March 17, 2009
Mr. Madhavan Menon
Managing Director
TCI

Dear Mr. Menon:

I would like to take this time to share with you my highest praise for your NY and Delhi staff at Travel Corporation India, Ltd., who organized and supported all of the travel arrangements for the group of ten education leaders from Virginia, which I recently led to India. This group was part of an original group of leaders who were scheduled to arrive at the Taj Mahal Hotel on November 29, 2008, three days after the terrorist attacks began in Mumbai. When the November trip was cancelled, the members decided to go in two groups. The first group of ten recently completed their trip on March 9 and the second group of twenty is planning to go in November and December, 2009.

From my first contact two years ago with your New York representative Mr. V.P. Krishna to my most recent working relationship with your Delhi representative Mr. Amit Chugh, the members of the Virginia educational leaders group and I have received nothing by the best service and the greatest attention. Your entire staff in NY and Delhi and those that supported them including the guides and the drivers are to be commended for their high standards of professionalism. They provided an exceptional quality of service that was well beyond my expectations for any travel organization. Their skills in problem solving, scheduling, and interpersonal relations and their knowledge of the history and culture of India created an effortless task for me as group leader for which which I am extremely grateful.

I would like to mention a few of your representatives and affiliates, who stand out in my mind as those whom I hope you would recognize for their superb work. First and foremost is Mr. V.P. Krishna who has been my greatest support in organizing the India As A Global Partner Program through the University of Virginia. Kris has helped me immensely with the program's organization, travel logistics, and finances. Without his assistance, we would not have been able to plan an outstanding program, cancel it, reschedule it, and then have the travel experience of a lifetime. I felt as if we were always his priority even though I knew he was simultaneously managing programs far larger than ours.

Next, I would like to thank Mr. Amit Chugh, who provided the group with the greatest attention during our travel in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra and who provided the same for the individuals traveling on their excursions after the program. Amit personally made sure that I had the best accommodations, drivers, and guides, when my excursion to Ladakh was postponed twice due to inclement weather. He constantly checked on me to see how I was doing. I felt very much like a VIP, because of the arrangements he made for my personal assistance.

Mr. Sameer Bhattacharya, General Manager-Leisure Travel, took a personal involvement in our program by traveling with us from Delhi to Jaipur and Agra and by assisting with the arrangements for us. This kind of attention from a senior staff member was exceptional and showed the great lengths TCI would go to in order to ensure that we had the best of experiences.

I would also like to mention two guides, Praveen Kapoor our guide in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra and 'Tinsley' my guide in Ladakh with Zen Travels, who made this a memorable experience. Praveen's knowledge of history, his sense of humor, ability to tell great stories, and willingness to intervene and problem solve on behalf of individual members made him a favorite among the group. We have already asked him to join us again for the second group traveling to India next fall. Praveen is more than a guide; he is an excellent leader.

'Tinsley', my guide in Ladakh, was outstanding in his knowledge of the history of this region and its main religion, Buddhism. He did everything in his capability to make sure I had the best cultural experience possible. It was an experience that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Finally, I would like to commend you for providing us with such an outstanding staff to support our program. Without the contributions and synergy of the above-mentioned staff members and many others, we would not have had the outstanding experience that we had. Thank you for your management in assembling and maintaining such a talented group of professionals.

Sincerely,

John Andrew Stamp ("Andy")
Executive Director
Virginia School-University Partnership
University of Virginia