A rural holiday

Till three years ago, Sriram Naganathan’s daughter used to freak out at the sight of an insect. Now, the eleven-year-old can confidently peel off the leeches that stick to her legs during long treks. Her father attributes the new-found confidence to the eco-tours that the family has taken over the last few years.
During summer, many people are willing to trade in five-star comforts to live in village homes, workers’ quarters and eat locally prepared food. Next week, parents and children from The School KFI will trek their way to a remote village in Kotagiri for a holiday. “Most of these children have never seen a cow being milked or vegetables being picked. They are fascinated by such trips,” says Jaideep Vivekanand, a parent.
Tour companies say that there has been an increase in the number of Indians who are looking for off-beat travel experiences. “We want to take people to places that not many have gone to before and most of these places are not accessible by road. People have to trek for two or three hours, often through thick forests, to get to these villages,” says Sridhar Lakshmanan, one of the founders of Ecologin, a city-based startup which organises tours to locations such as Malaiyur, Bodi, Meghamalai and Marayoor. People get an opportunity to ride on bullock carts, help farmers plough their fields or make clay vessels with the village potter.
While tour companies organise adventures for people from the city, they also provide an extra source of income to the locals by collaborating with them and NGOs to provide services to customers. “Almost 30% of our revenue goes to the people of the community,” says Lakshmanan. “We also help locals sell handicrafts or honey to tourists.”
Travel Another India, a Chennai-based company, is setting up its first project in Tamil Nadu this year by refurbishing a few rooms at the Kovalam campus of The Banyan, an NGO that works with the mentally ill. “These rooms will be rented out to tourists. And the income will help us support the women here,” says Gouthami, CEO.
Customers also feel that they are getting an opportunity to help the locals. “When we go to these villages, we see that children are not able to study as no teacher is willing to trek for hours to reach their village,” says Naganathan, who has begun training older children to run night schools in Malaiyur.
However, it is important to make sure the customers are suited to such trips. “We tell people what kind of trip they can expect,” says Gouthami. “We don’t want them to have unrealistic expectations.”
Lakshmanan recounts instances where customers have refused to eat the local food or sleep in the accommodation provided. “A guest whose temperament is not suited to such a trip can end up ruining the experience for others and the local community,” he says.
However, the right customer can result in long-term collaborations between villagers, tour companies and travellers. “I have a background in rural management and work in the area of international health. Trips like these help me re-evaluate challenges faced by local communities,” says Soumya Alva, who took at trip to Ladakh last year with Travel Another India.
Vivekanand and his wife, who run an architecture consultancy, are helping Ecologin design and build an eco-friendly campus near Mudaliar Kuppam, which will be used to house tourists and serve as an activity centre for local children.
“People come on these tours to have fun but end up learning a lot. And the locals feel encouraged to preserve their homes and way of life,” says Lakshmanan.