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“I have so many stories, where do I even begin,” laughs Rama Khandwala heartily as she throws her head back. The 91-year-old is India’s oldest tour guide and a former freedom fighter, with a razor sharp memory and fitness level that will make today’s millennials cringe. A wooden panel on the side showcases her many awards, the most recent one being from Shahrukh Khan who honoured her prior to the release of the film, Jab Harry Met Sejal where he plays a tour guide. “If all tour guides started doing what he did in the film, they will be thrown out,” she muses. “But a film’s a film, and Shahrukh is adorable,” she continues animatedly. Once a fighter in Subhas Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj and a tourist guide since the last 50 years, Rama has seen a lot, both geographically and historically.
Sitting in her cosy one-room flat in Girgaon, Mumbai, Rama narrates stories of courage and valour from the time when she was a 2nd Lieutenant in the INA. Born and brought up in erstwhile Burma to a wealthy family, she was pushed into the army by her own mother who was in charge of the recruitment for the Rani Ki Jhansi regiment that was formed when Netaji chose to be allied with Japan, believing that Asian rulers would help defeat the colonizers. Rama speaks fondly of Netaji who she believes was the greatest patriot of the country. “His words ‘Aage Badh’ still resonate in my head whenever I feel stuck in my life,” she says, as her eyes twinkle behind her big round glasses. Rama looks like a typical jolly old granny; plump, chatty, full of wisdom, experiences and stories.
Looking at her, it’s hard to picture that 70 years ago she led an army of Ranis. As I’m lost in thought she hands me a copy of her recently published book, titled Jai Hind. On the cover, I see a picture of her aged 17, dressed in a neat Khaki coloured uniform and a soldier’s cap. Soon I have a face to put to the stories – the one where she served as a nurse during the war attending to wounded soldiers, another when she fell down in a ditch on duty and Netaji personally came to see her in the hospital or the one about the misery and suffering, where she and her troop had a near-death experience when their camps were bombed. “It was difficult initially for me to give up the luxuries of life and join the army. I would cry every day, but then I made friends with the other women who were feeling the same way. We became a family... of fighters. Netaji’s passionate and patriotic speeches encouraged us to go forth,” she tells me about his liberal mindset and efforts to empower and unite women across South and Southeast Asia.
Once the war was over, Rama and her family moved to Bombay. Having the knowledge of typing and shorthand, she started working as a secretary in a trading firm but was married off as soon as she turned 23. “I didn’t think my father-in-law would be okay with me working, thus I spent many days at home getting bored wasting my time. One day I gathered the courage to seek permission to work from him. Surprisingly, he agreed,” she recalls. It was during her second stint as a secretary that she saw the advertisement posted by the Government of India recruiting tour guides. “It mentioned that they special preference would be given to those who could speak a foreign language. I had learned to speak Japanese fluently in school, during the Japanese occupation of Burma. It seemed like a fun job and I applied,” she says excitedly. Managing work and her tour guide training simultaneously, Rama eventually gave up her job as she discovered her new-found passion – that of enlightening tourists about her beloved country.
“Being a tour guide is a continuous education. Meeting people from different countries, cultures religions and understanding their perceptions about our country gives one such interesting insights,” she says showing me pictures of her guiding Head Of States, members of the erstwhile royal families and even backpackers. She mostly serves Japanese tourists and has also worked as an interpreter for many assignments and documentaries for Japanese television. Her work has taken her all around the globe but her favourite place on the earth still remains India. “There is indeed no other country like ours. Once I assisted a group from Holland in their tour to Dharavi. My aim wasn’t to show them the poverty of the country. I wanted them to see that even in adverse living conditions, people kept their houses clean. After their interaction with the slum dwellers, this one Dutch lady came up to me and said that she wouldn’t mind living here. Surprised, I asked her the reason. Shes quickly responded saying how she was overwhelmed to see people taking such great care of the elderly in the family, a rare sight in her home country. I was very moved by her words,” Rama says softly.
Someone who believes in perfection and does not give anyone an opportunity to point fingers at her, Rama is a dynamic woman. She is passionate and disciplined with her work but recounts an experience where she bent the rules, just a little. Lowering her voice, she cups her mouth and leans forward and narrates: “Once, we were visiting a site in Trivandrum and there was a very long line. Both my clients and I were getting impatient, so I went to the person-in-charge and told him that they were close relatives of the Japanese PM. We were led in within 5 minutes. Sometimes white lies are important,” she quips mischievously.
Up until 5 years ago, she could climb up all the way to the Kanheri caves, but a recent foot injury has restrained her to car tours only that she continues giving to date. Popularly known as ‘Rama San’ amongst the Japanese tourists, her demand still remains the highest amongst the other tour guides in India. “But I’ve limited my tours now. I must give a chance to young guides,” she chuckles.
A recent awardee of the ‘Best Tour Guide from the Government Of India, conferred to her by the President, Rama Khandwala remains one of the most prolific tour guides in the country. Now, a published author and soon to be a Ted X speaker, Rama believes she has led a full life and does not think too much about the future. The secret to her health and happiness is a good diet and no temper, the importance of which she stresses multiple times. She now plans to write columns for publications on how tourism industry in India can be strengthened.
“Soch and Approach are the two the two things that are going to shape your life, you gotta make them right,” she says as I take leave of the woman who has experienced more in her life than I could ever imagine. But before we bid adieu, she has a parting advice for us and all our readers.
“Stay Calm...and Travel,” she exclaims, pauses and then gives one final command.
“Aage Badh!”
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