Demolition Part II

Paradise Beach in Gokarna
Om, Half Moon and Paradise are the three stunningly beautiful, panoramic beaches of Gokarna.

During our 2 hours of beach trek covering these beaches and adjacent hills, we hardly came across any trekkers. Half Moon beach only had a 'Sadhu' who had come all the way from Ayodha in his saffron rob, sitting peacefully in a clay hutment. It seems he travels through out the year across the country. A month in Gokarna and he said he will be moving to Goa, where he has 'friends'.

This was just before the sunset and not a single soul.

By the time we reached Paradise, we saw a lot of new 'eco-friendly' constructions coming up on the hillocks. Bamboo, coconut palm leaves, coir, mud and cow dung was all that they use to make these illegal shacks. All of them are powered by solar energy and have Internet access, restaurants and even small libraries consisting of 'left-over books' from previous travellers.

Considering the 'legal' buildings that damage the environment in rest of Gokarana, I found these shacks a wonderful way of living. Most of the shacks, especially those in the Paradise beach gets fresh water from the near by springs from the mountains. Compared to the shitty Town beach, these beaches are clean and no trace of waste anywhere. It literally felt like a Paradise.

New shacks coming up every year

I don't know how they are processing the waste, certainly it is not going back to the Panchayat facility, most probably its being burnt near the shacks itself or even dumped into the sea somewhere.

In any case, my enthusiasm about the 'eco-friendly' construction didn't last beyond few minutes when Anjali asked me to look around the shacks properly. A closer look revealed that many portions of the hillocks have been demolished using dynamites, so that the shacks can be positioned in scenic locations!

This shack was constructed after using dynamites to remove the hillock!

In some part of this small temple town, Government authorities are chasing down even small encroachments on to the streets. Were as on the distant beaches like Paradise, encroacher's are using dynamites to setup new shacks.

Even after many anonymous calls from our local friends to the forest and police departments, no action has been taken and of course will not be taken! Who the hell is going to trek that long distance over the mountains and all these beaches to reach the shacks and check the status? Instead its easy to take a bribe and sit in the comforts of your office).

Why on the earth can't we strike a balance ?
Bangalore © GP 2007

Demolition drive in Gokarna Part 1

wide streets after the self demolition by traders
Last time I was in Gokarna, the streets were peaceful, residents and travellers were laid back. This time, there was a flurry of activities. Knowing that the political big wigs are not going to bother him with corrupt intervention (There is no elected Government in Karnataka right now and is under Governors rule), the district administration is on a demolition drive in Gokarna.

One of the reasons why Gokarna is an attraction for travellers!
After surveying and identifying the encroachments, local DC has given notices asking them to demolish the encroachments, or they have the option to have the Government demolish and pay for that too. Without moving a machinery from their side, Government has managed to remove most of the encroachments and streets of Gokarna and the places looks so different.

More than 1.5 metres of the wall is gone!

It's only now one can see the massive pillars of Brahmin houses behind all the small shacks and shops. Earlier even Shamianas were out into the street, but now you can see decorations, paintings and pictures on the house walls which were earlier covered.

Wonder how long this DC will stay in power!

Old car new car! (temple chariot in the streets of Gokarna)

Bangalore GP © 2007

Ministers, people and awards

Pic: Memento created by one of our artisans depicting the universal theme of eco-history of communities

Last month our community members working under the umbrella of Vayali Folk Group mentioned that they were planning a gathering of indigenous people of River Nila in Thrissur at the Sahitya Academy Hall. The idea was to acknowledge the work of great folk artists from Nila and appreciate them for the invaluable contribution to the unique river valley civilisation. When they told us that they also wanted to give a memento to The Blue Yonder for bringing in attention to River Nila and the efforts we have taken to revive and support art forms along Nila, we were not sure what was coming. It was after the Conde Nast traveller awards that they decided that our work needs to be acknowledged by the stake holders within our project area.

In front of a small gathering of people who shared the angst of a dying river, the Revenue Minister Mr. K. P. Rajendran handed over a beautifully crafted memento (in the picture )created by one of our partner artisans ‘Narayanettan’. We would have preferred to have that acknowledgment not from a minister who had no clue about what we do, rather through a smile that we exchange normally with our community members. In the quick gate crash he made to the stage, we could hear the Minister asking Vinod, coordinator of Vayali, “who, what, Blue Yonder?”.

