THE GUIDE

 THE GUIDE

There are a number of situations when we need the services of a Guide. The need for a guide is felt, when we are in a new place of interest for Pilgrimage or Tourism. There are official guides appointed by respective governments of the area. In addition, several men [rarely women] perform the duties of a guide of course, expecting a decent payment at the end of it. Depending on where we need guidance, varied persons appear on the scene ‘mostly uninvited’; they keep walking behind you or by your side, drawing attention to the places of interest [ with or without local conveyance] and try to snatch a deal.

Tourism guides.

Invariably, they manage to pick their customers from train terminal or bus terminal and offer to book rooms for the family and suggest some places for us to choose. Just to convince the prospective client, they show albums of places of nearby interest. Most of them speak several languages –Indian/ foreign and clinch a deal by the sheer fluency he shows in ‘our’ language. Multilingual scholarship is not just a feature of some University Professors of Linguistics. These guides are more adept in the ‘conversational form’ of different languages than any linguist. Language is always an easy route to ‘win minds.’ With a gaping lower jaw, most of us are awe-struck by their fluency and we [TAMILS] are reluctant to learn other languages on some pretext or the other. We seem to have both Pride and Prejudice; PRIDE [about our language] and PREJUDICE [about conceding value for other tongues]. In the process, we have triggered ‘language pride’ for people of other languages. It is time we disbanded concepts of self aggrandizement and adapted methods of language-learning. Tourist guides thrive on language skill and show us the way to succeed by ‘self employment’.

PILGRIM CENTRES

The services required and offered at pilgrim centres are different. The work of the guide demands presenting both details and helping the clients to have ‘dharshan of deities’, besides making arrangements for ‘puja’ to those deities. Unlike what happens in tourism spots, places of worship are keenly watched by women tourists and so, any explanation has to be slow, methodic and to the point. As for pilgrim centres, different other services may have to be in place ; there are bathing points along the river or sea-shore and guides must have thorough knowledge of ‘risk spots’ or ‘safe spots’ for bathing. Places like Rameswaram have several ‘holy wells’ for bathing. There has to be a fixed order 1, 2, 3 and so on, though the wells need not be in proper order. Pilgrims prefer to abide by the right sequence, on the belief that ‘random sequence’ in bathing does not lead to ‘salvation’. In view of such ‘demanding’ needs, hotchpotch guidance is bound to irritate the pilgrims and may reflect itself in payment of service charges. There are temples –quite massive by dimension and intricate by design. The intricacy relates to look-alike entry/ exit points; in such places tourists are easily confused , losing their way and keep repeating similar error unless properly guided. Madurai Meenakshi temple and Srirangam Renganatha swami temple are two typical cases more because, they have more than 2 exit points; the issue turns worse for tourists who are not familiar with the local language.

NEW GENRE OF GUIDES

Of late, India has turned a destination for medical tourism. Yes, now-a-days, hospitals in India are quite updated and also offer excellent medical care. They have agencies which locate patients across the globe and invite them to get treated by xxxx medical facility in Chennai or Bangalore. They field on internet,   their publicity materials like pamphlets or videos of interviews from patients, Doctors / Deans who explain the details and indicate the availability of specialists who can handle complex cases. Graduates/ Post-graduates serve as GUIDES on their teams to be in touch with patients from other countries/continents.  These men provide all details of travel plan, interview with the Doctor[s], stay arrangements and return travel back home. The overall cost for the entire mission is also suggested [in Dollars]. Once, the travel plan is finalized the patient is received at the Air terminal in India and brought for treatment and put back on home-ward flight after treatment.  Considering the cost of treatment in U S or UK, the Indian package is attractive and India is gaining significance as a medical destination. In the deal, non-medical personnel handling the liaison for the hospital and the overseas patient are the actual guides in the game.

Prof. K. Raman