The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Ambassadors of tourism struggling to make ends meet

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Friday, Mar 21, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Ambassadors of tourism struggling to make ends meet

Sharath S. Srivatsa

— Photo: M.A. Sriram

No support: Government approved guides at Halebid.

BANGALORE: They are the true ambassadors of tourism interpreting the rich heritage of Karnataka to a large number of tourists. Yet, this small bunch of people is struggling to eek out a decent living, especially during the non-tourist season.

Numbering around 250, these Government-approved guides are operating in Mysore, Belur, Halebid, Shravanabelogola, Hampi, Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal. While the tourist season across Karnataka is more or less the same and falls between September and February, it could be a month or two more in places such as Mysore.

“Though most of us (guides) are qualified with degrees and professional courses, we chose to become guides owing to lack of job opportunities,” said B.S. Guruprasad, a qualified guide at Belur.

After having worked for nearly 17 years as a guide, he said: “Today we have no security and many families depend on the income from the job. The promised honorarium from the Government has also not come.” To supplement the income, Mr. Guruprasad teaches science to SSLC students at a tutorial in Hassan.

During the non-tourist season, the guides engage themselves in odd jobs to maintain their families.

While many guides in the Hassan district and Mysore have taken up part time jobs such as LIC agents and teaching in tutorial houses, the vast area covering the ruins at Hampi has been a deterrent for the approved guides from taking up similar job. The situation is very similar in other tourist towns of Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal.

Unique arrangement

Intense competition and growing number of tourist guides, disproportionate to the tourist arrivals, has resulted in a unique arrangement at Belur and Halebid in Hassan district. Nearly 60 tourist guides, 30 each in Belur and Halebid, work on alternate days, thus each guide gets to work only for 15 days in a month.

“We had to make this arrangement since the number of guides has grown in the recent years, and all may not get to earn on a daily basis. Working on alternate days gives equal opportunity for all and we pool the money and divide it amongst ourselves equally,” Mr. Guruprasad says. This arrangement came in place around four years ago after the Tourism Department issued fresh approvals for 10 guides, he added.

Apart from Kannada and English speaking guides, one can also find French and Italian speaking guides in Belur and Halebid.

Tourism Director C. Somashekar told The Hindu that the proposal to give honorarium to guides will be implemented during 2008-2009 and uniforms will also be provided. The Government has agreed to the proposal in-principle, which would cost close to Rs. 1 crore, he added.

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