Authenticity and Tourism in India
by leelefever (General | dailylife | delhi | india | tourism)
We've been discussing the authenticity of tourism and how we negotiate what is real and what is pseudo-real.
The picture above is a scene we saw twice today outside of very tourist places. It is a man and boy, performing a Rajasthani folk dance, dressed in the traditional garb.
Their business is posing for pictures in exchange for a tip.
It's interesting to see, but I don't necessarily think it's something that makes me feel like I'm experiencing an authentic part of Indian culture. Being so bombarded with all things touristy, I get a bad taste in my mouth about the cheapening nature of goods and performances designed for the tourist audience. Over time, it is easy to start feeling that anything "for tourists" is inauthentic and not interesting to me. Lately I wonder if I'm missing something because I've become skeptical or even cynical about what represents an authentic article vs. another well dressed scheme to help tourists depart with their money.
The more places we go, the easier it gets to seperate the wheat from the chaff. Doing the tourist things is an inevitable and important part of the trip, but a little skepticism can be healthy, so long as it doesn't become complete disenchantment.
As an alternative, we seek out things like the Mumbai train station, which is as real as it gets. Also we saw the Taj Mahal today and it is surely the authentic article. Live and learn I suppose, live and learn.