We can’t blame the Minister for not knowing TBY or our work, but he should have at the least a courtesy to find out why he was requested to be there by the organisers before he stood upon on the stage. Just beore giving the award, I could hear him talking about the contribution of TBY in Responsible Tourism and proud he is to see local initiatives like this ....(sigh!)

Well, since Ministers are busy running from one meeting to another and declaring one statement after the other across the state, one can’t blame if they don’t find any time to figure out why they are there. Minister’s presence might be a media attention and he even came there because he genuinely wanted to support the initiatives of the organisers in documenting and reviving folk art forms in Valluvanad region of Nila. But we were aghast to hear the statements he was giving in his capacity as a Revenue Minister of Kerala. “Nila, as we all know is being abused and it is so much part of our culture, environment etc etc……and also considering the degradation that is happening we have decided to release Rs 5 crores (1,270,648.99 USD) from the River Management Fund.” Then there was a flood of offers, about engineering departments and water authority of various levels being involved in many other projects.

After the Minister left we were wondering about the number of committees being set up and how many more dollars are passing hands before they all put the final nail on the coffin, which could be our Nila!.

Irrespective of the mumblings of the Minister, it was great to see many of our activity partners ( Thoni Cruise, Martial Arts experts, Folk artists, Potters, Ritualistic healers etc) being recognised in public for the first time and that too in the presence of people like Sankar of KFRI, who could connect with the people and understood why they were there.

Amongst other recognitions we have received in the last four years, we don’t think there will be any other that will remain so close to our heart than this appreciation from our own people.

Tirur © GP 2007

Our Native Village

I guess, Our Native Village is too futuristic for Bangaloreans to understand.

Yesterday evening, I was going through the feedback entered by around 300 guests at this unique resort which is also a TBY Associate. Out of this there were hardly 12 entries that appreciated the efforts the promoters had taken to make this an environment friendly property. Most of the comments were about food, facilities, ambiance ( all good!) and one desperate soul had even demanded and air-conditioner in his room!

Every time I go there, I just can't help noticing the care that has been given to ensure that the resort remains as eco-friendly as it's possible. This is also not done by compromising on any 'creature comforts'. Wind powered electricity, cooking gas generated out of bio-degradable waste, water harvesting and re-cycling and the innovative swimming pool, its simply an outstanding property. Efforts have been taken to preserve various art forms, construction style and even the door locks. You have options of using eco-friendly towels and hand made soaps and shampoos. It's quite impressive to see how much attention to details have gone in the making of this resort.

Hardly an hour and a half of drive from the maddening city, this resort is an ideal weekend getaway from Bangalore. Seeing the kind of insensitive guests who come there, I wish this place was somewhere else where they could receive appreciating and discerning guests. Why on the earth do they want to drive all the way from the city to shout and demand loud music in such a serene place? Probably living too long inside ivory towers of Silicon valley makes people care less about nature and even forget to respect fellow human beings!

Bangalore © GP 2007

Make Travel Fair

It's been since ages since I wrote something on the blog! In the last month, its been crazy in office (for a change!), but been travelling as well. It's a shame that some events and many interesting people and some travel experiences were not shared. World Travel Market, Responsible Tourism Day, The Long Acre event on the 13th with Your Safe Planet and Fisher's SOS, Mumbai Social Investors Forum...all remains not mentioned.

Worse, the November newsletter from TBY has not gone out this month.

Before I gear up for being regular again, here is some information on Stephen Chapman who founded Make Travel Fair. Stephen has been was recently judged as the One-to-Watch in Travel & Leisure for Courvoisier The Future 500. Read more here

Bangalore © GP 2007

Eco Club Interview

"Small scale tourism projects in consultation with local communities should be the mainstay in development" ECOCLUB Interview on TBY

Bangalore © GP 2007

TBY at the World Savers Congress 2007

Honourable mention for The Blue Yonder as Responsible Tour Operator from 2007 Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Awards . The person handing out the award is, Louis D'Amore, head of the International Institute of Peace through Tourism.The award was given on the 10th of October at the World Savers Congress 2007 held at Gotham Hall in New York City.

