Are tourists safe in India?

by Abha Malpani on

The recent death of British Scarlett Keeling in Goa has had significant coverage in the international media over the last month. In fact, it has opened a new and dangerous chapter on tourism in Goa — one of India’s most visited states — is a tourist safe there?

For those who haven’t followed the story: 15-year old Keeling was drugged, raped and left to die in Goa. What’s worse is that the Indian police treated her death as an open and shut case of a tourist drowning, which has now been revealed as a conscious decision by local authorities to cover it up a) because they were involved b) to not hurt tourism in the state.

It saddens me to think that the case only reopened because of the noise made by Keeling’s mother, and its prolific reporting in international media that probably put pressure on Indian officials to come clean. Indian media criticizing the police for not being able to protect tourists efficiently was perhaps not enough. It gives grieving insight into the corruption festering in the Indian government.

According to a Reuters report: At least 126 foreign nationals have died in Goa in the past two years, 40 of them British. Of these, it is said that about 10-12 cases that were declared drowning cases are suspicious, and further to the Keeling story, they might be opened again for investigation.

All this makes me wonder: how long has the Indian police in Goa been getting away with crime? Why is a British woman (rather than an Indian) responsible for helping uncover local corruption? How many stories must be in the closet?

I regained some hope when I read this morning that the Indian police in Goa arrested 40 people in an overnight crackdown on suspected drug traffickers in Goa, and, that the Indian government would like to take action by employing ex-military personnel to protect tourists in beaches around the country.

Sigh.

Photo of the Day 3-16-2008

by Catherine Bodry on


This somewhat quintessential South Asian travel shot manages to escape cliché with the intensity of this man’s stare. He doesn’t seem too happy about having his photo taken, or perhaps he’s just weary of what appears to be a long journey. Flickr user Arunchs snapped the shot in India, and captures well some of the bright colors of the country.

Do you have any travel photos to share? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool and they’ll be considered for our Photo of the Day feature.

Global rise in food costs: The real effects

by Anna Brones on

The dollar has hit a new low against the euro, America is on the verge of recession and global food prices are on an upward spiral. In fact, global food prices have risen by 40% in the last nine months. Add to that the fact that food reserves are at their lowest in 30 years and the global economic situation looks grim. But beyond percentages and figures what does this really mean?

To showcase the real effects of the global rise in food costs the BBC has put together an interesting piece featuring six families from around the world, their shopping lists and exactly how their shopping habits have changed because of the rise in prices.

The six families are from Guatemala, India, Kenya, China, Egypt and the UK. In Guatemala the Rodas family has gone from eating meat five times a week to two. In Egypt the Abdulwahab family speculates a household used to be able to eat for one Egyptian pound; today it costs more than five.

The article also itemizes each family’s shopping list, which provides for some eye-opening figures. The Classik family from the UK spends 10% of its monthly income on food, while in Egypt, the Abdulwahab family spends about 80%. Makes you think twice about complaining about how expensive everything is going to be on your next trip to Europe; travel is still a luxury.

Read the whole BBC article here.

Where is the Buddhist’s hell?

by Justin Glow on

In the book, Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure, author Sarah Macdonald travels through various parts of India taste-testing different religions. It’s in Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama, where she ponders Buddhism.

“According to the Buddhist scriptures, hell is located on the other side of the earth on a spot directly opposite Bodhgaya — the town in India where the Buddha became enlightened. According to modern maps, that corresponds to America.”

When I first read this, I was excited at the prospects of being able to travel not too far to visit what the Buddhists call hell. So I fired up this Google Maps “opposite end of the world” utility that allows you to pinpoint a location on Earth, and it spits out the exact opposite.

I was dismayed to find that the exact opposite of Bodhgaya is not, in fact, in America — as Sarah Macdonald promised — but in the middle of the South Pacific ocean.

So much for that Spring Break trip to hell.

Bollywood to nurture inter-country ties(?)

by Abha Malpani on

Fortunately or unfortunately, Bollywood is key in defining Indian culture. When I meet new people (who are not Indian, obviously), they always ask me if I watch Bollywood films and if I can dance like the actors can. Of course I can — I am Indian. Duh! I have even, on popular demand but to my own horror, given Bollywood dance classes in my home.

I have to admit though, that I started appreciating the Indian film industry more when I moved out of India and have been especially drawn to it since I moved to Spain. Its tremendous ability to bring me back home is the main reason as it inadvertently takes me back to my roots and reminds me of who I am. Yup, the power of Bollywood films.

Although the local public generally loves Bollywood in India, we (especially the “westernized” youth of India) often tend to ridicule it and it is not uncommon to be embarrassed by what it portrays about us and our country. Only a handful of Bollywood films are worth applause; others are mostly melodramatic and unrealistic to the point of being ludicrous.

So when I heard that a Bollywood film school is planned for the UK (later in Durban and Sydney) in an attempt to build strong ties between Britain and India, first it made no sense to me but after a bit of thought I realized that it’s a great way to get foreigners and Indians born abroad involved in a genre of film-making that opens doors deep into our culture.

The Mumbai-based Bollywood film industry is the largest in the world and all of a sudden I have newfound respect for it as it will play a key role in internationally sharing our culture as well as giving people an opportunity to delve right in and be part of the Bollywood bang.