Hyderabad: Fort tour guides reeling under lockdown blues

Hyderabad (Golconda): Even after city's tourist attractions have been re-opened in the wake of end of lockdown and relaxation of Covid norms, tour guides continue to face lockdown blues. It's been about three months since the historic fort of Golkonda has started beckoning tourists and denizens. Still, there is no turnaround in the fortunes of as many as 35 guides whose bread and butter depends on tourists.

Even though everything is slowly returning to normalcy, the tour guides are longing for full-scale earnings and their lives have turned to privation, affecting family life and health. The prevailing situation has forced them to accept whatever is offered.

According to the Golconda Fort History Guide Association, the guides livelihoods depend mostly on the tourists from other States and overseas, as most of the locals barely hire them. "Already we are suffering due to drop in the number of visitors. Locals never opt for our services. The number of foreign tourists has come down drastically during pandemic, leaving us in misery," said Mohammed Arshad, the president of the association.

"There are around 40 tour guides including seniors who have experience of three decades. Earlier at least 20 per cent (mostly foreigners) of visitors used to hire us. But now foreigners are barely visiting city and historic places. We are now charging between Rs 200 and Rs 500 depending on group of visitors. Earlier, we used to charge between Rs 500 and Rs 750 for Indians and Rs 1000 for foreigners," he explained.

The Golconda guides are the oldest among their ilk in the city and can communicate in English, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, while a few also speak Tamil and Marathi. Md Sirajuddin, a guide working for more than 35 years in the fort said that he is one of the senior guides in the city and now the guides in the fort are mostly sons and grandsons of his colleagues. He said he can easily communicate in Hindi, English and Telugu and he has also trained many guides.

"The tour of the entire Golconda fort will be completed in about two hours. The main palace of the fort will be completed within 45 minutes. Guide will be explaining significance of each and every part of the fort. We are appointed by the State tourism department and are also provided identity cards," said Mohan Rao, another senior guide.