Bangalore GP 2007

Rediscovering India II

"Captain Lukose Francis stands like a cocky rooster on the riverbank, life jacket puffed out over his already substantial chest, surveying with imperious authority the crowd that has come down to gawk at the light-skinned cargo now unloading itself, none too gracefully, from his ship."

This is how travel writer and friend David Stott shares his experience of three days he spent with us during Monsoon. The article is part of the "Rediscovering India" series he is writing for the M Magazine. It's so well written, and I feel how connected David was to the holiday we had organised for him.

" When your feet are braced against bamboo struts to prevent them being crunched by underwater rocks, and when even the gentlest rapid can sloosh up between the tubes to give your nether regions a good soaking, there's a strangely joyous sense of not just floating along a river, but actually getting down and dirty and in it..."

"It becomes evident over the course of the trip that the Bamboo Pearl would make a perfect raiding vessel. Several times we sneak out from behind a rock or a clump of trees to surprise a half-naked woman standing in the shallows beating her clothing; one woman reports that she's seen a raft like ours once before, when real-life pirates swooped in and stole all her ducks..."

He continues in a section called "Culture Cruising", "Torches flare in the dying twilight, casting an orange glow over the ferocious figure of the demon Dharika, dressed for a battle in black war paint, serrated brass moustaches guarding his cheeks, and spotting pointed bra cups that call to mind a Malayali Madonna. Squaring off against him, resplendent in a crown feathered with palm fibre arrows, frilly pink shoulder pom-poms and a metre-long beak, stands the mighty Kali..."

M Magazine is published once every two months and is available in leading book shops in India. You can also subscribe to it on their website.

Bangalore GP 2007

Kundapura

After the short walk in the morning through the village, I came back to the campus by 7. Students and inmates were already in the middle of their work. A lot of them were running around cleaning up the campus, and by the time I sat down to run through the pictures we took yesterday, the campus was resonating with the "Omkara". It was so peaceful, so touching and thoughtful for me to see the gathering of the students and teachers offering prayers for global peace and self enlightenment.

some of the finished products designed and developed by the students:

From yesterday morning onwards we are in the "Namma Bhumi", an initiative managed by CWC. (The Concerned for the Working Children, India).Situated in Kundapura in Karnataka, this campus consists of students, teachers and the locals. Set in a 6 acres campus, Namma Bhumi supports more than hundred children to equip themselves with livelihood skills and education.

Founded by Nandana Reddy, "CWC has been working with local governments, community and working children themselves to implement viable, comprehensive, sustainable and appropriate solutions in partnership with all the major actors, so that children do not have to work. It empowers working children so that they may be their own first line of defence and participate in an informed manner in all decisions concerning themselves."

Sand mining in Kubja nadi. At least there were no massive machines, but small boats.

We were here to explore the option of working together. Since TBY is developing various travel initiatives in Karnataka simliar to the ones in Kerala(especially River Nila), it made all sense to work with people who have been functioning in the region for more than two decades now. We went around seeing a 900 year old mud palace, a temple with wooden idols depicting the mythological stories, and a two-hour consultation with the local elders.

It was quite eerie to go inside the 'palace' because of hundreds of bats and the 'haunted' look of the place in the twilight. We were guided by some of the local teachers who touched our heart by their passion and enthusiasm. Most of them spent their childhood in and around this palace and were quiet sad to see the palace far away from its old glory. We shared with them our experiences from Kerala about how heritage buildings like this were renovated with private public participation and how we could probably think of similar consultations.

Inner courtyard filled with bats!

Consultation with the local elders.

While leaving the village in the night, both of us were so overwhelmed that all we were thinking about was how we could work together with these people! Hopefully you will hear about these initiatives soon.

Kundapur GP © 2007

Kerala Tourism Road show Bangalore

pic :The award winning print campaign of Kerala tourism

One more road show
Same old gimmicks
and, the results?

As in all Kerala tourism shows, the day was divided into three. Media interaction, B2B and corporate get together followed by drinks and dinner. B2B was a bit too cramped that many exhibitors were seen walking after buyers as they couldn't move around freely. Only those who were lucky to be in the aisle managed to meet some of their potential clients.

