“'Where was Bahadur Shah Zafar II exiled at the end of the Mughal era?' This question was worth Rs one crore on Kaun Banega Crorepati… I say this as part of my tour at the Lal Qila,” Rajendra Singh, 49, shared this piece of trivia in between his seasoned monologue-like guide about the architectural marvel of New Delhi’s Red Fort. With a Master’s degree in French and proficiency in Spanish, Rajendra Singh is a veteran tour guide disseminating information and insights on the 125-acre fort complex for the last 10 years. He is among the 12 regional-level guides (now called Incredible India Tourist Guides [IITGs]) at Lal Qila with licenses approved by the Ministry of Tourism and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Red Fort comes under the ASI which administers 3,687 ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance across the country. “Every day is tourism day for us,” Singh said in his rhythmic speed with genuine sincerity when informed about the annual observance of World Tourism Day on September 27 by the United Nations World Tourism Organization since 1980. Having started out as a UPSC aspirant, Rajendra Singh now also teaches French language at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on weekends. In his career as a tour guide, he’s given tours to two Prime Ministers, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina seven years ago and to former UK PM Lizz Truss in 2022. He even guided a batch of G20 delegates this year. “There was an interview and I was selected. Usually, big events like G20 obstruct our business as guides because sightseeing is restricted to the public. Only Diwali to Holi (Oct-Nov to March) is peak season,” he said. Post Covid-19, tourism has not picked up yet, Singh said, showing pictures with celebrities – from politicians to people from the entertainment industry – he has met. “Everyone gets 40-45 minutes of the tour – authentic and up-to-date,” he added with a smile. A fellow tour guide at Lal Qila, Amit Chauhan, 44, said: “Back in the day we used to be around three to four guides here. We had to rely on our savings during the Covid-19-induced lockdowns. After that, the number of guides increased as people quit from the private tour companies which took a hit due to the pandemic. The competition keeps increasing while demand peaks seasonally for about 180 days.” Chauhan with a Master’s in History and an MBA in Travel Management is proficient in Hindi, English, and German, and has been a guide since 2014. He manages to take four to five tours on “good days”. One can find many such tour guides at Red Fort, Qutub Minar, and Humayun’s Tomb in the national capital. According to Singh and Chauhan, tour guides traditionally charge half-day or full-day tours at rates of Rs 3,000 and Rs 6,000, respectively. A full-day ‘Delhi darshan’ would include guided visits to the Lal Qila, Rajghat, Jantar Mantar, Rashtrapati Bhavan, President House, and end with the evening lights at the India Gate. “But now it’s not common. We charge for individual tours and mainly look for foreign tourists who pay us anywhere between $10-$20. Not a lot of people have the patience to listen for three hours or more. And we can’t charge Indians much so don’t take them unless in bigger groups,” Rajendra Singh said. Singh, Chauhan, and other active guides have completed six-month training courses at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Tourism. From the Gwalior and Noida branches, they qualified to become Regional Level Guides (North). With tourism as an industry picking up in the 1990s, the demand increased in certain pockets of the country, specifically the golden triangle Delhi-Agra-Jaipur belt, according to Dr Nimit Chowdhury, a researcher and professor of Jamia Millia Islamia’s Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management. He has taught at the IITTM previously. “This also resulted in IITTM receiving up to roughly 4,000 applicants for 70 seats in the northern region at one point because increased tourism meant the possibility of financial commissions for tour guides through tourist shopping in these areas. While South, West, and Northeast regions didn’t see as much demand. This was the case through the 2000s,” Dr Chowdhury added. Around 2016, the regional level guides (RLGs) – categorised into North, South, East, and West – were brought under one category known as ‘ASI Monument guides’ who were authorised to work in centrally protected monuments across the country, with a government-approved license. However, the Tourism Ministry in 2020 changed the system that governed the functioning of the guide ecosystem. The guide training course is no longer part of the in-campus IITTM curriculum. The RLGs, having taken due refresher courses, are now part of those who are called Incredible India Tourist Guides. How did regional-level guides become Incredible India Tourist Guides? The Ministry of Tourism in January 2020 introduced the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) programme which is a digital initiative aimed at creating professional Tourist Facilitators across the country through an online platform. Anyone who has completed their 10th or 12th grade is eligible for the online training course available throughout the year with examinations being conducted twice in an academic year. In response to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha by MP Priyanka Chaturvedi in July 2022, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy stated that under the revised guideline for the IITF certification program, the existing Regional-Level Guides (RLGs) have been renamed as Incredible India Tourist Guides (IITGs). They have been brought under the same umbrella and continue to have access as ASI-certified monument guides. He also mentioned that the guidelines for IITFC have been framed keeping in mind “market demand, request from tourism stakeholders, etc.” “The intent of ASI involvement in certifying guides was centred around cultural upkeep and preservation of monuments within the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules (AMASR), 1959. But with the boom in India’s tourism industry, the IITF is focussed on promotion of tourism as an experience,” said Dr Nimit Chowdhury. As of July 2022, about 3,795 candidates in three fresh batches had completed the new IITF basic certificate course. A total number of 1,795 IITGs (the likes of Singh and Chauhan, formally known as RLGs) had successfully completed the refresher course. Interestingly in April 2022, a 50 per cent concession in course fee was extended to all women applicants or candidates looking to join the IITFC training program. This move was a first that officially recognised the need to boost women’s active participation as guides. Why is there a lack of women guides? Women tour guides are found more commonly associated with private tour operators or companies. Job security, better revenue opportunities, and logistical feasibility are the common reasons for fewer women taking to guiding at monument sites, according to Dr Monika Prakash, professor and nodal officer of IITTM, Nellore. “The gender ratio at the previously offered IITTM course has not been great either in northern parts specifically. But now the competition amongst tour guides individually has increased. The initiative of giving 50 per cent concession is to encourage more women to become guides,” Dr Prakash said. The northern region has not had many women guides but that has not always been the case in other regions, especially western India. Dr Chowdhury said that western parts in and around Maharashtra had a lot of Parsi women guides. They also joined companies like Thomas Cook. “In terms of socio-cultural perception, women guides and even men tend to be looked down upon as those who ‘roam around with strangers’. The recognition and importance of expert guide-led tours is reducing today where all information is in our phones,” Dr Chowdhury added. However, the apparent lack of pride in the profession does not translate into how the likes of Rajendra Singh and Amit Chauhan carry out their tours and go back home to revise their history books. Their expertise gives confidence and conviction to the words that make their livelihood. “People who take a tour of monuments with guides see the historical Lal Qila and go, those without us end up seeing mere stones. When you go on to live till 105 years, you’ll still remember the legacy of the Red Fort,” Singh said, while Chauhan signed off with: “This is the end of the tour. Thank you. Visit again.”
