take us through a different route at a cost. Finally, we could not find a solution to the jam even after an hour. We had started well in time at 3PM after completing the visit of Taj Mahal, but we couldn’t make it to Fatehpur Sikri.. We decided to return instead without taking a risk with those goons. Satish, our driver did manage to reverse the Innova and brought us back to Taj View.

How can we relish and appreciate this experience of these visits as one of Incredible India?

Chokhi Dhani built on typical Rajasthani theme at Jaipur is a great indigenous initiative to make the visiting guests aware of the local rural traditions and culture. Every state capital can emulate and create one such entertainment and hospitality center. The metros can create on a much larger canvass with the total country as subject. It goes a long way to attract local as well as foreign tourists and provides source of earnings for many.

Shannon did enjoy the place better as in one place she could get everything that she wished to do while in India. She could ride the elephant as well as camel and got a feel of bullock cart too. She did also like the pretty adventurous folk dances. However, the management of Chokhi Dhani must improve the facilities in the rooms such as better sanitary fittings, and offer more varieties in the buffet dinner in the village resort. The resort should keep on adding new features that delight the guests.
To be continued

I was in Jaipur in 1965 for almost a month. It was training on initiative of Late BM Sharda, who was then the production manager of machine shop in Hindustan Motors. HM was procuring multi-spindle automatic lathes for the first time. NBC, presently known as NEI was already having many of those machine tools. When I met Chander Prakash and Satish in the factory they insisted that I live with them rather than staying in hotel. Both knew me when we as executive trainees were living in Flats of HM. I have many sweet memories of those days. I had visited all the places of interest including the City Palace of Jaipur in those days itself. Jaipur city had impressed me. It was really sparkling clean, green and pink.

Birla Mandir

City Palace

This time when with Shannon and Anand when I visited the city, Palace, and Amer, I got morose. Jaipur is too much crowded and appears dilapidated and filthy too. I wish the government and the people could maintain Jaipur, the first planned city of India as a heritage city. Birla Mandir is a new tourist attraction. Amer is under restoration. It is creditable that the authority is making all the places of tourist attraction accessible for physically challenged visitors with ramps.

Dilapidated Heritage

It was nice to reach so near to the entrance on our vehicle courtesy Satish who knew the road. Shannon couldn’t have elephant ride to Amer. The elephant ride is only one way from the bottom of the fort to the main courtyard and that too at a cost of Rs 500 for two persons. I had thought of enquiring about the person in Amer who is making paper using elephant dung, but couldn’t do that.

Somehow, the history of Amer and Jaipur is not that glorious as that of Chittodgarh and Udaipur. The rulers of Jaipur were peace loving and perhaps more shrewd to move with time, and married their daughters to Muslim emperors. The story of Jhodhabai and Akbar is well known. However, Jaipur has become more popular with tourists. City Palace is still under the control of the family of the King.

Last few months we had been traveling by road quite a lot. I get delighted to see India getting its road network totally transformed into expressways. While in Kolkata this month we came across the roads that exemplify the evolution. I had an opportunity to pass through three roads-GT Road, NH-2 Highway, and Durgapur Expressway. The three roads tell of the evolution of roads.

We were in Kolkata between January 4 and Jan 8, 2008. After we landed on Dumdum, our taxi went through the expressway that passed through Rajarhat, the prestigious new satellite city that is being developed by Leftist government. However, the expressway was in real poor condition in many stretches, perhaps because of heavy construction work that is going on.

To visit Hind Motor, Konnagar, and Baidybati, we passed through the roads of Kolkata taking the BT road to Dakhineswar, and then turned to GT Road, the historical road built by Sher Shah Suri to Konnagar to meet Anand’s teacher Mrs Lakshman Singh and family. One can hardly tell any thing good or improved about this heritage road because of the state sponsored encroachment of the road. I have seen this happening since I joined HM. Many a times I used the road to go to Sasaram, my hometown and the birthplace of the emperor. It appears neither the government nor the people are interested in saving this road at least for the posterity.

For going to Baidyabati, we took Delhi Road NH-2 that was built during the time I worked for HM. Many a times I had used the road NH-2 for pleasure trips. It used to be smooth going through the rural Bengal. It was also the road that I used for going to Sasaram after it got ready. But then gradually it became congested with many habitations mushrooming along the road and started remaining potholed for most of the time. I saw many factories coming up along both the sides.

For returning to Salt Lake, we took Durgapur Expressway. Though the approach to the Expressway from Baidyabati was pretty bad with the road totally damaged by the commercial vehicles, the experience of the Durgapur Expressway that is part of Golden Quadrilateral was stunningly delighting.

Our next road trip with Anand and Shannon was to Jaipur and Agra. While the road to Jaipur is part of GQ, leading to Mumbai. The entry road to Jaipur through Amer is still single-lane. Road from Jaipur to Agra is also under up-gradation to four-lane. And perhaps it will take another two or more years for commuters to experience a pleasant drive.

However, the Expressway between Agra to Delhi was the best but for a small stretch near Sikandara. I feel road network must integrate certain facilities for the sake of commuters who shall be using it more and more for pleasure trips.

1. The most importantly NHAI must provide for rest rooms at regular intervals with good signage. If it is costly and difficult to maintain, can’t all the petrol pumps be made to have it compulsorily?

