"Where is the Bathroom?"
They are the face of a new place for the tourist. But the tour guide is not necessarily a shifty looking, glib talker. We spoke with Parveen Mistry, a licensed tour guide with the Indian Tourist office.
How does one become a tour guide?
By responding to advertisements by the government, and then undergoing training. They teach you every thing: Facts about a place, how to behave, and how to respond to different situations and people.
Do you ever lie to make a site more interesting?
Some guides do embellish stories if they find interest is flagging! But it is not really necessary. Most good guides don’t. I have never felt the need to do it. If my guests find that it is not interesting enough, then I just take them to another place. We have to make extremely sure that what we say is exactly accurate. Or we warn them that it is only an approximation.
Have you ever been stumped by a question?
Many times. I just tell them that I will find out and get back to them. And I always do.
Are you supposed to tip guides?
Sure. Tips are welcome, and most people do tip. But we never ask for it. I have been tipped amounts varying from Rs. 10 to Rs. 1,000. If the amount is too small or if the guide does not like to accept it, then they usually make that clear.
Who asks more questions, foreigners or Indians?
Foreigners. But that is because they don’t really know much about our cultural practices and they are very curious. Indians already have an idea of what to expect.
Do your guests stay in touch?
Oh yes! There are many people who ask me about my life and my children, and once they go back they send letters and photographs of their family and many of them stay in touch. This is one of the reasons that I love my profession.
(This story appears in the 04 December, 2009 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
