Rajasthan

You can take a foreigner out of Rajasthan, but you can’t take Rajasthan out of a foreigner. Be it a film shoot, a lavish wedding or just a holiday, Rajasthan is where you will find the average foreign traveller headed for first when he makes his India plans. Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur are the top choices, followed by Jaisalmer and Bikaner.

“Rajasthan represents the non-Indian traveller’s impression of India, gleaned as it is from books and films — an exotic, mysterious land populated by courageous men and beautiful women,” says sociologist Minakshi Chavan. Hollywood, in particular, seems to have taken a liking to the desert state.

The 007 flick Octopussy was liberally shot in Rajasthan. So was Jungle Book, Far Pavilions and the Kate Winslet-starrer Holy Smoke. In Mira Nair’s Vanity Fair, Rajasthan ceased to be the setting and assumed the importance of a character. More recently, the Adrien Brody-starrer The Darjeeling Limited was shot in Rajasthan, bypassing Darjeeling. The Disney film Cheetah Girls will soon be shot in Udaipur. “All film crews to India, irrespective of the place they visit, have just two words to say — ‘It’s amazing’!” says Rakesh Ganguly, who works with foreign film crews shooting in India.

Then there is the line-up of celebs. Last year, Jodhpur was in the news for the opulent Liz Hurley-Arun Nayar wedding. Rock icon Mick Jagger has been a regular visitor to the state and who can forget former American president Bill Clinton dancing with a group of Rajasthani women on his trip?

And what do they do? A stopover at the many forts and temples of the state is a must. So is a ride atop a camel, a day spent with the village folk singing and dancing with them. Hop onto the famed Palace on Wheels and it is only foreign tourists that you are most likely to find. A meal of dal bati churma and bajre ki roti is a must. But the real test of celebhood is getting invited to a party thrown by Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur.

Goa

So what if Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet gave Goa a miss for Holiday. Matt Damon in The Bourne Supremacy didn’t. Remember the car chase where Bourne refers to a Hyundai car as a Honda? And where Damon buys Himalayan Natural Mineral Water from a street vendor? Those were shot in Goa! There’s even a song playing in the background called Goa by John Powell.

Producer Patrick Crowley has been quoted as saying: “It (Goa) just seemed to be a place where you could blend in….” The crew had another “quintessential” Indian experience. Stunt co-ordinator Dan Bradley said: “It was the first time in my career we actually had a herd of oxen break through the lock-up. We had to stop shooting and wait for them to walk across a pretty long bridge!”

But not all foreign tourists go to shoot films in Goa. The commoners laze on the beach all day (most are not in the nude). The flea markets are explored. The more adventurous ones rent a scooter and ride through rice fields. Some rave through them.

Mumbai

Mumbai is often the first and last stop in the Mumbai-Rajasthan-Goa trip. When in Mumbai, a trip to the Gateway of India and the Elephanta caves is imperative. As is scouring Chor Bazaar for a cheap deal. Haji Ali Dargah is also a top draw. For the intellectually-inclined, the Prince of Wales Museum and the Jehangir Art Gallery are on the list. Draped in saris and carrying jholas, they are seen feverishly taking notes, browsing through artefacts. Or buying them in Colaba.

Mumbai’s crowded beaches are foregone in favour of the Goan beaches. Film City, too, is ignored by most foreign tourists. “Film City is no Hollywood and foreign tourists hardly go there,” says Mumbai resident and travel agency employee Deven Parekh.

But Mumbai has another treasure — its slums, the everlasting symbol of Third World poverty (though Dharavi is changing beyond recognition). A Mumbai travel agency run by a British national offers foreign tourists a guided tour of Dharavi, to experience the “real” Mumbai — $7 for a tour on foot and $13 if one opts for a car ride. If a lot of A Mighty Heart, featuring Angelina Jolie, was shot in local Mumbai trains, then Sienna Miller was “shocked” by the poverty in Mumbai slums. And Shantaram, the huge Johnny Depp movie to be directed by Mira Nair — if Hollywood writers call off their strike — is about life in Mumbai slums. That is “real” India. Still.

