Surrounded by the dim light of an oil lamp, I am sitting in a kitchen looking at how ‘Roti’ (Indian bread) are made on firewood. The lady dressed in an Indian sari is telling me stories of how the people in Munsiari, a remote village of Kumaon have taken up community based tourism for sustainable development. The kitchen cat climbs on my feet and we listen to the story together. The woman says…
***
“Once upon a time, Malika and Theo, one of whom is from Punjab and another from Kerala traveled to Munsiari. At that time, no one knew about this village on Indo-Nepalese border beyond which the Indian roads end into Panchchuli mountain range. They chose to live a life in service of our community. Ram joined them afterwards with his expertise in fragile Himalayan ecosystems and sustainability”
“Malika madam took the position of head of ‘Van Panchayat’ (Village forest council). Over next five years, ‘Maati Sangathan’, a women’s collective was formed. It enhanced local governance using our skills like Organic Farming, Bee Keeping and weaving from Yak wool. It trained women in operating computer, on managing finances, provided low interest loans and trained women in mountaineering to serve Rural Tourism.”
For the scenic beauty of Munsiari, [Read: Celebrating Holi in Kumaon]
“We were educated on how forests, farms, animals, humans and environment co-exist, and on how deforestation results in migration of wild animals into villages and subsequent destruction of farms. The women who had not thought of the environment before in this way joined hands to regulate entry of humans into the forest and on cutting wood.”
“Under the homestay program, we were trained on aspects of intercultural sensitivity and interaction. We were made aware of the importance of sanitation, our cultural heritage, on having conversation with travelers, and cooking food to suit all types of visitors. Two decades ago, we were just farmers forgotten by our own government and trying to make our ends meet. Now we are entrepreneurs who know the importance of our skill. We are very thankful to madam. Few women were chosen for training in mountaineering from HMI (Himalayan Mountaineering Institute) who now take travelers like you for activities like high altitude trekking, star gazing and exotic bird watching.””Our homestays follow similar standards for bedding, food, water supply, toilets and have solar power. Some even have attached kitchenette for those travelers who want to cook”
I listen in awe, not realizing that the cat on my feet has not moved an inch as if she is also a part of our conversation. I go to sleep that night excited to meet a village woman next day who will take me for trekking.
Next morning, I am ready and a little impatient when someone knocks on the door. I open it to see the lady who cooked for me last night wearing trekking suit and shoes. She looks at me, smiles and says – “Yes, I am a housewife and a mountaineer.”
Related Articles
===
Co-Authored by Gaurav Bhatnagar & Lajwanti NaiduSoftware Engineer turned Travel Writer, Photographer, and Public Speaker on Responsible Travel. Entrepreneur in Responsible Rural Travel @ www.thefolktales.com
Mrs. A. Lajwanti Naidu has masters in Travel and Tourism, and English. She has International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association Foundation (UFTA) certification. She has post graduate diploma in Travel and Tourism. She has eighteen years of industry and academic experience. She has attended many national and international seminars.
|
There are mixed kind of people….some who wish to just go on an outing for fun and frolic..others to fulfil their desire and love for some social commitments they feel from within…it just depends on individuals…
Lovely! You have a list of home-stays under this program? How to book them?
Divya. You can check out this link: http://www.thefolktales.com/journey/category/folk-tales-from-kumaon/31.html