The corporate meet : I still have no idea why they call it as a corporate meet. Some page 3 regulars and less very few middle level managers from the corporate companies. Exhibitors from Kerala sounded quite enthusiastic to see the hall crowded by the time the presentations were all over. ( It was raining and the traffic was nasty!). The joy didn't last much when they realised that half of the seats were actually occupied by the employees and friends of the event management company.

Now that's one hell of a way to fill the hall!

We could see some new comers to the industry, taking all their energy to explain how wonderful their properties are etc etc and asking them to visit their property in Kerala. It didn't take much time for them to understand that they were not talking to any corporates, but well dressed, fashionable, always- smiling-staff of the event management company! I saw couple of them requesting back the brochures they collected so that they could distribute to someone else useful.

Now, that's shame!


pic :The award winning print campaign of Kerala tourism

Bangalore © GP 2007

World Savers Awards 2007 | Condé Nast Traveler

Was just observing the traffic to our website and realised that there were a lot of traffic since this morning and look at what I found!!

A big hug to everyone! :)
----------------------------
TBY wins Condé Nast Traveler World Savers Awards 2007:

1) Spreading the Wealth
Luxury and poverty, face-face - embarassment or oppurtunity? These four pioneering high-end travel companies see a chance to make a difference. Instead of ignoring the problem, they are finding ways to train and employ local people - and pamper guests too
The Blue Yonder

2) World Savers Awards 2007:
Meet the Big Winners
Honourable mention: The Blue Yonder

3) World Savers Awards 2007:
To Serve and Protect
The Blue Yonder

Bangalore © GP 2007

Ganapathi mess

Karnataka is a state that is not much explored. Though the state has immense potential for tourism, so far as a destination its been far behind places like Rajasthan or Kerala. When we were brain storming on one particular photograph that would tell a lot of story about the place, it was a struggling exercise. We were looking for images representing the culture, heritage, tradition, wilderness and what not? It was quite impossible to find an image that encompass what is Karnataka.

Then we ended up on the above image.

I am not sure if this encompasses all that is Karnataka, but many of us feel that this picture does connect with the rural Karnataka! Since we worked on a similar advert for the series on Kerala, probably it was more appealing for us. Wonder how others feel!

Bangalore © GP 2007

September newsletter is released

"'From the blue yonder..."September newsletter is released.

Kumbhalgarh - One wall standing up for the greener side of Rajasthan
Invis Multimedia: Capturing Kerala for the world
WTM London: Koder house and Kurumba Village resort joins TBY
“Responsibility beyond market”: Interview with Niranjan Khatri, GM Welcomenviron Initiatives - ITC Welcom Group
Spiti Valley : Travelogue from the middle land
News updates from the world


Enjoy reading!

Bangalore GP 2007

A tribute - Anita Roddick

pic: Anita Roddick

Strange coincidences of life!

We just got back from a meeting where we managed to convince and support a leading book seller in India to replace more than 50,000 plastic bags with recycled / newspaper bags from next month onwards.

In an hour or so I am reading this Obituary to Anita, who challenged and convinced many entrepreneurs and enterprises to follow her ideas and principles.It's been tough but fruitful four years for our small organisation in promoting and supporting RT in India, where we constantly engage in debates on sustainability of our initiatives.

I can't help but share with you that it is certainly people like Anita who inspires individuals like us to stand up for what we believe in and continue to work and convince others to follow the similar path.When the going gets tough, stories about people like Anita drives people like us to stay on the path we chose.

Thanks Justin, for this touching tribute. Anita will live through the movement she kick-started. Our prayers are with you!

Bangalore © GP 2007

48 hours later

On my way back from Mahabalipuram, I took the same train back from Chennai to Bangalore. Train number 2008 Satabdi Express had similar services and even public announcement keeping you updated on upcoming stations, whether we are running on time etc. The experience was all but better except until I decided to find out more about the efficiency in which they were running.

When Laloo Prasad Yadav took charge of the Indian Railways couple of years ago, every one probably expected him to do another Bihar ( an impoverished state that he ruled for several years and then later with his wife as a proxy chief minister!). He was known to be abusive, corrupt and played caste politics. Within two years, the Railways minister is popular amongst management Gurus and the industry in India. Washington Times and several other newspapers are writing about him and students from MIT and Havard along with IIMs are queuing up to attend his lectures!

