Eternal India Encyclopedia

ETERNAL INDIA encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

romantic and the Orient is no longer mysterious. He travels be- cause travel has become a status symbol or because he wants to see a different pattern of life and things that are unique: the Taj in Agra, the remarkable rock-cut temples of Ellora and Ajanta, the erotic sculptures of Khajuraho, Meenakshi Temple in South India, Angkor Vat in Cambodia and tigers, rhinos and elephants in the wild life sanctuaries. How else can one explain the phenomenal in- crease in the number of tourists going to Kathmandu in the last few years? Kathmandu has never been publicised in an organised way by any official or non-official agency, but in the tourist world it has come to be described as “out of this world.” The tourist wants to see all this and have comfort too. He de- mands all the modern conveniences in the most out-of-the-way places. So the Shikar outfitters or the game organiser in India sets up a camp with an electric generator in the heart of the forest, 50 miles from the nearest railway station and provides iced drinks and fans for the big game hunter. In India this problem is further complicated by two factors : the size of the country and the fact that most of the places that a tourist would like to visit are remote and inaccessible. Most of the tourist attractions of India are remote and inaccessible. Many of the tourist attractions of India consist of ancient and medieval monu- ments. Most of the national highways and the arterial railway lines that have been built during the past 100 years do not pass near the great centres of old kingdoms. Among other attractions that India offers to tourists are its mountains and a large variety of wild life. The mountains are, in any case, inaccessible and most of India’s wild life is in remote forests — it is nocturnal in habits and it takes a great effort to see it even in the wild life sanctuaries and national parks which have been created in the past 30 years. The modern tourist, however, is in a hurry and wants to see everything quickly and easily.” —S.N. Shibi, written in 1962

tiger to be brought to their hotel room — as I believe they almost do in some of the well-known safari destinations of the world. One could write pages about some highly worthwhile and excit- ing packages to other destinations in India but because of limitation of space I would content myself with a passing mention of some. For many tourists, a visit to India would not be complete without a journey to Calcutta, the “City of Joy”, the oldest ‘Raj’ city of India- -quaint and exotic mixture of typical third-world poverty and afflu- ence, pavement-dwellers and elegant five-star hotels, man-pulled rickshaws and a very modern underground metro. For those who go for “local colour and smells” it is Calcutta and Varanasi (in the aforementioned state of Uttar Pradesh) which bring out the real India. Incidentally, Calcutta is the birthplace of the Nobel laureate Tagore, who was perhaps among the greatest poets of this century and a really versatile artist—a remarkable painter who has also left for posterity a great treasure of music in the ‘song-style’. Calcutta could be the base for some memorable forays into some of the most fascinating hill-destinations like Darjeeling, Gangtok and many other smaller resorts in Mizoram. Lastly, I would like to speak of some excellent golf courses which now serve the ever-increasing number of keen golfers in the country. The courses at Calcutta, New Delhi and Bangalore are of international standards and many of these are available for tourists who would like to sample unfamiliar and challenging courses while visiting India. Some very high-quality golf is available in India at an unbelievably low cost compared to some golf resorts in other parts of Asia (Bangalore, which already boasts of at least four golf courses, will soon have a new golf resort near the City, planned by Jack Nicklaus Junior). (T.P.I)

QUOTE The modern tourist is not in search of adventure. He is not even