2. NHAI must also provide for separate truck parking away from he main road with facilities for drivers and vehicles. Vehicles of any kind must not use the lanes of expressway for parking.

3. No doubt. Some good restaurants have come up on the Expressways, but it is difficult to know while driving the distance of the next eating-place.

4. A way out for stopping the encroachment will be a necessity to keep the mesh out of the Expressway driving delight. Near Sikandara, many factories are having its boundary walls so near to the Expressway. Can’t CII or FICII ask its members to be more responsible?

I wish I could get updated information about the rest rooms and restaurants on different segments of the Expressways on some websites before starting on my trips by road. That is one of my many concerns before taking a long one to complete GQ.
Can any one help?

They went back on Saturday. And we are again alone.

Anand arrived in early morning of December 31, 2007 with Shannon and the little Emma. We had been waiting for this for a long time. We were seeing Emma as well as Shannon for the first time. They removed our loneliness and made us feel young. All anxieties and suspicions vanished. Shannon is lovely and accommodating. She comes from a different cultural background, but she lived with us without any reservation and bestowed on us the love and respect more than what we expected. We are still villagers in many respects. To give one example, an educated lady from among the relatives visited us to meet her, and insisted Shannon to touch her feet. I got myself embarrassed. Shannon got perplexed too, but managed with real dignity that made me feel proud.

Yamuna and myself had to accompany them on the most occasions as desired by Anand, though we find it physically strenuous. We took a flight to Kolkata, stayed there for almost five days, visited Baidyabati, and Dakhineswar, and returned to Delhi by Rajdhani Express. It was a great experience to be together with Shannon and Emma. We had similar experience when we went out with them to Jaipur and Agra. We had quality time together at Chokhi Dhani and Taj View Hotel. Whenever Shannon and Anand went out to Delhi, Kurukshetra or to local market with driver, we kept Emma with us. It was a great experience. She is peaceful and can live with any one. I spend playing with her. She has learnt crawling, and turning around during the period she was here, and she got a tooth too. Her all sweet gestures and actions will remain alive in our mind for years to come.

I knew it for quite sometime. Foreigners, a derogatory term for non-Indians, are to pay higher entrance fees to visit the historical monuments of the country that is mostly maintained by ASI and tourism ministry. However, I got the shock of my life when we visited Qutub minar. I asked the man at the counter, “What am I to pay for my daughter-in-law, if she is an American citizen?” I had to pay Rs 250 for Shannon, my daughter-in-law, while for myself, Yamuna and Anand, the entrance charges were Rs 10 each. Similar had been the discriminatory entrance charges for Shannon at Red Fort in Delhi and Amber Fort in Jaipur too. Even the royal family of Jaipur has also become poor and greedy enough to emulate the government of India and charge Rs 200 for foreigners for the City Palace in Jaipur, when locals pay only Rs 20. Only the ticket is on a thick paper printed nicely with a photograph of the palace. But most discriminating was the charges at Taj Mahal. As pathkar (road tax), Shannon had to pay Rs 500 as Non-Indian (total being Rs 750), when for us the charges were Rs 15 each. And the Agra Development Authority gives a bottle of mineral water (500ml) and a shoe cover for free for Rs 750. Is it not a looting in plain word? At Sikandara, a young American at the ticket counter told me, ‘They don’t want us to return.’

Shouldn’t Anand feel embarrassed to tell Shannon that she comes under Indian definition of ‘foreigner’? Shouldn’t Shannon feel bad about it? Shouldn’t I feel guilty about it and apologize to Shannon for this act of government or ASI that I myself feel ashamed of?

I am sure when Emma grows and hears this story, she will hate to visit India, and Anand will have to face some embarrassing questions from her. What happens when my grandson, Keshav, visits these sites? Should he be considered a foreigner since he is an American citizen? I know the answer is No because he looks like me.

I don’t know if this discrimination is in knowledge of those in Indian government and minister of tourism, Ambika Soni, who matter and will make them consider it as wrong. Why can’t the authority realize that most of the so-called foreign visitors are students and from lower earning groups from countries other than developed ones? But perhaps I am trying to expect a little too much from the ‘babus’ of India. What is the purpose of this discrimination? Is it to dissuade foreigners from visiting Indian monuments? How much is the extra earning from this discriminatory charge? Is the practice followed in any other country? To best of my remembrance, I never paid higher entrance charges in any country that I visited nor was I asked to stand in a separate line since I was a “foreigner”. Left to me, I would never ever visit any monument or tourist site in any country if there were such discrimination.

In this age of globalizations and free trade, how can you charge the tourists in such discriminatory manner? I am sure it must be against the human rights too.

I strongly feel that the government must remove this discrimination and prove that it is really serious about the “India Incredible” slogan. If not, the authority must provide sufficiently differential facilities such as a good brochure or booklet about the monument as free to each so-called foreigner in his language. Further, it must provide official and trained guide instead of leaving the poor foreigners at the mercy of ignorant and mischievous guides who misinform and charge the opportunity price. I am sure that will help in building right image of the country and attract more tourists.

I suggest the authorities to use the word ‘Non-Indian’ wherever it still uses ‘foreigner’ and remove the filthy signage from the ticket countesr that make the visitors compare the discrimination.