Tag Archives: walking tours in varanasi

Varanasi tours

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I recently worked with a travel agency as a mute guide for an Italian group. The group already had an escort who knew Varanasi very well, but he didn’t have a tourist guide license, so I was hired to accompany the group as their mute guide. I had previously worked with many tourists as a tour guide in Varanasi, all of whom were my direct clients, but I had no experience working with a group traveling through a travel agency, so I was excited to take on this opportunity.

I was asked to meet the group at Sarnath, where they would arrive directly from the airport. When I met them, the escort instructed me to stay with him at all the entrance points of the monuments. The group first visited the Sarnath ruins, and I saw the escort explaining something in Italian for about 10-15 minutes. Then he gave the clients free time and came back to me. The clients were left to wander around the ruins on their own, which seemed like a nice idea to me.

After the ruins, we headed to the museum, where the escort explained only four statues before giving the clients more free time and returning to me. Once again, the clients were alone. I asked him if he had checked with the clients about whether they wanted his company or preferred to explore on their own. He replied that he never asks; he just tells them in a very professional way to go explore the place independently. This sounded a little strange to me. I also give my clients free time, but I ask them first. Still, I wasn’t sure if my approach was better than his, especially since the clients never seemed to complain.

After visiting the museum, we headed straight to the hotel, which surprised me because the clients did not get to visit the Buddha Temple and the Bodhi Tree—both significant places for Buddhists and Hindus. In fact, these are the only places where you see people actively participating in rituals, which seemed more interesting than visiting a museum or ruins. Nonetheless, the clients didn’t complain, likely because they were unaware of these important sites.

After checking in at the hotel, the clients had an hour to get ready for their visit to Dashashwamedh Ghat. I finally met them again at Dashashwamedh Ghat, where a boat was waiting for us. We took the boat to Manikarnika Ghat to see the cremation ground. We spent hardly ten minutes there before heading back to Dashashwamedh Ghat for the evening ceremony. After the ceremony, the clients returned to the hotel, and I went home.

The next morning, I met them again for a boat ride at 5 AM. We enjoyed about an hour on the river before walking through the narrow alleys of Varanasi and visiting Vishwanath Temple (The Golden Temple). The clients entered the temple with the escort while I waited outside. After their visit, the tour concluded. It was a unique experience for me, but I couldn’t help but think about those poor clients who spent only 20 hours in Varanasi—12 of which were in the hotel, 3 in the bus, and hardly 5 exploring a city where one could easily spend three to four days, and even that might not be enough.

After the tour, one of the clients asked the escort to take him to the old city because he wanted to photograph the people and their daily lives. The escort asked me to take him to the Dashashwamedh Ghat area but instructed me not to take the client further away and to give him some free time. We took an autorickshaw to the area, but as soon as I got off the vehicle, I asked the client if he wanted to go alone or if he wanted me to accompany him. I could see he was confused.

He asked me to come along, so I took him to Dashashwamedh Ghat, then to the vegetable market, and finally walked through the alleys where the real life of Varanasi was happening. The client was surprised, shocked, and happy. He told me he had never seen a place like the one I showed him. He took many pictures and asked a lot of innocent questions, making it clear that he didn’t know much about India. When we reached the vegetable market, he asked if it was for people living in the slums. I told him that this is how our vegetable markets are everywhere, and he said he hadn’t seen anything like it during his entire trip.

Once, I asked the escort how much the travel agency charged the clients, and I was shocked to hear that they paid about Rs. 20,000 ($500) per day per person. With six people in the group, that totaled Rs. 1,20,000 ($3,000) for just 5 hours of travel and accommodation in a Taj hotel. They didn’t even visit the Buddha Temple, the Bodhi Tree, or see people going about their daily lives along the river—experiences that I think are the most interesting for foreign visitors to Varanasi. I feel sorry for tourists like that, but maybe they prefer it that way; who knows? Nonetheless, it was a valuable experience for me to work with them.

Hindi classes with Italian cultural center

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For the past two months, I’ve been doing something new: working as a Hindi teacher at the Centro Risorse India center. I’ve been conducting “walking classes,” which are both interesting and enjoyable, though they can be a bit dull when dealing with absolute beginners. About two months ago, Marco, the head of Centro Risorse India, asked me to give these walking classes. Although I had no prior experience, Marco encouraged me to give it a try. He assured me that if I liked it, there would be more opportunities for me.

With some free time on my hands, I decided to take on the challenge. My first student was Caterina, a girl from the University of Venice. I took her out for a walk, and we started conversing in Hindi. To make the sessions more engaging, I chose topics related to Benares or Indian culture instead of sticking to general conversation. This approach proved effective. Caterina, who lived in the Nagwa neighborhood, was my very first student, and I felt a bit nervous on that first day. I chose to discuss the “History of Nagwa” as the topic.

