Watch video highlights of the second part of Oprah’s travels to India below or videos from part 1 here.

An Indian Woman’s Fight for Widows

In India, some women are left homeless and penniless after their husbands die. Go inside a shelter run by Dr. V. Mohini Giri’s Guild For Service, which provides safe haven, job training and dignity to more than 100 displaced women. Plus, find out why Oprah says Dr. Giri’s spirit is a reflection of Mother Teresa.

Oprah Visits the Taj Mahal

Oprah first studied this world wonder as a child in school. Now, she’s finally seeing India’s Taj Mahal in person. Watch as Oprah visits the palace and learn why this is a monument to true love.

Oprah’s Royal Indian Send-Off

On the last leg of her journey through India, the royal family of Jaipur sends Oprah off in style with a palace party, complete with bejeweled camels, horse-drawn carriages and painted elephants. Watch as Oprah dines with the queen of Jaipur, Her Highness Maharani Padmini Devi, and shares why the party was her favorite moment in India.

Exclusive Webisode: Inside an Indian Call Center

If you’ve ever dialed customer service for an airline, phone company or credit card service, chances are the person on the other end of the line is halfway around the world in India. Call centers are a booming business, employing about 350,000 people—about half women—across the country. Get a rare glimpse inside one of Mumbai’s dozens of call centers.

This declaration isn’t sitting well with Amul, India’s largest food brand and producer of milk and milk related products. Managers of the multi-billion dollar company, based in Gujarat, believe milk should be the national drink.

“Milk is the world’s original energy drink for all age groups and for all healthy nations,” says R S Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). He adds, “There is no need to declare anything. Everybody knows milk is the national drink. Nobody in India has declared chapati and rice as the national meal but they are.”

India’s national insignia reads like a greatest hits list of the country’s most notorious symbols. Bengal tigers represent the national animal, peacocks are the national bird, delicious mango is the national fruit, the delicate lotus is the national flower; the list goes on. One item missing from this roster is a national beverage, a drink that all India can be proud to enjoy knowing it represents the taste of the country.

The push to declare tea as the national drink of India by April 17, 2013 would coincide with the 212th birth anniversary of the first Assamese tea planter and Sepoy Mutiny leader Maniram Dewan. He was among the first indigenous tea planters in the county.

“Tea is a common man’s beverage and the cost of a cup of Amul milk is more than double the cost of a cup of tea”, North East Tea Association’s (NETA) Chairman Bidyanand Barkakoty said.

Assam Tea Planter’s Association (ATPA) Chairman A.R. Kasera said that tea is the cheapest beverage in the world after water and is the second largest employer of the organized sector after Indian Railways.

Complicating the argument is the fact that India is the largest producer and consumer in the world of both black tea and milk.

So what’s really at the heart of this controversy? Brand image and bruised egos. Two powerful industries, both with the finances and marketing teams to wage a year long war if necessary. Each side has much to gain from earning status as a national drink. For now, the battle wages on.

#MilkVTea

A senior AAI official said, “Chennai airport, built at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore, is ready and may be operational by June. Kolkata airport would be ready at a cost of Rs 2,350 crore by June and will be operational by October. We are seeking UDF of up to Rs 900 for both arriving and departing passengers but not for those transiting like Delhi.”

Airlines serving Mumbai and Delhi airports have recently threatened to pull their flights to surrounding cities in light of the user development fees taking effect from 1 May. Bangalore and Hyderabad airports both charge a similar fee since the opening of their new terminals.

What Animals Can You See On The Streets of India?

Hidden behind the layers of advertisements and the chaotic rush of Indian traffic, living among the frenzied crowds, is a robust animal kingdom often overlooked. Here are some photos of what animals are easily spotted along the roadsides of India.

#IndiaStreetAnimals

Traditional white marriage horse

Deer

Street dog

Donkey

Buffalo

Camels!

Elephant

Pigs/Boar

Cows

Cat

Spotted deer

Goats

Grey langur monkey

Peacocks!

The controversial new airport charges will be added as User Development Fees meaning passengers, and not the already strapped Indian airline industry, will be responsible for coughing up more money.

Currently every domestic passenger at IGI pays an airport development fee (ADF) of Rs 200 while international passengers pay Rs 1,300. In addition a passenger services fee (PSF) of Rs 207 is levied. DIAL has been seeking an increase in these fees as high as 774% for months. Under a proposal by DIAL, the ADF for international passengers would rise up to Rs 1,400 and up to Rs 600 from domestic passengers. Domestic and international transit passengers would also have to pay user development fee of Rs 360 and Rs 800, respectively, according to the proposal. An increase closer to 350% was approved by AERA and set to begin from 1 April, 2012 before being delayed. The new fees may now go into effect as early as May 1st.

On the other hand, new charges for passengers flying in and out of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport are set to begin from 1 May, 2012. AERA has allowed Mumbai International Airport Limited to charge a development fee of Rs 100 for domestic fliers and Rs 600 for international fliers for a period of 23 months. Revenue earned from these charges will be used to reduce debt of Rs 876 crore for the construction of the new airport.

