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Kumbalangi,
a fishing hamlet about 25 kilometers off Kochi in Kerala,
will soon be the first eco-tourism village in the country.
This quiet village has none of the hallmarks of tourist Kerala
- cottages, four-lane roads or walkways - but it is full of
visitors, mostly from the US and Europe from September through
March, the tourist season.
The tourist information centers and tour operators pass on
the information. The project is more work-bound than time-bound.
So some fund is allocated for some work, when that is done
next tranche is given. Now the panchayat elections are due
this month-end, so naturally the work will slow down a bit.
"The Kumbalangi project was set in motion in 2003 to
help the local people, the economy and the locality through
tourism," says M C Sivadathan, President of the Kumbalangi
panchayat (village council). "And in order to achieve
this, we have done away with many concepts typical of tourism
elsewhere. Our idea is to create job opportunities for the
villagers, while also ensuring that tourists have a good time
seeing and experiencing real village life,'' he explains.
The panchayat - with financial assistance from the state government
- is implementing the project.
Nearly 30,000 people live in this seven square km village.
The main occupation in Kumbalangi is fishing, and there are
over 100 Chinese nets in the backwaters that face the village.
The region - once rich in fish and mangroves - was losing
its ecological capital.
So, when the project came up, the full panchayat - 13 members
- sat together and discussed what could be done. Several big
players in the tourism industry were interested in building
cottages and walkways. However, the panchayat felt that the
ambience of the village must not be disturbed. So, the panchayat
decided that home-stay arrangements would be much better than
building cottages for tourists. The panchayat itself identified
some such homes.
Currently, there are about 10 houses that offer rooms to visitors.
This facility is generally within a residence, where two or
more rooms with attached baths are set aside for guests. The
per day charge is about Rs 900, inclusive of breakfast. Lunch
and dinner are also provided at an extra charge. The tourists
sit with the host family and eat the same food they eat. They
can walk through the village, watch fisher folk at work, fish
themselves, go canoeing and visit the farms, among other things.
They can also contact the panchayat if they require assistance.
Initially, many people were skeptical about the home-stay
concept. They were proved wrong in no time; during the tourist
season, these places are almost full. "We broke even
within two months of starting up operations," says Rocky
Lawrence of Kalanchery Retreat, which has been offering home-stays
for the past one and a half years.
Many people also wondered whether Kerala food would be palatable
to foreign taste buds. The result, though, has been extremely
satisfactory. "Other than making the food less spicy,
we do not deviate from traditional cuisine," says Lilly
Lawrence, who supervises cooking in the Retreat. "There
is a huge demand for fish and seafood, such as prawn and shrimp.
Everything is available locally," she says. Lawrence
recalls, "Initially, we were worried about whether guests
would like the village and its rustic ambience. But we realized
that this is a novel experience for them. We have had tourists
who stayed with us for weeks, reading books, fishing or simply
watching the backwaters." Tourists also find that there
is no huge communication gap, because at least one member
in a family, if not all, can converse in English.
Tourism has also bolstered employment prospects in the village.
The fisher folk used to have a harrowing time due to fluctuating
prices and an unsteady market. Now, with the tourists, there
is assured sale through the year. (While foreign tourists
visit from September to March, the domestic tourist season
is April-May due to summer holidays.)
The increased requirement for food has also meant that more
hands are needed to prepare it - thereby employing more women.
While hotels and resorts seeks technically qualified people
for food preparation and service, the home-stay arrangements
employ neighborhood people. This also holds true for cleaning
and washing. The increased demand has also given poultry farming
a boost.
Another occupation that's seen quite a revival is that of
boatmen. The village is well connected by road to the mainland,
and the local community did not patronize them very much.
However, tourists are keen on cruises. Fisher folk and boatmen
also demonstrate various fishing techniques for the tourists.
Under the Kumbalangi project, Kalagraamam, an artists' village,
is also being set up. The initial plans were to erect a cottage
in the middle of the backwaters. Later, the panchayat members,
tourism secretary and the tourism minister were all agreed
that this would disturb the backwaters ecology. Kalagraamam,
therefore, will now stand on four acres of land inside Kumbalangi.
It will showcase the traditional fishing equipment and handicrafts
of the region.
Another goal the project has is to bring the village back
to its ecologically glorious days - about 25 years ago. Towards
this, pokkali farming, a crop pattern that alternates between
rice and fish (each for six months a year), is being brought
back in full form. Also, mangroves that were once in abundance
in the region are being planted once again. So far, about
50,000 mangrove saplings have been planted in the area. "We
used to have plenty of fish here because of the mangroves.
The planting of mangroves will lead to a better environment
for the fish to live in>
(Mangroves grow in marshy areas, where fish also find comfort.),"
says Sivadathan.
The Kumbalangi panchayat is well aware that being a tourist
destination also brings with it greater responsibilities.
"Tourists will not come unless there are proper roads
and lights. So, the roads and canals have been strengthened,
CFC lamps have been installed, and 600 biogas plants have
been set up for waste management. Kumbalangi is also the first
panchayat in the state to set up such a waste management system.
A park has also been constructed for visitors to relax in.
The most remarkable thing about this project is that what
we do for the tourists also directly benefits the local population,"
Sivadathan says. |
Sreedevi
Jacob |
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