A resolute tourist guide at the Maharana Pratap Museum, Umesh ensures that he is able to satiate the queries of the tourists at the museum with regard to the life of Maharana Pratap.

Umesh has been working as a guide at the Maharana Pratap Museum, Haldi Ghati for the past eight years.

Umesh was the only brother among six sisters. His father worked for the post office and also did his agrarian work. His father struggled to raise them well. He says that his father was very particular that he went to school and completed his education. One day, he didn’t go to school and as soon as his father learnt it, he dropped him at school immediately. And after that Umesh never missed going to school.

After completing his formal school education, he started working at the Haldi Ghati Museum.

During the Covid pandemic, he got to spend time with his family and also watched the epic tales of Mahabharata and Ramayana which were telecast on Doordarshan. On the professional front he wasn’t required to go to the museum as in the light of the pandemic it was kept shut but he kept in touch with the Director of the museum and other co-workers as to what all measures were being taken at the museum due to the pandemic and when it would be opened.

Umesh learns equally from everyone around irrespective of their age. He doesn’t hesitate to voice his opinion whenever he feels something is wrong.

To new tourist guides, he advises that you should learn to interact with tourists confidently.

Umesh believes that education and experience are both important. He says that with experience only he learnt to guide and interact with tourists at the museum well.

Umesh doesn’t think that he is a born leader. But he learnt to interact with people and became confident through working at the museum only.

He considers his father and the director of the museum Mohan Shrimali as his role models. He says that his father struggled a lot in his life but never sat idle and this is what inspires him to keep working. He also adds that the Director of the museum, despite being old, still works with the same vigor and enthusiasm at this age and this inspires him a lot.

If he could go back in time, then he would want to relive his childhood days when he would visit his maternal grandparents’ and relatives’ houses. He says that his childhood days were carefree and he would love to relive them.