Indian villages are new tourist hotspots

Purushwadi is not even a dot on the map of Maharashtra. Yet, there are many who now want to go there during their weekend holidays. There are two reasons for this sudden interest: one, the village has a natural beauty that makes it an idyllic spot for visitors to shed off their urban blues and initiate or renew contact with robust activities like walking, trekking, swimming in a river or simply sitting under a tree to chew upon a bark and; two, it helps to know and understand what rural life is all about. The concept that brings even corporate executives here is that of rural tourism. It has changed the lives of the villagers who earlier had almost no link with the big world outside their village boundaries. First signs of change Take Zunkabai Mhaske, for instance, who will instantly rustle up a meal for you at Purushwadi. She is one of the two landless labourers in the village. As a widow and mother of four young girls, making a living is vital and difficult at the same time. Her main source of income, as migratory labour, is tough, as she has to look after her children too. Her other seasonal source of income is to take care of a few goats of some households. It contributes Rs 300-350 per annum. But the money barely suffices for all her needs. Zunkabai was one of the first women to be selected to cater to the ‘community-managed tourism’ project. She was encouraged to spruce up her appearance and hygiene. The change in Zunkabai was so obvious that most villagers were pleasantly surprised. They complimented her on her changed appearance. On the first day she was visibly shy while serving food to a tourist group. However, by the end of the second day, she was comfortable in chatting with the guests and telling them her life story. Her view of the world opened up to new horizons. Her children who earlier wore a messed up appearance are now cheerful and clean. Zunkabai’s catering for the tourists for two days has ensured her the same income that she would have received if she had migrated for eight days to work elsewhere. As part of this rural tourism project sparked off by a Pune-based NGO called Sampada Trust, the women of the village cook traditional food. It varies with seasons and availability of garden fresh vegetables. Food is cooked with simplicity and pride. Their own meals are very simple comprising roti (made from bajra, jowar, rice, wheat or nachni), dal, rice, the occasional vegetable, pickle and onion. Feedback from the tourists along with information, knowledge and experience sharing among women has resulted in more guest-friendly cooking. They have toned down spices. They serve sugar in a separate bowl for tea. Their authentic pickles and chutney are remembered by most guests as a flavour to carry back home. This also brings in smiles and support to the community at large, women in particular. Elaborating about the project, Crispino Lobo, director, Sampada Trust, states: “Initially, the women were appointed as housekeepers. After a few visits, the women suggested that the youth take over the housekeeping responsibilities, an important part of which involves heating of water for bathing. Water was heated in the housekeeper’s home and then brought in steel pots to the campsite of the tourists. This was a very laborious task. While discussing the experiences of various service providers, after each tourist visit, the housekeepers stated this problem. They came out with a solution. They requested for a big container to be bought. The container then would be heated near the campsite, thereby reducing the labour needed for providing hot water for bathing.” Gangaram is one of the few in Purushwadi who is matriculate. First impressions show him to be an introvert. But after a short while with him he will tell you a variety of stories. Gangaram speaks only Marathi. When he was appointed as a guide, he did not know what to do. He was nervous and mostly quiet throughout. However, with encouragement and training, and interacting with more groups of tourists, he has not only fine-tuned his communication in Hindi but now attempts the ‘Queen’s language’. He cheerily greets tourists with “Good morning” and “How are you?” Providing opportunity to savour rural life Apart from Purushwadi, the experiment is also being tried out at Kohane in the Akole taluka of Ahmednagar district. These villages are located just 250 kms from Mumbai. “This is an initiative to give you an opportunity for a get-away and to savour rural life the way you would like it. You may choose for home stays that give one an opportunity to live with a host village family, but in a separate room of earthen walls having clean basic amenities or a tent or a simple guest room. For trekking enthusiasts, there are conventional tourist locations such as the Wilson Dam, Harishchandragarh and Mt Kalsubai. You could also indulge in various simple rural life activities like tending the buffaloes or preparing traditional dishes, trying your hand at agriculture, etc. One would learn what watershed development is all about and how this helps conserve the water and soil, and the various nuances of agriculture as practiced in remote villages. And if you are lucky, you may have an opportunity of enjoying festivals the traditional style,” Lobo elaborates. Essentially, the project works as an incentive to reduce survival migration of villagers to the cities for work. But more importantly, it provides interactions and exchanges with the outside world, an understanding of other cultures, incentives to widen their horizon and opportunities to enhance self-confidence. The villagers are now being encouraged to set up support ventures like pickle-making, selling of packaged water, rural transport, selling of organic produce (grains, pulses, fruits, etc.) and poultry. “Our broad projections of around 200 tourists per annum frequenting these villages should annually boost the local economy by over Rs 2.5 to 3 lakhs (utilising the tourism output multiplier of 1.8). Moreover, since there is extensive utilisation of local goods and services, it is the local economy that benefits the most,” Lobo points out.

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