Worlds largest employer with 1.5 million people on its roll, the Indian railway was a hugely loss making enterprise until Laloo Prasad Yadav took over. 2006 saw a profit surge up to 2.5 billion US dollars! While there is a lot of discussion on who should get the credit for this success, it is clear how basic re structuring and changes in priorities made most of the differences. Preferences given to freight trains seems to have made the most important difference which helped the railways to provide better service to the passengers without even hiking the prices. It was also unheard of any public sector undertaking sharing their profit to the customers, by reducing ticket prices in many sectors.

Now, with all this in my mind, I walked out of my air conditioned coupe to see how they are working so seamlessly. During my old train journeys, all I remember is the tough looking, corrupt Ticket examiners who would do all possible tricks to make an extra Rupee out of anyone they come across. And here I am seeing smiling, helpful officers who looked proud to do what they were doing.

The food trays kept coming back to the corridor after the dinner. One boy was segregating the waste ( I know, you might not believe it), aluminium foils going to one bag, bio-degradable waste going into another bag, stainless steel spoons kept apart for washing...it was impressive only until I saw the one of the boys opening the door.

He opened the door and pushed the entire waste ( all that segregated one's!) outside and continued his work. Another One Tight Slap moment! I asked the boy calmly about what he was doing, and he pointed to the superior to whom I asked for a complaint register. They played around, refused to handover the complaint register and all of sudden another young man came asking what the commotion was all about!

He was in charge of the catering service in the train. An employee of the catering company , he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and that I would not budge back unless I get a proper answer to my questions and that action be taken. He begged, cajoled, pleaded and finally cried! I calmly ignored all those and requested him to give me the complaint registrar and a proper acknowledgement to my complaint. It seems it was his third month in the job and they have been dumbing all the waste on the rail way track all this time. It also occurred that this particular company that had the license have been doing the same for the last one year!

Knowing that there is no point in talking to him, I went to the front coupe to find one of the railway officers. He didn't seem to be any surprised, instead suggested that I leave it. 'Chod dho bhaiyya' as they say in Hindi! Still calm, I asked if he knows the repercussion he will have if he was also part to the scam and if was preventing me from filing my complaint. He finally asked me for my seat number and said that he will send across the complaint register.

Instead came the same old young man, who was once again shamelessly pleading. Couple of times, I thought that he might actually stoop down to touch my feet. Shit! He kept on saying things like,
"I will ensure that none of the waste goes out like this any more. You can check the trains every day, even if you come after 2 months, I promise you will see that waste is properly disposed" etc etc
"Please don't file a complaint, I will lose my job"
"Please don't write to the press, my company will lose the license"
"Please don't do this, please don't do that"...and I felt miserable about the entire thing.

Then came another officer who said it was a mistake and that it should never have had happened. He said giving a complaint would only cost the job of this lower rung employee of the catering service.

An ethical dilemma. What would you have done?

Complain and ensure that the railways and catering company and the officials who knew that this was happening will be brought to justice?
Or leave it there seeing the pleading of the lower rung employee?
I don't know who exactly is the culprit here. Railways who don't check how their private caterers function.? Or the caterer who doesn't' give a damn to the norms? Or the railway officials who don't do a thing even while seeing the damage done? Or the the employee who is just interested in cleaning his compartment by throwing the waste outside the train?

Consider these numbers while you think:
Satabdi train : 6 coupe with 70 pax capacity each
2 trains running between Bangalore and Chennai
365 days in a year

Waste belonging to more than 3,00,000 passengers are chucked out on the railway tracks that go through villages and farm lands in a year. This number is just about two trains running between a distance of 300 kms! Imagine the number of states in India, imagine the number of trains in India and the number of passengers plying daily!

And most of these guys are probably doing the same stuff. That's mind boggling to me!

Bangalore GP 2007

Satabdi

A waiter in a well tailored black suit welcomes you inside. From there onwards, the service for the next five hours is just immaculate!

Once you are seated,within few minutes, the always smiling waiter serves you mineral water, juice and some snacks. After another round of hot tomato soup and croissant, you are served with a mouth watering meal that would match any best restaurant in the city. Other attendants are all well dressed, well mannered and are there for any assistance you would need.

