Indian Versus 'Foreign'
It got me thinking on why most hoteliers--in Goa and Kerala--view the domestic traveller with trepidation. General Managers of five-star resorts down the beautiful south coast of Goa throw up their hands saying the "North Indian" guest is "demanding, noisy and wants entertainment all the time". In fact, a friend who runs a lovely hotel in Anjuna prefers her foreign guests because they are quiet, accommodating and many of them are happy to sunbathe around the pool with a book and a drink for company. She has a well-stocked library that grows to accommodate all the new books her guests pick up at airports and leave behind once they have read it. She goes as far as to pretend her hotel is full ifit is an Indian guest asking for accommodation.
Ji Ji John of Riverside Retreat in Ambalapuzha, about 18 kms from Alapuzha (Allepey for the non-initiated) admitted that it's "North Indian" guests that have changed the face of kettuvazhams(rice boats) over the years. Nearly a 1,000 cruise down the backwaters of Alapuzha everyday andthe boats now boast of an engine, air-conditioning, swanky rooms and a sundeck. Earlier the boats glided in the water because of punting and a little help from an outboard engine. The air-conditioners create enough of a racket to alert all along the bank that a boat is about to go by. Some boats even have dish TV and, according to John, have been added following a clamour for entertainment from the domestic tourists. Whatever happened to watching the world go by from one's boat? "But Indians want TV and the whole nine yards," says John.
In Goa, the cruise down the Mandovi is packed with entertainment including food, booze and the koli as well as the red and black dance. It's a pity because those gawking at Russiandancers (oh yes, some cruises do hire them) miss out on the picturesque scenery all the way from Divar to Dona Paula.
But what all hotels admit is that the "North Indians" splash their money around and contribute richly to their coffers and they are crucial to the tourist industry flourishing. In terms of numbers, the "South Indian" traveller has not arrived. They are still largely into pilgrimage tourism, or visitng relatives being conservative spenders.
Where Are The Signposts?
Kerala might be God's own country but does not cater to the intrepid amongst us who venture by road into it. Signposts are few and ifyou--as we did--miss some bypass and venture into town, then you have to negotiate your way through autorickshaws and buses that tear down the well-appointed roads at breakneck speed. Asking directions also poses a problem, because unlike Tamil Nadu, for instance, it's not easy to find someone who speaks enough English to give you directions. Thanks to the fact that many have worked in the Gulf, Hindi is much more understood. But without exception, they all helpfullytell you that you are "three, four....ten" kilometres away. My companion Lionel actually would check his milometre to slot a turn-off till he realised how arbitrary the numbers were!
Getting into Kochi on New Year's eve, we lost our way for the nth time that day and stopped to ask for directions. The man, who was waiting for his wife outside a branded store, gave crisp directions to our destination. Then he asked curiously, "Where have you come from?" "Goa," we said because we had driven from there. He was amused, "The whole world is jostling to come to Goa for New Year's eve and you have come from Goa to Kochi!" What to do, we are like that only!
Home Sweet Home
Coming back to Chennai in the New Year was reassuring and also distressing. The stage collapse at Hotel Savera on New Year's eve that took three people in the prime of their lives was bad enough. But stories did the rounds that the hotel owner B V S Reddy influenced the hospital to withhold news of the death of AnandSridharan (21) and his cousin 22-year-old Ramya till he got bail on Monday. The grieving mother of Sumith Agnihotri, who died within hours after the stage collapsed into the hotel's swimming pool has already gone on record about the callousness of the hotel and hospital after the ghastly accident.
But it was also reassuring that unlike Mumbai where two NRI women were molested by drunken revellers,or Kochi where a Swedish woman was harassed and Kolkatta where some girls were danced into a corner by drunken men, Chennai's women were largerly safe. Although those venturing into farm house parties on East Coast Road and Marina had their intimidating moments. But as Harry Belafonte says, "Man smart, woman smarter," and that's what Chennai's woman were. Smart enough to get escorts pick them up or smart enough to be in a group. Some just decided to give all parties a miss and stayed home to chill.
"People will hesitate if they see cops, but in police-free areas they are likely to take potshots," says Letika Saran, Additional Director General of Police, Crime Branch, CID. "We have a mechanism in place so that a woman is safe while travelling," sheclaims. I am not sure about that, but women in Chennai who are still traditional in their attire and attitude have much to thank for.
Lost in Translation
