!incrdible !ndia – The mantra to woo tourists
Posted in General on August 19th, 2010 by RaviOn a highway in Chennai, I pass a luxury bus with the words
“Incredible India” emblazoned across its side. Underneath,
in smaller letters, is an explanation that some genius in
the tourism department found necessary to include: “The
mantra to woo tourists.”
India is indeed incredible. And if you don’t believe me,
just ask some of the tourists who have been successfully
wooed.
British tourist, wiping his brow at a juice stand in
Bangalore: “It’s incredible how hot it is over here.”
American tourist, sitting in an auto-rickshaw in Mumbai:
“It’s incredible how unruly the traffic is.”
Australian tourist, relaxing on a houseboat in the
backwaters of Kerala: “It’s incredible how few crocodiles
there are.”
India is incredible in many other ways, of course. It’s a
country where you’ll find incredible poverty and also
incredible wealth. Some of the world’s richest people live
in India, the type of folks who would wonder how Bill and
Hillary Clinton managed to spend only $3 million on their
daughter Chelsea’s wedding — didn’t they buy enough diamond
and gold jewelry to put around the necks of the elephants?
Didn’t they spend a few million to ensure that a dozen
Bollywood stars made appearances, not to mention a former
U.S. president?
India’s wealth is evident in the huge houses you’ll see in
many neighborhoods and the coterie of servants that the
well-to-do employ. If you’re lucky enough to be rich in
India, you’ll have someone to do your cooking, someone to do
your cleaning, someone to write love letters to your wife.
(A man can dream, can’t he?) But you don’t have to be rich
to have domestic help in India. Even some of the maids have
maids.
What’s truly incredible is the number of businesses in
India. You’ll find stores and stands on the side of almost
every street in the city, most operated by smalltime
entrepreneurs. Now I know what the tourism guidebook meant
when it said, “Don’t be surprised if you spot a few people
doing their ‘business’ on the street.” (But I’m still
confused about the part that said, “It’s impolite to
stare.”)
Very few of India’s retail outlets are franchises — most
are independent businesses. McDonald’s, like other fast food
chains, has expanded to India, but you won’t find the golden
arches in every neighborhood — not yet, at least — and
that’s a good thing. I don’t miss having a Big Mac, not when
I can have a Big Dosa. I ordered an incredibly big dosa at
one restaurant and, being a little careless while handling
it, almost knocked over the man in the next table. Many a
fight has been started by a poorly handled dosa.
It’s incredible what you’ll see on the streets of India. The
other day, I saw a man washing clothes on the side of a
street, another man ironing clothes, and a third man
standing in his underwear, saying, “Hurry up! I’m going to
be late for my interview!”
I’ve seen young women wearing burkas — with only their eyes
visible — and also young women wearing short skirts. And
you’ll never guess which of the women were listening to
Justin Bieber on their iPods.
It’s incredible how much progress India has made in the last
decade or so. You can see it almost everywhere. The economy
is churning, people are earning, and rupees they are
burning. The people who rode bicycles to work a decade ago
are now riding motorcycles, those who rode motorcycles are
now driving cars, and those who drove cars are now relaxing
on houseboats in Kerala.
As the country develops, it may one day be flooded with
tourists. Then I won’t be surprised to see a luxury bus with
the words “Intolerable India” on it. And underneath, some
genius in the tourism department will include an
explanation: “The mantra to shoo tourists.”
