Why the west 'digs' India

India to the West will continue to remain a land of nautch girls and maharajas.
The India Shining campaigns may have failed to generate the kind of response it was expected to get in India, but in another part of the world, it seems to be shining in the true sense of the word. The number of distinguished visitors from the West over the past few months speaks volumes about the interest that our country has been generating world over for sometime now.From Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt who are at the moment camping in Pune for the shoot of their film to Prince Andrew's visit to Jodhpur and the latest reports of the Liz Hurley-Arun Nayar wedding in Udaipur — India clearly seems to be the flavour of the West.
However, there is an interesting point that emerges from all these high profile visits: historic states like Rajasthan seem to be the first choice for all our visitors. So is India still a land of magnificent palaces, of kings and queens, temples, elephants, camels, snake charmers, the Kamasutra and the Taj Mahal?
Says Vibhore Mathews who was an exchange student at the Delhi School of Economics from the University of California, "People in the West clearly have two perceptions about India. One, India as the land of magnificence with palaces and forts — and the other of extreme poverty and corruption. Any foreigner who comes to India makes it a point to visit those areas famed for its history."
Agreeing with him is Ehron Hanson, who is in Kolkata pursuing his love for Indian music, "The way India is projected to the West is very much full of these traditional palaces and tales associated with them. Of late, we have seen so many movies projecting India in this light," he says.
A spokesperson from an international travel agency, on condition of anonymity, says: "It is clearly these traditional aspects that help sell India to the West. They appeal to the Westerners simply because they don't get to see such things in their own country. Yes, the West still views our country as the land where history prevails. But that is our speciality and we ought to be proud of it."
Aneesha Ghosh who is pursuing a course in economics at the London School of Economics says: "I still remember a classmate addressing me as the 'princess from the land of kings and queens'. The curiosity level to know more about the cultural dimensions is just mindblowing."
India may have found itself a parking space in the global village, but for many more generations to come, India to the West will continue to remain a land of nautch girls and maharajas.
riddhima.seal@timesgroup.com