This document discusses the lack of awareness about the Indian state of Tripura among people in other parts of India. It notes that when the author interacted with dignitaries from across India at an event, most were unaware of or misinformed about Tripura's location and potential. The document argues that Tripura has failed to effectively promote and market itself nationally. It provides several recommendations for how Tripura's government departments and organizations could work to better publicize the state's strengths and opportunities to increase investment and tourism. These include establishing Tripura houses in other states, having officers promote the state during trainings, using cultural groups and students to spread awareness, developing golf courses, and setting up a think tank to evaluate ideas.

1. A pervasive concern for Tripura
In the month of June, 2009 I had the occasion to go to Hyderabad to be a witness to a gala
event. There was an assembly of more than a hundred dignitaries coming from the different
strata of the society and from different parts of the country. The centre d’attraction was,
however, the Chief of the Army Staff, General Deepak Kapur.
I had an opportunity to interact with the members of the august assembly. Everybody was
talking of his state and I was not an exception. But what pained me most that almost
everybody were finding it difficult to recognise Tripura. I had to struggle hard to tell the
members the location of the state- somebody was taking it to be a part of the Assam,
somebody was confusing it with Manipur and some, with Tirupati.
I had the more bitter experience when I went to South India in 2002. Almost nobody had
heard the name of the State. While everybody could recognise other north eastern states
including Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura is simply lost into wilderness. But things
have a bit improved now, but we have still miles to go!
The reason is not far to seek. The most obvious reason is that people of the country are
abysmally poor in their knowledge of their country. But the other reason is none the less
revealing. We have failed to market Tripura. There has not been any meaningful effort,
whatsoever, to sell Tripura in the images of the people of the country.
Those who could somehow locate Tripura are blissfully ignorant of its potential. They have
an idea that it is still ravaged by the terrorists. They feel, the state has no presence in the
infrastructural map of India. People are still half fed and half clad. Most of the people are
nomads .I had to toil hard to tell them the exact state of affairs of the State. That Tripura is
one of the best governed States and one amongst the few almost Corruption- Free States,
that it has great potential to be the gateway to Southeast Asia was not within the realms of
understanding of the educated urbanite people of India. The picture must be very bleak and
discouraging in the rural segment.

2.  In the scenario above, I see a larger role of the some departments. It is high
time that the concerned Departments take up with missionary zeal to sell
Tripura on war footing. A few months back I had seen one half-hearted,
unimaginative attempt of some department to publicise the strength of Tripura
in a reputed all India weekly magazine. I’m afraid this advertisement speaks
of nothing and coveys no meaning to enterprising India which is searching
every nook and corner for investment. If the concerned Departments fail to
take the initiative even at this belated stage, the posterity may not forgive
them. It is not the time for self introspection to find out probable causes for
their failure. It is time to rise to the equal of the occasion and telling bluntly
“Go and get done your work.” In a broader sense, it means boldly setting
departmental standard –not based on conjectures but on observable practice
– and explicitly telling the departmental bosses to meet or exceed the
standard. The soul searching may wait till then.
If the departments concerned feel that they can handle their job like a
mechanic even in their sleep, the departments may be anything but surely
they are not the departments which propound the values of effectiveness,
inventiveness and originality. It is always better if the departments consider
these attributes while selling the state in a meaningful way.
 Further, every developmental department – like Agriculture, Industry, Forest,
Rural Development, Health, etc, should have a publicity wing. They should be
constantly telling the people of India through imaginative advertisements and
through their cultivated contacts what Tripura means to them. An
advertisement generally requires that it should be eye catching, humour free,
concise, non- discriminatory, logical and down to earth. If in drafting the
advertisement, the departments feel that outside professional help is required,
the departments shouldn’t hesitate to seek it. In fact, in Tripura there is no
dearth of talent. The boys and girls of Tripura are making their presence felt
throughout the world and particularly in US with knock on effect in almost all
the major segments there.
 There may be Tripura Houses in all the States in the country. These houses
should be manned by people who can act as brand ambassador of the State.
There may be some initial expenditure, but the return may be enormous.
 Almost every month officers are sent to various trainings. In the training
session as well as outside the session, the officers may make an attempt to
tell about Tripura to their training mates and in other fora. The gains may be
temporary for the time being. But the earnest efforts of the officers shall get
accumulated invariably and the result will be marketing of Tripura, though
surreptitiously.
 In our student days, the college students were used to be sent for excursion
at the cost of the state exchequer. The objective was Bharat Darshan- to
know the country. But this practice has been done away with since long.
Since the students generally interact with other students of other states, it
provides an opportunity for our students to spread the message to other

