Tag Archives: Delhi

Chicago guest learns Hindi

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An anthropology student named Adam Sergent from the University of Chicago stayed at my guest house for a month. Like Lane and Dave, Adam wanted to learn Hindi with Bhasha Bharti. Although he had initially intended to study Hindi with Bhasha Bharti for three months, he had to adjust his plans. Bhasha Bharti didn’t have the availability for a full three months, so Adam decided to study in Varanasi for a month before moving to Mussoorie for the remaining two months. Adam had previously studied Hindi with Virendra Singh at Wisconsin University, so his proficiency was moderate.

When I asked why he wasn’t continuing with Virendra Singh in Varanasi, he explained that Virendra Singh spends summers in the U.S. teaching at Wisconsin University and only returns to India for the winter sessions. Adam attended classes at Bhasha Bharti for six hours a day, but found the schedule inconvenient, with classes from 8 to 11 in the morning and 4 to 7 in the evening. After about 15 days, he decided to leave early to conduct research related to his future work in India. He was pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago with a focus on labor at construction sites.

Adam had a positive experience learning Hindi at Bhasha Bharti, although he had some minor complaints about the classroom environment. He noted that his chair was positioned under a fan, causing dust to fall on him regularly. Despite these issues, he was generally satisfied with his time there. He then traveled to Delhi to observe construction sites for his research. He provided my brother’s contact information in Delhi for local assistance. Unfortunately, after spending just two days in Delhi and sampling the local food, Adam fell ill. He was hospitalized for three days and received four drips. This experience made me question the quality of Delhi’s food, as I also had problems during my last visit there.

Adam managed to reach Mussoorie to continue his Hindi studies at a local school, with accommodation arranged through the school. However, upon arrival, he found the door to his lodging locked. The house owner informed him that they had relocated to Dehradun for the month and could not host him.

Adam reached out to me for assistance in finding alternative housing in Mussoorie. I contacted a friend in Dehradun who helped locate a new place, but by the time it was found, Adam had already secured alternative accommodation. Due to a family issue, Adam decided to cancel his Hindi classes and leave Mussoorie earlier than planned.

Ministry of Tourism refuses to issue licenses

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After a nine-month wait, the Ministry of Tourism organized the tour guide exam in August. However, they imposed an unexpected requirement: applicants had to provide a domicile certificate issued by the court in Gwalior, which was nearly impossible to obtain within the given timeframe since the court typically takes more than a week to process such documents. As a result, more than half of the applicants were unable to participate in the exam. I managed to secure the certificate and participated, but the Ministry’s attempt to reduce the number of applicants did not succeed.

Those who could not take the exam filed a lawsuit against the government in the High Court of Delhi. The court ordered the Tourism Ministry to hold a new exam for the affected applicants. This meant that everyone eventually had the chance to participate. However, immediately after the second exam, the applicants filed another lawsuit, claiming that the second exam was more difficult than the first and demanding a third exam for all participants. I am confident that the government will not be able to accommodate this demand, as doing so would likely lead to further lawsuits from those who took the initial exams.

As a result of these ongoing legal battles, the Ministry is unable to declare the results of either exam. Additionally, there is a pending case in the High Court of Jaipur regarding a previous exam, filed about five years ago, which suggests that it may take another five to six years to resolve the current issues and declare the results. With the Commonwealth Games scheduled for 2010, it seems unlikely that the government will be able to train the tour guides in time. The process involves resolving all legal cases, completing the admission process, conducting classes, and organizing tours. Given the current circumstances, I doubt that the government will be able to prepare the guides before the Games.