{"id":11599,"date":"2018-04-10T11:02:31","date_gmt":"2018-04-10T04:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/?p=11599"},"modified":"2018-04-10T11:02:31","modified_gmt":"2018-04-10T04:02:31","slug":"nhung-bai-hoc-cuoc-song-tu-huong-dan-vien-91-tuoi-gioi-nhat-an-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/nhung-bai-hoc-cuoc-song-tu-huong-dan-vien-91-tuoi-gioi-nhat-an-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Lessons from India\u2019s Best 91-Year-Old Tour Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lesson in living fully from Rama Khandwala, the 91-year-old woman who received the National Tourism Award from India's Prime Minister in 2017.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Life<\/span><\/p>\n

At 91, Rama Khandwala remains clear-minded and quick-thinking. Beside where she sits for an interview with\u00a0Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveller (CNT)<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>is a wooden desk displaying the many awards she has received over the decades. Her latest award is the title of India's best tour guide, presented by the country's Prime Minister in September 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khandwala was born into a wealthy family in Burma (Myanmar's former name) in 1926. From an early age, Khandwala and her siblings were trained to join the military.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI worked as a nurse at a hospital in 1944. There, I saw soldiers return from the war having lost parts of their bodies. I will never forget that sight. Our hospital was also bombed,\u201d she recalled of those difficult years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her years in the military were a precious period that shaped many of Khandwala\u2019s values in life. Khandwala\u2019s career as a tour guide began when she read a newspaper announcement about India\u2019s national tour-guide training program. She decided to apply because, at the time, \u2018my husband had passed away in 1982, and my daughter was studying in the United States. I was practically free to pursue what I wanted.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could tell you so many stories,\u201d she said with a twinkle in her eyes. \u201cMy life has been filled with adventures alongside warm-hearted friends, through beautiful places and all kinds of experiences. It has been an incredible journey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Do Not Surrender before Trying<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Joining the military helped me stop being afraid of anything. As a tour guide, I have only one rule for visitors: I meet them in the hotel lobby when needed. They are not allowed to come to my room, and I do not enter their private space. In return, I have never refused a visitor's request,\u2019 Khandwala said.<\/span><\/p>\n

On one occasion, upon hearing that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was visiting the Taj in Agra, a tourist asked Khandwala to help arrange a meeting with her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat time, I approached Indira Gandhi and made my request, and she agreed. I think my guest will remember that experience even more vividly than the Taj Mahal,\u201d Khandwala recounted.<\/span><\/p>\n

On another occasion, Captain Rajiv Gandhi made an announcement on a flight carrying Khandwala. She told her guest that the captain was the son of India's then Prime Minister. The guest wanted a photo with the captain, so I approached him and politely asked. He agreed. When I happened to meet Captain Rajiv Gandhi again at the Taj hotel in Mumbai, he asked me about that Japanese guest. That was when I knew he remembered me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have lied a few times to get the job done. One instance occurred when my tour group was stuck in the middle of a long line in Trivandrum. I told the security guard that the group were relatives of the Japanese prime minister. The Japanese tourists did not understand Hindi, and the guard believed me. We were led through a special entrance and entered the temple just 5 minutes later,\u201d Khandwala admitted.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Always keep learning<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Alongside working as a tour guide, Khandwala also translates for companies in India and assists with documentary projects broadcast on Japanese television. She is an interpreter beloved by many Japanese tourists and is known as \u201cRama San.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Khandwala learned Japanese during the Japanese occupation of Myanmar from 1942\u20131945.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was given the opportunity to study a foreign language, I loved it and recognized the benefits of knowing Japanese. I believe that this language advantage later helped me get selected for the national tour-guide training program,\u201d Khandwala shared. One of those jobs enabled her to meet the Dalai Lama.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Rama<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Rama Khandwala received the National Tourism Award from India\u2019s Prime Minister in 2017. Photo: Tribuneindia<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

3. Do not judge others<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

While leading a tour, Khandwala was asked by a Japanese tourist what underwear Indian women wore beneath their saris. She later learned that he was a lingerie businessman visiting India to research the market. His accompanying employee carried magazines with explicit images to give to clothing sellers in an effort to persuade them to discount his products.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018This job taught me never to judge other people,\u2019 Khandwala reflected.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Confidence<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Khandwala, who was in a traffic accident three years ago, now works as a guide in a car.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Next week, I will ride with the visitors in their car and tell them about the magnificent Art Deco buildings in South Mumbai as well as the Gothic architecture. Visitors are sometimes a little worried when they learn that their guide is an elderly woman, but they quickly become impressed with me. Until four years ago, when I was about 84, I could still climb into the caves at Kanheri. I have taken many visitors there,\u2019 Khandwala said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Khandwala\u2019s guiding style also differs from most Indian guides, as she expresses strong national pride.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you also have to express your views to tourists. When a visitor complained about Mumbai\u2019s dirt and disorder, I asked what his country was like 200 years ago. People living in Mumbai\u2019s slums still keep their homes clean,\u201d Khandwala said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne visitor touring Dharavi said she wanted to live here because, in the slum she came from, people did not care for children and older people as much as they do here. These are the things we need visitors to know about Mumbai. Travelers today demand more. They research a destination before setting out, so they are no longer as easily surprised as they once were,\u201d Khandwala emphasized.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. A simple, disciplined lifestyle<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Asked how she dealt with health issues at 91 and about her everyday habits, Khandwala laughed like a child.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Spiritually, I feel completely at ease and happy. I have the temperament of a child. This work has taught me patience. I do not enjoy family gossip or cooking. Instead, I read books, write books, and hope to become a contributing writer for a newspaper,\u2019 Khandwala said with a smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018All of these things keep me healthy. I avoid fried foods and eat at regular times. I was once trained to be a soldier, and I will always carry a warrior's spirit in my life.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Collected.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

>> Great Articles on Entrepreneurship<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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>> Success Energy Activation Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

>> Business Consulting Program<\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

B\u00e0i h\u1ecdc s\u1ed1ng h\u1ebft m\u00ecnh t\u1eeb Rama Khandwala – c\u1ee5 b\u00e0 91 tu\u1ed5i \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c Th\u1ee7 t\u01b0\u1edbng \u1ea4n \u0110\u1ed9 trao gi\u1ea3i Du l\u1ecbch Qu\u1ed1c gia v\u00e0o n\u0103m 2017. \u1ede \u0111\u1ed9 tu\u1ed5i 91, Rama Khandwala v\u1eabn gi\u1eef \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c s\u1ef1 minh m\u1eabn v\u00e0 nhanh nh\u1ea1y trong suy ngh\u0129. B\u00ean c\u1ea1nh n\u01a1i b\u00e0 ng\u1ed3i tr\u1ea3 l\u1eddi ph\u1ecfng v\u1ea5n v\u1edbi\u00a0Cond\u00e9 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11599"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12100,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11599\/revisions\/12100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yup.edu.vn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}