Hospitalty Index Dips

Avariegated family of seven stood amidst the hurly-burly of the inner circle in Connaught Place, trying to convince a ‘guide’ that they didn’t really need his services. Russell de Silva from Sri Lanka, with his wife Karen, an Austrian, and their five honey-skinned children ranging from eighteen years to three months old, was out shopping, in a city the senior de Silvas had visited before. Undeterred by the tout, Russell, whose dark complexion, turban-like cap and long grey beard made him look like a local, said, ‘‘He’ll back off; I look like a Sikh so touts don’t usually bother me — this guy must’ve approached us because my wife clearly looks like a foreigner.’’