KOCHI: He was 28, when an advertisement by Alliance Francaise publicising their first ever French course in the city appeared. That was 11 years ago. And it changed the course of Johnson Teju’s life, who today works as a popular French tourist guide in the city. That ad also saved him a trip to Pondicherry he was set to take otherwise. At 39 today, Johnson is a happy man and enjoys his profession immensely.Typically, the vocation of a guide comes with no great status, but Johnson says he never had qualms about taking it up. “Because I believe I am a born guide and that is what I always wanted to be for years,” he says.With time this Kochi resident has also picked up Italian and Spanish well. That apart, Johnson has enjoyed a rare privilege. When Belgium’s D’ Arenberg Royal family came down to Kerala, he was assigned as their guide for the entire period of their stay.His work has also brought him in the illustrious company of the influential Pino family last year and the former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss. “Some of the tourists who visit our country have high regard for India. It is my responsibility as a tourist guide to make them feel comfortable. Considering the strides we are making globally, it is essential to make an impression", he says.The reason behind Johnson’s affinity to the three foreign languages is that he finds these languages musical. The reason he chose to be a guide? “We are free to speak about anything under the sun. With them, I speak passionately about India’s heritage, its archeology, its designs, anthropology, caste systems and believe me, the tourists are interested.”But being a tourist guide has its difficulties too. People here do not consider it as a proper profession. They say, “Though it is true you earn a lot of money, it still isn’t a profession”.But nothing deters him, given his ardent passion for his work, so evident in the effusive way he speaks about it. Johnson also feels that he is lucky to have a family that has been able to accept him for his often ‘looked down upon’ profession. Yet he feels it is high time that the government acknowledges and encourages more youngsters to pursue the profession by providing better options and opportunities for them.Johnson, who believes it is never too late to study any course, is looking forward to learning Oriental languages in the near future.
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