Belum Caves

This is with regard to my recently concluded visit to a cave system in Andhra Pradesh. As i left the caves only one thought lingered in my head. A poem i had read when i was in school. A poem about "the only rabbit in England". It talks about the various technological advances of man resulting in the destruction of nature. The rabbit then burrows itself into the Earth instead of standing under the "neon lights" and nibbling "on the only patch of grass". The poem ends with the rabbit saying, "it wont be long, they are bound to come, they are bound to come and find me, even here."

The caves are supposedly a national heritage, hence the money poured into it. I wonder if the government were given enough money, would they actually air condition the whole cave and put in escalators for the "comfort" of the tourists. It is just one step away, considering they have put in "air blowers" already. The people with me (my parents included) were all enthralled and found the entire idea of the cave marvellous and awe inspiring. The people were of the opinion that the government (apparently running at a loss considering the "ticket" cost just 25 ruppees) had done a brilliant job in opening the place to the public.

The first thing one notices when one reaches the caves, is the giant Buddha statue and the "BELUM CAVES" written in big on a nearby hillock. As intriguing as this may seem, it is only an indicator of the "greatness" of man, which will be seen in much detail upon venturing further. After passing the ridiculuously overpriced snack bar, we made our way to the ticket counter. Upon buying the tickets, I was personally surprised at the system. It had a bar code and a bar code scanner, which controlled the metal arm which was to be rotated upon scanning the bar code in order to facilitate entry. The last thing i expected in this remote, out of the way place, was such technology. As we pass this point and descend some stairs, we see a gaping hole where there should have been shelter. We are intoduced to a guide who speaks decent English, yet repeats what can be seen or logically assumed by looking at the various "boards" drilled in the ground to ensure that tourists know exactly what they are looking at.

The generator is turned on and we see "soft" lighting all around. We walk into the cave and notice the ground paved. As i pass through the entire system i fail to understand how anyone could appreciate such a cave system. Looking at this cave was as good as looking at the Empire State Building insofar as the cave had been "conditioned" for the tourists. The natural beauty that the cave may have been is definitely no more. Artificial fountains and "waterfalls" are seen in the cave apparently to provide a better "ambience".

A cave so beautiful in itself has been destroyed and gets further sullied by the visit of every tourist.