Agra

Agra is part of the other tourist triangle of Agra (and Delhi), Rishikesh and Benares (or Varanasi if you please), and Dharamshala. Remember how Charlize Theron in Monster wanted to see the Taj Mahal before she was sentenced to her death? The Taj has fascinated celebs and heads of states for long (from the start, in fact). Bill Clinton has described it as “perhaps the world’s most beautiful structure”. And the “classic Taj Mahal portrait” with the entire monument behind while you stand with your arm around the person standing next to you and grin at the camera is something all tourists do without fail. Clinton included. Another celebrity who formed an iconic picture with the Taj in the background was Princess Diana. A slightly lost-looking Diana in her red blazer sitting on the bench in front of the Taj Mahal. Lovely, but lonely.

What is it with tourists and that specific bench? Why not a pillar? Why must one have the entire Taj Mahal and the tourist in one corner? Ever wondered what makes that specific shot so camera-friendly?

Rishikesh and Benares

Rishikesh and Benares fit well into the average foreigner’s idea of India — a country of mystique, a land of spiritual healing, massages, herbs (to be applied as well as smoked) and miracles. Taking a dip in the Ganga, attending yoga sessions, listening to saffron-robed holy men preaching the truths of life or simply sitting at the ghats for hours... is hot. And a foreigner loves his chillum on the river ghats, better still if it is shared with a sadhu.

The Beatles paved the way in 1967-68 when they spent months at the Rishikesh ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to learn “transcendental meditation”. It ended in disaster. “But Benares and Rishikesh embody the essence of Indian spiritualism and mysticism, attributes that attract the foreign tourist by droves to these places,” says Mrinal Dasgupta, who travels to these places every year.

Actor Brad Pitt played a true tourist when he flew down to Rishikesh in the summer of 2006 for a day of white-water rafting. Many foreign tourists are now doing the same.

Dharamshala

Although not in the same league as Rajasthan, Dharamshala does draw foreign tourists. Heading the list is Richard Gere. The Buddhist Hollywood star stayed in Chonor House which is run by The Dalai Lama’s Norbulingka Institute, when he last came to India in April 2007 for the ‘Mind and Life’ meet. He ended up kissing Shilpa Shetty on the same trip.

Another celeb to grace this sleepy hill station was Goldie Hawn, who in 2002 attended a conference on ‘Tibetan Buddhism and Western Scientific Perspectives’. “This is a fascinating country with such extremes that never cease to amaze me…,” says the Dalai Lama follower. But what do tourists who don’t have access to The Dalai Lama do? Meditate. Ten-day meditation courses with Buddhist teachings at the Tushita Meditation Center (where “silence is only half the day” according to Wikitravel) or a five-day Z meditation course.

Kerala

Some foreigners make a beeline for Kerala. According to official estimates, the foreign tourist count in Kerala showed an increase of 20.05 per cent from January to June 2007, as compared to Jan to June ’06. The scenic beauty of God’s Own Country, the beautiful backwaters and the various getaways — Kochi, Alleppey, Munnar, Sabrimalai and Kovalam — attract the international visitor.

Temple tours, a visit to the many historical structures or just spending days on a boat on the backwaters characterises the Kerala sojourn of a foreign tourist. A trip to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and pampering oneself with a tough herbal massage in one of the many natural spas are also done things. But Kerala is yet to be a celeb destination like other — arguably less beautiful — places.

Calcutta

When a foreigner visits Calcutta, he visits the Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, New Market, Howrah Bridge and the curio shops at the Oberoi Grand arcade. Kalighat and other places of worship — Belur and Dakshineswar — are also pop picks. Patrick Swayze, Penelope Cruz and Princess Diana had touched down in the “City of Joy” (another undying stereotype). Last month, Norah Jones was in Calcutta, accompanied by half-sister Anoushka and father Ravi Shankar. But the only places she visited were Indian Museum, Victoria Memorial, Swabhumi...and Calcutta Club.

Why doesn’t Calcutta get famous foreign tourists anymore?

Tell t2@abpmail.com