Look Indian! Or Pay More.

I visited Aga Khan Palace this morning. The palace was the place where Mahatma Gandhi and some of his closer associates were interned after the onset of the Quit India Movement in 1942. He spent about two years incarcerated here, during which time his personal secretary and his wife, both of whom were among those also interned with him, passed away. Today the palace stands as a memorial to the great Mahatma and also houses a small museum about his life. The Mahatma’s samadhi (the place where some of his ashes are buried) is situated behind the palace and can also be visited.


As with many other tourist sites in India, the admission charge at the gate is dependent on your nationality. If you are an Indian citizen then the fee is Rs. 5 (about a dime), but non-Indian citizens have to pay $2 (or Rs. 100) per head. This system of dual rates is quite common throughout the country. Even the most famous of all Indian tourist attractions, the Taj Mahal at Agra, is no exception.

Is it fair? I suppose one could argue both sides here.

The skewed exchange rates ensure that little is fair to Indian tourists to begin with. In the States, an Indian tourist would pay the same admission charge as an American citizen, but that same amount is a lot more for average Indian, relatively speaking. Shouldn’t the Indian be allowed to get away a little easier at home at least? After all, Rs. 5 to him is worth about the same as the two bucks are worth to the foreigner.

However, I feel keeping dual admission charges involves discrimination on the basis of nationality and must be avoided, at least for this reason, if no other.

The decision of what to charge you is made on the basis of appearance, skin color and language, since you can’t really stop all tourists and ask them to provide proof of nationality. Thus ‘Indian citizen’ really means someone who looks Indian-ish and can speak a local tongue. I was, of course, a bit suspect, but managed to get through in the end with some Hindi.

Interestingly, when I was Goa about two years ago, I remember that nightclub owners were charging Indians an admission fee but letting foreign tourists enter for free! This was in complete contrast to what happens at all government run tourist sites! The logic in this case, I suppose, is that most Western tourists are likely to spend a fair deal on alcohol once they get inside, but Indian tourists will probably drink less, if at all. Makes sense.