This is no description about any new restaurant in town, but the Indian Railways's Satabdi Express plying between Bangalore and Chennai. Even an -otherwise regularly- soiled toilets looked so clean and hygienic. There were paper towels, soap dispensers...

Once I got down in Chennai after a little nap, I was thinking about the last train journey I had from London to Paris in a TGV. That experience had lingered on to me for quite some days. The coupe, the seating arrangements, the service and the French cuisine! Who would have thought that Indian railways which is a public sector undertaking, could give you services that you would want to share it with others? If not for the monstrous looking boggies and cramped compartments and the dark glass windows separating you from the outside world, I think this could beat any services in the world. And all this for a mere INR 560! ( Euro 10!)

Bangalore GP 2007

Karnataka Adverts

Similiar to the adv. series we launched for our holidays in Kerala, we are launching a new series of adverts for Karnataka. TBY is just about to announce its entry to Karnataka. Even after being in Bangalore for close to four years, we were only 'just' head quartered in Bangalore. From Kerala to Sikkim, now we are in the process of finalising our itineraries and projects for Karnataka. It's been an exciting month looking at what Ekta is bringing out during our weekly meetings. Just can't wait to go and explore what Karnataka has to offer to a traveller! The way itineraries are evolving, I can definitely say that TBY holidays in Karnataka is going to be the talk of the travel industry.

Maintaining our focus of culture, people and wilderness, this is probably the first time Responsible tourism is taking its root in Karnataka. Shall keep you posted on this development asap.

Bangalore © GP 2007

Langza

pic: rare, but the rain clouds were following us whereever we went to:
After stopping at the monastery for few minutes, we trekked down to the valley and then started the slow climb towards Langza. During the walk through the entire stretch, we saw several hundreds of fossils, which looked almost like a work of art. Considered to be one of the most fossiliferous regions of the world, Spiti Valley tells us the story behind the trilobites and ammonites that were formed after the collision of Indo-Eurasian sub-continent.

While observing the beauty of the fossils lying in the streams and nearby valleys, one can't just stop for a second and think, 'Oh my, how could I believe that this entire mountain stretch that we stand now at around 4,300 MSL was part of Tethys sea some 200 million years before!' Geologists say that the larger continent of Pangea started to split into various land masses as a result of which, the two main land masses of Indian and Eurasian subcontinent started depositing large amounts of sediments into Tethys. Further collision over the period of time helped form the present Himalayas and those marine animals that we see now as fossils including the ammonites used to be present in the Tethys at that time.

While we stood there breathless thinking about the entire process, we heard stories of local boys who collect the fossils to sell it to tourists from different parts of the world. What should be priceless is sold for as cheap as less than a US dollar! It seems there are tourists who proudly announces that this is their 3rd or 4th visit to collect fossils in the last couple of years!

The story wasn't much different even in the small town of Kaza where you can see the fossils kept amongst the antiques on sale for a dollar or two! It seems there are discussions of setting up a geological museum so that at least what is remaining can be preserved. With an un-patrolled area as vast as Spiti valley and irresponsible tourists searching for fossils, it makes more sense to have a museum where these fossils can be displayed.

It will be sad if this happens as I personally prefer to see these fossils in its natural ambiance where responsible travellers and the locals understand the importance of the existence of these fossils to the evolution of the entire mankind and the earth itself. Close networking between NGOs like Ecosphere and locals have created certain level of understanding and now there are restrictions on tourists wandering through the place on their own.

pic:aster flaccidus can be seen all over Langza
Bangalore © GP 2007
PS These are from notes that I maintained while travelling as I didn't have access to internet to blog.

Tabo Monastery

Rain is so scarce in cold deserts of Spiti Valley. Surprisingly it started raining in the evening for almost 30 minutes filling in my mind with nostalgia of rains that I am used to. We were inside the Tabo monastery when it started drizzling and it was such a great feeling to sense the trickling of drops on the tin sheets. Tabo monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in this region dating back to 1011 years. People might laugh at me if I say that the whole place had a ‘Celtic’ feeling to the atmosphere. May be it was the architecture.

