By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD

In yesterday’s SOM my friend and fellow writer N.K.A. Ballal with his long experience in the tourism industry has very graphically described how unsuspecting tourists are systematically fleeced all over the country by a close knit coterie of unethical hotels, business establishments and guides who are guided only by sheer greed. Although he says that this trend was hitherto non-existent in our city I would like to say that it did exist in some sleazy bylanes but it was certainly not as rampant and out-in-the-open as it is now. And, mind you, this is not completely an Indian phenomenon.

Fleecing of tourists exists and thrives wherever tourism exists and thrives, all over the world. Even the most well-known tourist spots of the Western world, Europe and South-East Asia are not free from this evil. So whatever is touted as the signature merchandise of that place or the most well-known and worth-buying article, is bound to be fake or grossly over-priced unless you happen to have alongside you a trustworthy and knowledgeable local friend to guide you. If we feel very compelled to pick up something it is up to us to be a little careful but the best policy is to completely avoid shopping for very expensive goods when we go sight-seeing.

A few years ago a couple of my doctor friends had come all the way from Bidar to Mysuru to attend a training programme at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) here. I had invited them for dinner at my place and so they had asked me to pick them up from their hotel after their session was over. When I walked into their room they were both looking at some sarees which they had spread out on the cots there. While one of them had draped the shimmering pallu of a vibrant saree across his chest the other was admiring it from a distance, perhaps visualising how it would look when worn by his wife back home! With great excitement and joy they told me that they had picked up those Mysore Silk Sarees for their spouses from the showroom attached to their hotel which had offered them at a very attractive and irresistible discount.

I almost felt like telling them that what they had bought was simply not silk, let alone the world famous Mysore variety. But I did not, simply because I did not want to break their hearts and also because I did not want to sully and tarnish the reputation of Mysureans as honest and trustworthy people. I only ventured to tell them that the best silks are best bought from the Government factory outlets if they did not mind paying a higher price which would certainly be worth it.

But the happy end to this rather sad story is that when I met them a few years later they both told me that their wives were so enamoured by the sarees from our city that they both wanted to visit Mysuru themselves and do much more shopping!

Talking of outlets that sell fake goods brings me to the rampant racket that Ballal too has mentioned about the very fake but deceptively named Cauvery or Kaveri outlets that are making hay while our Government is looking the other way. And, it is an open secret that our Government is looking the other way simply because its officers who draw hefty salaries by day are drawing hefty bribes by night from these fraudsters for not taking any penal action against them. Every one of these outlets is fake and the sad truth is that anyone can open any kind of novelty or cloth shop, label it with the holy name and go about doing anything unholy there.

Unlike its Tamil Nadu counterpart which protects its brand name ‘Poom Puhar’ like its crown jewels, our Government is allowing its most prestigious and trusted brand name to be dragged through our streets most shamefully. Can it not enforce and implement the order that it owns the registered brand name ‘Cauvery’ and so this name can only adorn genuine Government outlets and nothing else? Can they not take action against the rampant misuse of its patented brand name? Is it not the responsibility of the officers of our Tourism Department to ensure that millions of our tourists are not cheated across the length and breadth of our State that attracts them because of its glorious history and heritage?

It is just that they do not have the will to reign in what is evil simply because it provides them much nourishment. Only after having rectified this can we point a finger at the cab and auto drivers, touts and tourist guides who misguide our guests into the wrong places and collect commissions.

Talking of tourists being taken on long and expensive rides reminds me of an incident which happened to another friend of mine when he to visited Namma Mysuru for the first time. He alighted from his train late in the night and hired an auto to go to the Kings Kourt Hotel where he had reserved a room. The very polite and obliging auto driver very reassuringly told him that he would have to pay nothing more than the fare shown by the meter. My friend although a little surprised that the driver had not asked for the traditional extra payment as ‘late night fare’ attributed it to the good nature of Mysureans and happily agreed to the deal and the auto took off.

After about an hour of meandering through many wide roads and some not-so-wide streets the auto finally halted before its destination. The meter showed a modest fare of about two hundred and fifty rupees which my friend paid quite happily and also tipped the driver with an extra twenty rupees. While getting down he thanked the noble soul profusely and even offered a prayer for him and his family before entering the hotel and retiring for the night.

The next morning when I met him at the hotel he narrated his happy experience with the auto driver with a great sense of elation. That was when I led him by his hand to the main gate of his hotel and showed him our Railway Station which stood barely a stone’s throw away from where we stood !

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