A place cannot be judged solely on the basis of its appearance, history and culture, the people matter too. The most beautiful spot on earth would lose its appeal if the inhabitants were unfriendly or unwelcoming. Here I must confess that I was guilty of having a few stereotypical misconceptions about the kind of people I would come across in Rajasthan. And boy, was I proved wrong.
The people we met were warm, welcoming, extremely courteous and jovial. The rare ones that weren’t, were probably just having a bad day or something. The cynics may point out that it makes good business sense for them to be nice to visitors, but these were’t just smooth-talking hustlers. They were engaging, they were lively and interesting to talk to.
A cheerful young auto rickshaw driver named Ali drove us into the market because we wanted to try out Udaipur’s famous ‘pyaaz ki kachori’. He chatted non-stop on the way and his English was pretty much flawless. We asked him how he had learnt it so well. He told us that when he first began plying his auto, he could speak only three sentences: 1) Good Morning. 2) How are you? 3) You are from which country? Then he started asking foreign tourists to teach him English. And in return, he would show them a few more places. Within a few years the enterprising Ali could natter away in English with his passengers.
The local guides and cab drivers are a storehouse of information and anecdotes. I soaked up their Hindi and their humour both. The guide who persuaded us to let him take us around Amer Fort was blessed with an infectious energy and a smile. He maneuvered us deftly through the crowds that thronged the place, stopping at the best view points and had an answer to every query.
One of the cab drivers, on hearing our animated debate about whether the soil of the battlefield of HaldiGhati could really be the colour of turmeric or just a story, assured us that it was so. And very helpfully slowed down near one of the rocky formations on the roadside to point out the streaks of yellow coloured soil to prove it.
Another thing that struck me were the extremely narrow lanes in the old city of Udaipur and how calmly and cheerfully people drove their vehicles through them. Some of those lanes could pass for slightly wider pavements and yet all manner of 4, 3 and 2 -wheelers drove over them with an enviable skill and insouciance. We didn’t hear a cross word or see a dirty look even once.
The tourism industry is well and thriving in Rajasthan. As well it should. They have multi-lingual guides, multi-cuisine restaurants and multi-currency souvenir shops. One thing the visitor should be prepared for, though- every guide/cab or auto-driver will know a place where you can buy the genuine article at a cheaper rate. And it will never be the shop in which you just spent a considerable amount of money. Deal with it!
butterfliesonmymindblog 