Promoting ‘Agra Beyond Taj’
Debasish Bhowmik, President of the Tourism Guild of Agra, an apex body comprising professionals from hospitality, travel trade and other tourism ancillary industries, talked about promoting tourism in Agra by creating a friendly environment, suggesting de
What is being promoted in Agra beyond the Taj? How are you directly involved?
In our endeavour to promote ‘ Agra beyond Taj’, we are actively involved in the promotion of places like Bateshwar ( aarti) for its famous Shiv temples and the Maha Aarti held in the evening on the Ghats of River Yamuna. With active support from the forest department, Patna Panchi Vihar has been developed and today this wonderful lake boasts of many species of migratory birds. We are also promoting lesser known monuments like Chini ka Roza, Tall Feroz Khan, Itmad- Ud- Daula, Swami Bagh, Marium Tomb, Roman Catholic Cementry (Red Taj) and many more.
Our latest effort has been to work very closely with the forest department and district administration to promote the ‘Taj Nature Walk’. We are also trying to develop Golf tourism in Agra in association with the Agra Club as we have one of the finest golf courses overlooking the beautiful Taj Mahal.
Is there a new road being built to connect the Yamuna Expressway directly to the Taj?
The original plan of having an inner ring road to connect the Expressway to the city without getting into heavy traffic zones is still under active consideration. For now, the road into the city from Yamuna Kinara has been completed and traffic congestion has eased considerably.
How the Agra Literary Fest being promoted?
The 2nd Taj Literature festival was held in Hotel Clarks Shiraz on December 12-14, 2013. The has grown to unbelievable heights by the presence of many celebrities and stalwarts from the world of literature, like William Dalrymple, Sharmila Tagore, MJ Akbar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and many others like Shabana Azmi and the late Farooq Sheikh. There was a play on White Mughals by Williams Dalrymple and it culminated with a grand performance at Taj Nature Walk of the famous play ‘Tumhari Amrita’. Hotel Clark Shiraz is committed in partnering this festival in Agra in the coming years and to make it grow into a bigger and a leading festival of India.
Which concerts were held recently in Agra and where? Do you think this will boost tourism to Agra?
We are closely associated with the concerned departments to organise elite cultural programmes; like concerts by Rajan and Sajan brothers, we also staged ‘ Tumhari Amrita’ during the Taj Literature festival in December by noted artistes Shabana Azmi and late Farooq Sheikh. On January 15, tabla maestro Ustaad Zakir Hussain mesmerised the huge gathering at the ‘Taj Nature Walk’. We propose a series of events in future by renowned artists in this unique setting with the backdrop of the Taj Mahal.
Agra, unfortunately, is still used as a one-night destination, so we would like to highlight that there is much more to
Agra than just the Taj Mahal. There are also many night activities like the great dance performance ‘ Mohabbat-e-Taj’ at Kalakriti, soon to be followed by another fantastic Indian dance performance, ‘ Athithi Devo Bhava’ at the same venue.
Taj Mahal is a symbol of India and is undoubtedly the best place for Indian Tourism. Hence, Agra should be given more importance both by the Central and State governments to make it a clean and green city.
Infrastructural growth like a full- fledged terminal for domestic flights and an international airport is a must and we all are pursuing this very seriously. The people of Agra are united in their commitment in making this a dream city.