An expedition to remember
On a July afternoon, many years ago, I bore the responsibility of escorting a group of
foreigners assembled in Delhi for a seminar, to a place of tourist interest discussed and settled
upon between my company ( a travel agency ) and the host organization conducting the
seminar. My company had been given the business of arranging for the flight tickets and the
hotel reservations for the entire group and as a gesture of our appreciation , we had agreed to
provide a complimentary half-day sight-seeing tour of Delhi by coach.
A humid , sweaty clime was a challenging prospect for some of the guests who were
Europeans and the thought of any unpunctualities on the tour made me anxious – this being my
very first outing as an escort. To assist me in the tour was a young man – Vinod, from the host
organization and a freelance guide – Mr. Bhardwaj, an elderly and seasoned professional,
amiable though somewhat incoherent ! Those were the days when mobile phones and the
internet were things unheard of by us and we were dependent upon making plans in advance
and carrying them out to the letter, with little chance of making last-minute changes unless
there happened to be a real emergency. Hence, imagine my chagrin when there was no bus to
pick us up from the hotel as arranged even though it was nearing our departure time !
Just as I returned from a fruitless vigil at the gates, I saw to my amazement, the entire group
rise as if on cue and head for the exit ! Little knowing what to expect at the gates, I was
tremendously relieved to find the bus waiting there ( punctually on-the-dot at the appointed
time and not a minute too soon )! Much relieved at the sight of our guests boarding the bus, I
marveled at the seeming telepathy which had informed them of its arrival ( though now I put it
down to the hotel reception doing the needful ). Be that as it may, I was thankfully eased of my
anxiety and thus we embarked on our excursion. The itinerary was to begin with a brief visit to
the mausoleum of a bygone emperor following which we would proceed to one of the best
known historical landmarks of Delhi and spend the rest of the day there.
As a preparatory speech to our visiting the first venue of the day, Mr. Bhardwaj, our respected
guide , gave voice in the following manner- ”Aas you know the …wou…had…dota…wint…gue”
he croaked, “and the reign to …gave…hoom…haw…! Dismayed at the man’s incoherence I
wondered at my office having arranged this person to conduct the day’s proceedings, especially
when I heard some of the visitors sniggering. Arriving at our destination, our guide suggested
that I remain in the coach to safeguard our guests’ belongings and he, accompanied by Vinod –
the young man from the host organization , would conduct the tour and return in a while to the
bus. This seemed to be logically sound since I myself knew nothing about being a guide. Hence,
I watched Mr. Bhardwaj accompany the group as they slowly walked up the path to the
monument. My company of guests had been talkative and cordial when they started up the
path to the mausoleum but were a musing and silent lot when they returned down the same
path, presumably because they were trying to decipher the various attempts at enlightenment
that I am sure our guide had subjected them to. Having climbed aboard once again we made
our way to the next port of call , which was the famous landmark made of red sandstone.
Mr. Collins and Mr. Roth seemed immediately struck by what they saw of the red sandstone
and soon started photographing it . Being environmental scientists , I assume they had been
professionally interested in some aspect of the sandstone and the others too had wandered off
among the sprawling grounds and were presumably engaged in similar activities of professional
interest to them. Well, all I had to do was keep an eye on them assisted by both Vinod and Mr.
Bhardwaj and answer the occasional queries as best as I could. One gentleman, Mr. Richards, a
mild and soft-spoken person, confided in me that he had been approached by a rickshaw puller
in the Old Delhi area which he had visited , who had offered to show him the historical sights of
old Delhi as chauffeur and guide at the same time. “Should I take up his offer ?”Mr. Richards
asked me. Despite the unorthodox nature of his would-be-guide I favoured the arrangement
because I believed that the rickshaw puller would have acquired good knowledge of the
environs due to his long association with it. Mr. Richards would enjoy an inexpensive guided
tour of the city, in an unhurried manner, with his very own exotic mode of travel !
As the time approached for us to re-assemble in the bus, the three of us – Vinod, Mr.
Bhardwaj and I, rounded up our little party and proceeded to the parking area. There we met
some hawkers who entreated us to buy their wares. Now, as a matter of discretion one should
not interfere between two people bargaining with each other but apparently Vinod- my young
companion was unaware of this and openly advised a visitor against over-paying for some
trinket. Imagine the tumult this caused among the vendors and soon emotions ran high with
Vinod not relenting one bit at his end and things started taking much too lively a turn for my
liking ! It took considerable pacifying on my part , coupled with our alacrity in boarding the
coach which saved the day for us and with this explosive episode we set off on our journey
home. Enroute, Mr. Bhardwaj seemed to have set up an animated discussion with some of the
members of our party and it was revealed that he too was gravely concerned about the
environment and felt strongly about people littering in tourist spots and heritage areas. He
vehemently supported responsible tourism and strongly objected to irresponsible behavior
from insensitive people. This delighted our guests and it was soon resolved that Mr. Bhardwaj
would call upon one of them at the hotel later that evening and present to him a book on
environmental protection in the Himalayas, which he had had for a number of years and would
be delighted to bestow upon a fellow environmentalist. I too had joined in the discussion from
time to time and perchance had come to know that one of the visitors – Mr. Brooks had an
interest in numismatics – a hobby shared by me and understanding a fellow collector’s passion
for collecting coins, offered to drop off a few which were out of circulation now, at his hotel
later on the same evening.
There had been heavy weather during the day and the hot and still air had given some
indications of an approaching thunderstorm. Sure enough, as I prepared to leave my house for
meeting Mr. Brooks, the storm broke, with torrential rain expected to last for a long time !
Though I usually use my motorcycle for commuting , I decided to call for a taxi ; not wishing to
break my appointment with Mr. Brooks since I knew he would be leaving the city the next
morning or be drenched in the rain. To my disappointment I was informed by the taxi-stand
that all their vehicles were engaged at the moment and were not expected back anytime soon!
Feeling quite helpless, I was on the verge of calling Mr. Brook’s hotel to inform him of my
inability to meet him that day when my telephone rang – it was a call from Mr. Bhardwaj our
elderly guide. After greeting me cheerfully , he informed me that he had met Mr. Brook’s at his
hotel and guessing that I had been detained for some reason, made my excuses to him and also
presented him with some mangoes on my behalf !
Having learnt a sharp and profound lesson in humility, I wondered at my arrogance in being
skeptical about Mr. Bhardwaj earlier that day ; thanked him profusely and fixed an appointment
to meet him next day at my office. Having done this, I hastened to telephone Mr. Brook’s at his
hotel and apologize for my unexpected delay.