The lateness of Indians now has a name, Indian Stretchable Time, a twist on the official time zone of India known as Indian Standard Time or IST. But it doesn’t end there. This YouTube video hits a home run with an issue near and dear to visiting tourists and Indians alike.

Google Art Project began only a year ago, already boasting a collaboration with 151 museums from 40 countries. It uses high-resolution technology to bring to life famous art and artifacts to create near-authentic experiences.

The 250 pieces available online allow viewers to peruse more than 150 years of Indian art from 1850, created by well known artists such as Bose, Tagore, Mukherjee, and Varma. Apart from viewing high-resolution images from the museum collections, Google Art Project India also enables users to take a virtual tour of the museum. The service is free however operating the high resolution art portal requires a high-speed Internet connection.

TripAdvisor, which promises the world’s most trusted travel advice, is where travelers turn for recommendations on the perfect hotel or to find just the right activity during a trip. Reviews come from users who leave honest remarks about restaurants, hotels, and other services. It’s meant to help other users avoid those inevitable experiences we shared as kids. You remember right? Wood floors were actually shag carpeting and rustic cabins were actually tents? This model works brilliantly on paper. Like eBay says, people are basically good. So what happens when businesses, who pay TripAdvisor annual fees for the ability to have users book rooms directly with their properties, selectively respond to only a certain type of tourist?

An Indian friend alerted me to a situation he faced regarding this very topic. His email stated he was “confused, irritated & agitated” after attempting to contact numerous recommended properties in India for a planned holiday. He went on to write, “i contacted the ‘top’ 10 B&Bs of India/New Delhi/Kerala as per TA. Asked for accommodation, didn’t get any reply (sent 3 emails in a month – my father was to travel).. [sic] then my 2 friends from UK messaged them & got instant reply – it was as if they were sitting on the computer 24/7 awaiting a foreigner’s mail. Just got me thinking why all the ****ing discrimination against your own country people. Is it that licking up to foreigner’s & having great reviews the only thing people want? Or is it that when you know who is coming, you can get together & rehearse your ‘act’ of hospitality – no wonder they do not take on-line bookings?”

This got me thinking, is TripAdvisor bias against it’s own customers? In this case, are foreigners given higher status over Indians?

Granted it’s not TripAdvisor that isn’t responding, it’s the individual properties which receive customer inquiries. To make matters more interesting, my friend is an owner and operator of a successful Indian guesthouse (ironically listed on TripAdvisor) and until recently took direct bookings through the site. My dealings with TA thus far have only extended as far as writing reviews for hotels, guesthouses and B & B’s in which I stayed. This new information was like learning how sausage is made.

Truthfully I wasn’t surprised to hear his requests for information weren’t return and told him as such. I also shared with him my understanding of how Indians in the travel industry are quick to size up a potential client based on last names. Yes, I’m subtly referring to the caste system which is alive and thriving in many parts of India. “It’s ridiculous to be waiting for foreigners to call when domestic tourism is up and foreign travel is stagnant,” I wrote.

Is this an isolated incident for which my friend was the victim, or is this a pattern of behavior within India’s travel industry? Who is TripAdvisor’s customer, the user who pays to book a room on the site or the property owner who pays for the ability to have users book their rooms?

The whole situation reminded me of traveling in Himachal Pradesh during Diwali season one year. It’s a well known fact the state is flooded with Bengalis during this time who enjoy visiting HP’s numerous Shiva temples. Hotel after hotel, when I was alone with the staff playing cards or sipping chai, their stories of how they disliked Bengali tourists repeated on and on and on…loud, dirty, cheap, loud, dirty, cheap. That memory was soon replaced with a similar scenario in Rajasthan when I heard how the Gujaratis were loud and drunks, only to be replaced with the memory of Keralites referring to Tamil tourists as, well, Tamils. Gasp.

My friend’s follow up email drove home his point. He wrote, “Agreed we Indians are hard to please, we do not know what homestay is but taking 2 mins out & telling/replying to your callers/mailers of what we are not & what not to expect doesn’t harm anyone does it? Not allowing Indians is just ridiculous. 10 Indian callers per day on an average here – no conversions to bookings but at least they learnt something about the term “home stay” ( What?! no room service, no restaurant – heck i won’t stay with you then. Ok , you are welcome). Reviews are relative as is value/service/location.”

India welcomes me with open arms. I am white and I am from the USA. Of course, we are a country so disconnected with our heritage that 80% of the time when I ask a person their nationality, they stumble for an answer. Maybe that’s why I always get a reply from American hotels.

Is it possible that India’s Ministry of Tourism is placing too much emphasis on building and updating infrastructure to entice tourism when it really should be focusing on the cannibalistic and self-serving policies of the industry itself? Given a choice would Indian hotels prefer to only service foreign guests?

#IndiaTABias

The Land Ports Authority of India was established on March 1, 2012, working under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Border Management. It’s primary function is the planning, construction, maintenance and management of 13 Integrated Check Posts or ICPs across the country. Each ICP will have dedicated passenger and cargo terminals and Customs and immigration facilities. Their purpose is to streamline the processing of goods both import and export across borders, and just as importantly to function as Customs offices for domestic and foreign tourists.