We spent a couple of hours discussing Nagwa and also delved into some controversial political and social issues related to the neighborhood. The class flew by, and I found the experience quite fulfilling. Since then, I have worked with many students and thoroughly enjoy the job, especially when the students have a sufficient grasp of Hindi to express themselves. This role not only allows me to share information about India and Benares with foreigners but also gives me a chance to learn about different countries and cultures through my interactions with international students.

However, I encountered a student who knew no Hindi at all, which was extremely frustrating. I advised her to focus on Hindi grammar first before reaching out to me again. Despite this, the feedback from the students I’ve worked with has been positive. Now, the university is offering me a language and teaching training program in Venice for a month, which sounds exciting. However, I’m unsure if I should attend, as the program is scheduled for June, when I plan to visit America. I’m considering whether there might be an opportunity to visit neighboring countries of Italy after the training, which would make the trip even more appealing.

Guide training program – week 1 and week 2

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The first two weeks of the guide training program are complete, and I am genuinely impressed with the quality of education here. The institute is excellent, and the professors are both helpful and friendly. On the first day, we were introduced to the institute and its staff. They also briefed us on swine flu, including its symptoms, and advised us to take care of our health. If anyone exhibits symptoms, there is a designated department at the institute to assist them by arranging visits to a government hospital.

The professors here are exceptional. Many of them teach at foreign universities annually. This is a stark contrast to my previous experience with strict teachers at my previous schools and university. Here, the professors are very approachable and use a lot of technology. They all have laptops and use projectors to present PowerPoint slides. Initially, the training was to be conducted at the institute, but due to a lack of available air-conditioned rooms—occupied by other programs—the venue was changed. We are now using a hotel conference room with air conditioning.

Participants are divided into four batches: A, B, C, and D. Batches A and B attend sessions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while batches C and D have sessions from 2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. I am in the second batch. Over 95% of the participants are experienced unauthorized guides, and I am the only one in my batch without prior experience with a travel agency. Some participants are over 55 years old.

Before each session, the professors encourage participants to share their knowledge if they disagree with any content, as they acknowledge that we may have more information in certain areas. Our professors are not only from IITTM but also from various universities and institutions across India. Each day features a different professor lecturing on a new subject. The institute emphasizes that a tour guide is a living encyclopedia and therefore invites experts from diverse fields to provide comprehensive training.

While our training focuses on North India, we have had professors discussing other regions, such as the West and South. Most classes have been engaging, but two stood out as particularly unusual. One was on Indian astrology, which could have been interesting if it had covered the basics. Instead, the professor delved into advanced topics and was more focused on marketing his services, offering his business card and inviting us to his office in Rajasthan for personal consultations.

Another class, on menu planning in hotels, was less relevant to our training. It would have been more interesting if it had covered hotel culture, but instead, it focused on how hotels plan their menus and generate revenue from their restaurants. None of the participants found this class particularly useful or relevant to our guide training.

We are receiving instruction on a wide range of topics, including different segments of tourism, religions, cultures, cuisine, IT in tourism, and the tourism industry both in India and abroad. One segment that particularly intrigued me was LGBT tourism. I had not been familiar with this aspect of tourism before, but it seems fascinating. Given that no other students are focusing on this topic, I see it as a unique opportunity to align my research with the guide training program.

The professors are also addressing various social issues, such as the Coca-Cola controversy, environmental concerns, water issues, and women’s rights. In a class on IT in tourism, we covered blogging. Although I already knew about blogging, emailing, and web design, I inquired about search engine optimization. The professor did not address it, likely because most participants were unfamiliar with the Internet and he did not want to delve into advanced topics in that context. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the class.

The program coordinator mentioned that we should be proud of the training provided, noting that previous programs had only organized around 20 classes, whereas this year’s program includes at least 75 classes on various subjects. I am thoroughly enjoying the training and am eagerly anticipating my research on LGBT tourism in Benares.

Research on secular philosophers and cremationists

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Adam, a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, returned to Benares and stayed at my place again. This year, he aimed to conduct preliminary research for his upcoming study in India. Although he wanted to study Hindi, he had decided to go to Mussoorie for that purpose. Adam was interested in two main subjects: laborers at construction sites and Doams (the individuals who work at cremation sites). Accompanying him this year was his fiancée, Megan, who is conducting research for her school, Smith College, in Boston, on secular Indian philosophers. She was looking to gather data on philosophers active between 1850 and 1940.

