A GROUP of two dozen left New York on Wednesday last for a two-week sightseeing tour of India, their ancestral homeland where they said they are having a fun time after arriving a day later.  They said they would have loved to go watch the West Indies in action at a cricket match but they have a packed itinerary that does not allow it.  However, they are keeping up with the scores on TV.
The Guyanese tour to India was organized by experienced tour operator, Kali Travel, owned by Ramesh Kalicharran of Bush Lot, Essequibo.  The group is visiting several holy places and popular cities like Delhi, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Jaipur, Mathura, Brindavan, Agra and Mumbai, among others.  The group will celebrate Holi (Phagwah) in Rajasthan on March 20 before going on to Ahmedabad reaching Mumbai where they will be entertained by Bollywood artistes on the final night of their trip.
The group was given a lovely send off at JFK by families and friends as they boarded the Air India non-stop 777 (300 ER) flight.  This writer himself visited India a couple weeks ago for the World Cup cricket competition, travelling on Air India, which offers superlative service.
The group arrived in Delhi on Thursday afternoon some 24 hours later (with a time difference of 10.5 hours).  In interviews, they said they had a wonderful flight, enjoying the inflight service aboard Air India.
They praised the Air India service and said that the airlines that ply Guyana cannot match Air India’s magnificent service.  They said their entertainment began with snacks and drinks, followed by a main course dinner, and that they were served unlimited drinks and snacks throughout the flight, a rarity from airlines these days. 
Before they landed, they were served another main course. The on-board entertainment included favourite movies and music.  Each seat is equipped with its own entertainment system with dozens of films, both Hollywood and Bollywood. They indulged themselves in Bollywwood hits.  There are old-time classics as well as modern Bollywood and regional films.  There are also many publications on board for reading pleasure.
A bhaiji from NY said “the fight was excellent, and the service great.  The attendants were very cooperative, friendly, and helpful.  They served us when we requested something. It was awesome”.
Tour operator Kali has been organizing semi-annual yatras to India for over two decades.  He said this promises to be another gem of an experience as he takes the tourists to areas they read or heard about from the holy books. The agency marked its silver jubilee in India two years ago with a reception in Mumbai.
So far, most of the Guyanese tourists said that they have been having a terrific time and look forward to more sightseeing and visiting the holy cities. Kali said that group members “are enjoying themselves”.
Esha, a law student, from New Jersey said “we are having a lot of fun. We visited a lot of temples”.
Latchmin Depoo from Harlem on the West Coast Demerara said it is an excellent trip. Barbara from Georgetown said so far “it is a great experience” and looks forward to the reminder of the tour.