Visiting India’s ancient monuments? Prepare for racism

[prasad1]

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Visiting India’s ancient monuments? Prepare for racism

Not so welcome.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)


The idea of who is or isn’t a foreigner manifests daily in a summary assessment of the skin colour of tourists queuing outside the ticket counter of monuments of national importance. You can call this a farcical display of discrimination based on colour, but it can be bruising nevertheless—for Indians and foreigners alike.

This shameful story of racism is an outcome of the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI’s) policy to have dual pricing for entry tickets to the monuments. Under this the foreigners have to pay several times more than Indians. For instance, to enter the Taj Mahal, foreigners pay Rs750 ($12.5), as against the Rs20 ($0.33) Indians do. For visiting the Red Fort or the Humayun Tomb in Delhi, Indians pay Rs10 ($0.17) and foreigners Rs250 ($4.2).

The problem is that there isn’t a mechanism in place through which the citizenship of visitors can be determined. No proof of identity is asked for, and whether a tourist is foreigner is determined by the person at the ticket counter on the basis of his or her notion of who looks Indian in appearance. The colour of skin and facial features become the clinching factors in this egregiously flawed process of determining citizenship.

Thus, anyone who is white or black is asked to buy the more costly ticket unless he or she challenges the person at the counter and furnishes identity documents to prove that they are Indians. Even a person such as Sonia Gandhi, who has relinquished her Italian citizenship for an Indian one, might run the risk of being declared an outsider, only because her complexion is foreign-white.

Judging the Indian citizenship of visitors from their appearance is demeaning for those who don’t have features or colour the ASI personnel consider Indian. My relative was asked to pay the foreigner’s rate at Delhi’s Humayun tomb because the person at the ticket counter thought she was from the Philippines. She had to speak in Hindi to avail of the Rs10 ticket. Some people from the northeast states experience this slight whenever they are asked, “You foreigner?”

Visiting India?s ancient monuments? Prepare for racism ? Quartz

 

[Jaykay767]

oh oh oh, ok, ok, ok - charging foreign visitors more to pay for a poor country like India is racism - this has to be news. And seeing someone in Baltimore airport (currently stinking with the race riots) & asking are you Swedish is not racism but if you ask the same person - are you Swedish in India, then it is racism... oh poor whites, they are so badly discriminated in India... Don't worry, now that it has been brought to our notice, we will take immediate action - institute CBI enquiry against all "innocent poor Indians" for racism... & we will spare no one....LOL !!!

 

[Jaykay767]

Don't worry... we will also send a ATR - action taken report to the west on a weekly basis on the racism issue in India... of course we will inform all Indians going to the great USA/Canada/West to humbly submit to the foreign rulers & take all their abuses in great spirits, coz our great innocent whites know not what racism is ...they only gently reprimand by pumping 8 bullets.... oh such good people lah....you cannot find anywhere in this world lah... LOL !!!!

 

[V.Balasubramani]

And seeing someone in Baltimore airport (currently stinking with the race riots) & asking are you Swedish is not racism but if you ask the same person - are you Swedish in India, then it is racism... oh poor whites,

Sir,

I agree.

I would like to share this news item here:

US has long history of serious racism: Pundit

Read more at: PressTV-?US has long history of serious racism?

P.S: Just remember the proverb: 'Put your house in order'.

 

[renuka]

Believe me somehow those in India can make out right away who is an NRI or an Indian from another country!LOL

I once went to the Mysore Maharaja summer palace in Blore with a friend and he was an Indian citizen and he told me just keep quiet and he would buy 2 tickets for Indian citizens..cos other country citizens have to pay more.

At first I told him no need to cheat cos I dont mind paying extra..but he said No..why waste money.

But the guy at the ticket counter took a look at me and him and said "madam has to pay foreign rate for entry ticket...you pay Indian rate".

So you cant cheat these guys..they can tell right away who is an Indian citizen..NRI or PIO!

 

[sarang]

UK universities charged differential fees for native and foreign students. What is wrong in charging more for foreign tourists. Issues related proving citizenship can be easily settled if one carries ID, driving licence or passport or one of the documents approved. Is it such an issue to be debated? I know some NRIs who who were reluctant to settle bills in dollars in 5* hotels when it was mandatory.

In such a situation, the visitor has two options - prove status or make ruckus and avoid that site. Linking such issues to racism is idiotic by any measure - indians are not racists in the west meant sense.

 

[prasad1]

As usual there is a lot of noise about other countries practice discrimination. Instead Topic to something else, Why do you not try to answer the question or point
Usual culprit is Sarangji, Have you ever read your own post? You always try to divert the conversation, try to answer the topic under consideration. Just because others made error it does not become right. Two wrongs do not make it right.

The point in the OP is that the decision is left at the lowest level, and Indian National is humiliated and forced to pay this exorbitant ticket price.
It is arbitrary and open to corruption. In other countries their own citizens have proof of their residence (driver's license or some other proof), so it can be checked. In India people do not carry residency proof on them.

 

[vgane]

I think Prasadji is correct..Government should insist that we should carry a mandatory photo identity proof /Aadhaar card/PAN card while visiting public places..It will avoid unnecessary trouble

 

[sarang]

As usual the himalayas negative mindset man unilaterally judges what others should post, as if he is a lawyer in films, threatening, answer yes or no. There are several issues in the message and any or all can be countered. He does not follow his own advice to skip posts he does not like.

 

[sarang]

We are yet to reach that level when all carry ids. When non Indians visiting zoos or non Hindus visiting temples face such problems by low level staff, they are advised to contact someone higher up to sort out. Similar difficulties faced by foreign looking Indians was discussed in the past too. Some whiners always scout for such reports to portray Indians in bad light. Lakhs of tourists visit monuments everyday. How often one is harassed.

I think Prasadji is correct..Government should insist that we should carry a mandatory photo identity proof /Aadhaar card/PAN card while visiting public places..It will avoid unnecessary trouble

 

[sarang]

Foreigners will not have problem because they can prove with documents, but no benefit because they have to pay more. Foreign looking Indians if challenged can establish their status by speaking Hindi with madarasi accent. Some look for imagined problems and post without any balanced thinking.

The whole article is black black without any verifiable data like complaint or case. Just accusation Masala.

 

[cmano1981]

I have been to Jordan and they have different price for foreigners at certain tourist sites. It is nothing wrong. Developing countries thinks foreigners have money and they will help to get more revenue to keep the world
famous sites well-maintained. Even in Mahabalipuram long back, there was a $5 entry. If foreigner looks like local, then he can go for less, but the belief is tourists do not do cheap things
since they already pay a lot to come and visit that place.

 

[sarang]

Many ASI sites charge differential rates for visits. In taj, in addition, agra development authority charges additional development fee, again different for foreigners. visitors have welcomed it and this is also approved by court.

The author of the article, as usual, twists a simple issue and portrays it as a race related issue, definitely not justifies. His vitriolic outburst brings issues which are irrelevant and have no place in the article. Again, the article conveniently refers to ghost sufferers who cannot be contacted for verification. Most important, he has not contacted ASI for their views and solution for the 'racist problem'. The author is not a dignified journalist, but belong to the mud throwing kind. So are his followers.

When ex president abdul kalam was detained and partial strip searched in USA or khobergade was invasively searched by the police, the us govt simply said, the investigator is free to do what hhad done. Kalam and the lady have to prove their innocence and have to suffer indignities heaped. So a foreign or indian visitor has to prove his status when challenged by the ticket vendor. There are many ways to solve the problem in a short time, by contacting a senior officer.