Megan had initially gone to the University of Mysore but had not found any useful resources due to a lack of assistance. Frustrated, she left Mysore and came to Benares with hopes of better luck at BHU. She wanted to visit the BHU library and consult with professors from the philosophy department. I enlisted the help of a friend from BHU, who guided us through the university. Our first stop was the International Students Center, where we met an officer who directed us to the head of the central library.

When we met with the head of the library, both Adam and Megan were impressed by the facilities at BHU, noting that the library was far superior to that of the University of Mysore. They praised the helpfulness of the staff at BHU. Megan was asked to write a formal request for permission to use the library, and after submitting it, we were granted access to the books. We toured the library with a few staff members who showed us around. Megan found several valuable books for her research, but unfortunately, the books were too old and fragile to be photocopied.

Instead, she had to request digital copies. The library staff asked us to return in five days to collect the digital formats. Afterward, we visited the philosophy department and met a professor who was more interested in showcasing his own work than in discussing Megan’s research. He spent an hour talking about his books before finally asking what Megan needed. She explained her research, and he suggested she return the next day to explore the philosophy department’s library, which he claimed contained relevant books.

Returning home, Megan felt positive about the day’s progress, especially after the promising experience at BHU, which contrasted sharply with her frustrating visit to the University of Mysore. I was pleased for Megan’s successful research day. Adam, meanwhile, wanted to interview a Doam, so I took him to Harishchandra Ghat and introduced him to a contact I had met while working on CBC’s documentary *Myths and Might*. We met at the ghat, and he took us to the electric crematorium where he worked. This was my first visit to an electric burner, and it turned out to be the perfect setting for Adam’s interview.

Over the next few hours, Adam and Megan asked the Doam various questions about his personal life, social status, and experiences of discrimination. To show his appreciation, Adam wanted to give a gift, so I asked the Doam about the nearest sweet shop. The Doam explained that they preferred alcohol over sweets, so we ended up buying him a bottle of whiskey instead.

Another case against tour guide training

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It now appears that completing the guide training program will be delayed by another year. The Guide Association of Jaipur has filed another lawsuit against the government, demanding that the training be organized exactly as it was previously done for them. Their training consisted of three and a half months of classes followed by a fifteen-day orientation tour. This time, the proposed training includes forty-five days of classes, a fifteen-day orientation tour, and two months of research. I believe this updated training program is an improvement over the previous one.

The Jaipur association has alleged that some candidates in this year’s program have submitted fraudulent documents. They are demanding that the government verify each document with the relevant authorities. It seems their primary goal is to delay the training as much as possible. They are likely trying to prevent new guides from working during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which is expected to attract around ten million tourists to India.

Due to the postponement of our training, this year’s candidates are planning to sue the government again for not starting the program. I received a call from the advocate handling the lawsuit, who informed me that the government will issue temporary licenses to all candidates who were scheduled to receive training this year. I will need to travel to Delhi to obtain this temporary license. While I am uncertain how long it will take to receive the permanent license, the constant trips to Delhi and the advocate’s fees are becoming quite overwhelming.

Why do people travel?

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In the past month, I met six Couchsurfing members, and I was surprised to find that four of them seemed unclear about the purpose of their travels. They spent most of their time sleeping and relaxing in their guesthouse rooms. Among them were two Germans and two Americans. The German visitors stayed in Benares for four days but didn’t explore much. They missed out on key experiences like Aarti and walks along the ghats, and only briefly watched a funeral without showing much interest in Aarti or Sarnath.

The American travelers were students. One of them was studying Urdu at an institute in Lucknow for a research project on Hindu-Muslim tensions. I was eager to learn more about her research, but unfortunately, I had to leave for Gwalior the day I met her. The other American was learning Hindi with Virendra Singh and had been living in Varanasi for a month. The Urdu student knew about Aarti but was unaware of Sarnath, while the Hindi student knew about Sarnath but hadn’t heard of Aarti. He had never even visited Godaulia, the downtown area of Benares. I’m unsure how he spent his time over the past month.

After finally seeing Aarti, he remarked that it was possibly the most impressive part of Benares for him. Natasha, the Urdu student, also enjoyed Aarti and decided to visit Sarnath the following day. Swami Vivekananda once said that if you have free time, traveling is a great way to utilize it because it allows you to learn about different cultures, engage with people, and make the world a better place. I believe that travel should be about learning and experiencing new things, but the individuals I met seemed to be traveling merely because they had extra time and money, or perhaps to boast about their travels. They could have gained similar knowledge and insights by spending time online in their own countries. I’m still puzzled about their real purpose for traveling.