rajnationalexpress

© Habeeb…out of Ideas!

The "incredible India" of the tourism ad campaign is increasingly showing itself in reality as a "credulous India"-one that refuses to learn from past mistakes or realize the costs of a meandering, personality-driven approach to policy making. India's foreign policy kowtows to two of its neighbors in April highlight this.

The Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency for the development and promotion of tourism in India and maintains the Incredible India campaign. Metaphorically the phrase Incredible India refers to aspects of India which demonstrate (to foreign tourists) its moral values, rich cultural heritage, places of historical interest, and traditional way of life. In contrast, contemporary India strife with poverty, corruption, and unreliable infrastructure is not Incredible India. For example Elephanta Caves are "Incredible India" but Dharavi is not; Taj Mahal is part of "Incredible India" but the city of Agra in general is not Incredible India. Indian weddings are Incredible India but bride burning and dowry is not Incredible India.
Recent overtures to Pakistan and China have again shown the lack of firmness in New Delhi's policy making.

© 713 Avenue

Air India, the national air carrier, has announced its aim to become the first green airline in the country. The green air travel in India initiative was started a few years ago. Air India's corporate environment policy, as described by the airline's Chairman and Managing Director, Arvind Jadhav, seeks to reduce carbon emission, noise and other forms of pollution as well as reduce consumption of fuel and other natural resources.

To make air travel in India environment-friendly, they have decided on introducing a documentation management system and also want to go electronic with an e-filing system, thus cutting down on the use of paper.

The company claims to have achieved carbon dioxide emission savings of about 38 crore kilos in the past two years, thus indeed gearing it up to be the first to provide green air travel in India!

© brian glanz

An Australian mother of two was seeking a small, non-profit organization that would all ow her the opportunity to visit India as a volunteer. She found the Our Home Charitable Trust in Kerala, which incorporates two children's homes and a primary school for 250 children from low-caste, poor or tribal families, where she committed to a four-week teaching stint.

She said it was hard to adjust at first, but soon she found the experience to be so profound that she ended up spending a full ten weeks there. She said she was attracted by the ethos of the organization, which is that every child has the right to be educated. While she is a trained teacher, she says that a love for children, and not a diploma, is the essential qualification for those who want to volunteer here.