3. students of other states on the strength of the state in a more effective
manner.
Similarly, the cultural troupes may also spread the message of our rich
cultural heritage across the country in a trustworthy manner. The interaction
of our cultural groups with their counterparts in other states will not only
enrich our culture, it will simultaneously tell about the penetration and the
depth of our culture.
 Nothing absolute is intended and even possible. The suggestions above are
skeletal in nature and may require scrutiny by the best minds available in the
state. The state govt may consider organising a seminar to discuss as to how
effectively the state can be sold. Marketing is an art. The master perhaps in
this regard is the state of Gujarat. I have seen a DVD circulated free by the
Govt. of Gujarat with India Today Magazine. The people who have devised
the conceptualisation of the DVD are sure of the surety of their method and
the outcome that will follow.
 In the corporate world, playing of Golf is almost a ritual. Since playing Golf in
the advanced countries like, Japan, UK and USA is a costly affair, the
business leaders from various countries charter planes to come to India to
play Golf at Delhi. Since Golf is one of the few ball games that do not use a
standardized playing area; rather the game is played on golf "courses",
Tripura has all the ingredients, as I have learnt from reliable source, for
making Golf courses better than Delhi. In the Army area at Shalbagan there is
already a golf course. What it needs is refurbishing and making it of
International standard. Army must be only too willing to help the State Govt.
Thereafter, publicise it in all possible ways that Tripura has a Golf Course
unparalleled in India. If the publicity can be done in a befitting manner in the
international trade magazines, Tripura may be a much sought after State for
playing Golf. While it will help the State Govt. to earn revenues, it can make
Tripura the hub of corporate leaders. And I’m sure necessary incidental
benefits are sure to follow.
 The State Govt may set up a think tank and ask relevant people who are
open and genuine and have all pervasive concern for the betterment of the
State to contribute their ideas. No idea shall be set apart or accepted at face
value without due examination. If necessary, Delphi Technique, Expert
consensus, etc. method may be employed to bring out the best idea. And
thereafter, the only important thing left is to get to down to the business of
implementation of the idea with an ongoing vigilant system of monitoring and
evaluation of the implemented idea.
 In all the surveys conducted by the India Today Group, the state of Tripura
has been portrayed very poorly, courtesy M/s Bibek Debroy and his
company. My heart aches for this ill conceived evaluation and for
perpetrating misinformation campaign throughout India. The position in
Tripura is definitely better than that of all the NE States in most of the
sectors. But the State Govt is yet to come out with suitable rejoinder. This
rejoinder is all the more necessary because India Today is highly acclaimed

4. news weekly and read by all erudite Indians. Fortunately, some all India
Newspapers has taken the burden of the State Govt. to repudiate the claim
of India Toady Group in their inimitable style.
One thing, I have pleasantly noticed during my interaction with members of Kerala that they
know our state reasonably well. The state has earned their admiration. He was lucidly
dealing with the strength of Tripura. That despite our limitation and geographical isolation we
are steadfastly progressing and making our mark caught the imagination of the august
dignitaries. He also made it abundantly clear that the caution and transparency exercised
by the state in poverty alleviation programmes, etc. are acknowledged even in Union Govt.
That the state govt employees get their pay invariably on the first day of the month is
unimaginable in some of the states. The Govt of Tripura may teach a lesson or two to even
the developed states as how to consistently enforce financial discipline.
But this strength of the state also needs to be effectively highlighted in appropriate fora.
That Laloo Prasad Yadav, former Railway Minister was invited to lecture on the
management aspect in IIMs (though the profit figure of the Railway as used to be claimed by
him during his tenure is now disputed and appears bloated. we may, however wait till
publication of the white paper for ascertaining the veracity of the figure) simply because the
publicity and management Gurus paved the way for it and made Lalu a marketable
commodity.
(Written a couple of years back )