At a time when India is finding resonance across the globe, the discriminatory policy of differential entry fee for foreigners at monuments must be reviewed
Pritam Jaipuriar is more Indian than any other Indian. Settled in the US for the past 16 years, he lives with his family in Cincinnati and works with a big consulting firm. A hardcore family man, he makes it a point to visit India every year, and goes on a whirlwind tour of as many as 10 cities, to meet his relatives. However, this time, he says, he would go back with a bitter taste. Recently, in Agra, to show his US-born son one of the seven wonders of the world, he was appalled when confronted by the staff at the Taj Mahal who insisted he buy a foreigner ticket, as his son spoke ‘accented English’. His own Indian identity was ignored by the overzealous staff who gave him a nice spiel on how Indian monuments had two categories of tickets — one for Indians and one for foreigners.
Marshall Mcluhan, who so passionately articulated the concept of a global village, much before it became a reality, would turn in his grave seeing the state of affairs of Indian monuments today. This is new-age discrimination that no one speaks of. Sample the entry fee structures around the country, and one is left flummoxed.
At Delhi's Red Fort, we pay a paltry Rs 35 to get inside what has been the imposing home of Mughal emperors for 200 years. However, if you have friends from abroad accompanying you, they have to shell out 15 times more ie Rs 500. At Qutub Minar, the rate is Rs 30 and Rs 500 for Indians and foreigners respectively. The Taj Mahal authorities are more innovative. They have three slabs — Indians pay Rs 40; citizens of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation countries pay Rs 530; while others pay 25 times more than what is paid by Indians, Rs 1,000. The avant garde is Elephanta Caves which charges Rs 10 for citizens of India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mynamar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri lanka and Thailand, whereas foreigners have to pay Rs 250 per head.
This is both intriguing and funny. Nowhere in the world one would find as vacuous a rule as this. I asked my brother, who just came back from a tour to Europe, if he was made to pay extra for entry fee to the Eiffel Tower for his skin color, he burst into laughter wondering why such a thing should happen. I gently reminded him of the weird entry fee rules to our monuments in India and his glee faded remorsefully rapidly.
At a time when under the prime ministership of Narendra Modi India has made a definitive surge on the world map and has been working hard to project itself as a thriving nation, and willing to embrace people of all nationalities, such a weird rule comes as a rude shock. As it is, we have to live with the ignominy of being home to some of the worst social and perception indicators. Despite climbing up nine ranks in 2016, we are country number 155 (out of 189) on World Bank's ease of doing business index. Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International places us at 76 out of 168 countries surveyed for corruption perception index. India also accounts for the maximum number of maternal deaths in the world.
However, things have been changing. The Prime Minister’s Office noted in June this year that, “Reform measures undertaken by the Government have resulted in increased Foreign Direct Iinvestment inflows at $55.46 billion in financial year 2015-2016 as against $36.04 billion during the financial year 2013-2014.” Add to this the flurry of visits by international leaders to India — from former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to Chinese President Xi Jinping, German Vice Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, French President François Hollande, US President Barack Obama and many more — and you tend to feel the growing recognition of India's rising stature globally.
As a nation, we have been highly sensitive to any kind of discrimination that we face abroad — be it by the biased work conditions for H-1B visa holders in the US or the racial discrimination based on skin colour, ethnic origin or religion in Australia. We cry hoarse and rue ourselves as software slaves in the US.
Modi has shown India can, and will, go very far. However, we must do some course correction, including eliminating the monumental blunder of keeping a discriminatory entry fee pricing to our heritage sites by foreigners. It shall augur well for India, and its image.