A young monk took us around explaining various aspects of the stunningly beautiful wall paintings and murals originally done by Kashimiri painters who were brought in exclusively for this purpose thousand years before. The wall depicts various phases of the life of the Buddha and images of various offering deities. While walking through the dimly lit monastery listening to the monk, for some reason, my mind refused to go into the details of the paintings and all those information he was providing in his halting English. I just wanted to absorb the whole feeling and be there at that moment. I still don’t know if it was me absorbing the feeling of the place or whether it was the place that was absorbing me. Like how the mountains sometimes have taken me in to their depth and intricacies!

Monastery has suffered damages during the 70’s earthquakes and some of the murals and sculptures have been destroyed beyond repair. Still it has survived all the onslaughts of nature and not much damage has happened to the basic infra structure. May be modern architects should take a cue from this indigenous knowledge before recommending any more earthquake resistant building techniques!

Kaza GP 2007

Geu Mummy

pic: Geu mummy which is 675 years old

2 hours of drive from Kaza to Geu goes through narrow roads along the impressive gorges of Spiti Valley. Geu is a sleepy mountain village hardly three hours of trekking distance from western Tibet and is under the constant vigil of the intelligence agencies and ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police). Compared to the eastern borders of India with Pakistan, there is no tension on the borders and it seems people some times even cross borders for pasturing. Geu came into global attention when ITBP officials discovered a mummy after the 70’s earthquake that created extensive damage in various parts of Spiti Valley. It seems the ITBP officials hit upon the ‘body’ of the mummy while excavating and was surprised to see a mummy in a sitting position with all body parts intact.


pic: bridge under construction on the way to Giu village

Carbon dating of the mummy has scientifically proved that it was the body of a 45 year old Lama from the last quarter of 15th century. Historical research has proved that this mummy was part of several others that existed in Western Tibet. It seems this mummy was of a monk from Gelugapa order who were practitioners of "Zogchen", the highest form of meditation to find a solution to the destructive drought and famine that had hit the western part of Tibet. (Spiti was part of the larger Tibet at that time). The Lama along with several others used ‘Gomthak’ to tie his neck to his knee in order to free the body and transport his mid to a higher plane.

pic: Apricots offered by our host in Geu village

Continuous meditation and fasting before attaining ‘nirvana’, the body was probably devoid of all juices and any bacteria, which preserved the body with no chemical embalming. Natural mummification has preserved the body of the Lama for more than 675 years!

Upon a small hill in the village of Geu, you can see the mummy kept safely in a small hutment. Prayers are offered daily by locals and the key to the monument can be collected from the soldiers posted in the station. It’s a bit surreal to see gunmen ‘protecting’ the mummy and the surrounding areas. Separated by a glass pane, it was quite a breathless moment to see the mummy in a sitting posture. The small frame of the mummy even has its hair intact above the forehead.

Research findings from rest of the world has shown several other mummies in Tibet, which were destroyed by the Buddhists monks themselves fearing the onslaught of the Chinese after the Cultural Revolution. It seems ‘Geu Mummy’ is the only one that is remaining. As a local mentioned, it survived probably only because it was in India.While leaving the ‘shrine’, I bowed my head in a silent prayer to the Lama who made the supreme sacrifice for his land and his people.

Kaza © GP 2007

Spiti Valley

pic: vulture sighting soon after the Rohtang pass

Eventful? Don't know if this is the word that I should use to explain the last two days! On the climb through Rohtang pass (almost 13,000 ft above sea level) we got stuck almost three hours in the middle of the nowhere. It's seems there's been a traffic block for last one week on a regular basis. Bad weather and total mis management on the road leads from one block to another. Finally where the authorities failed to make any difference, we saw a bunch of travellers who got out of their vehicle to clear the traffic by literally pushing trucks and jeeps on their own. When the command control of the administration collapses, the public always takes care of things in India. Simply fabulous! Once we got out of the mess, it was just breath taking views for another 10 hours! In company were a team of Tibetans including a monk who were chatting non stop. All sounded like hymns to subdue the tough terrain we were driving through.I would have loved to write in detail, but we just came back from a 10 kms biking in the mountains of Spiti and all I want is a shower and sleep. Just posting short notes below pictures to give an idea. Connect with you all soon!

pic: Road constructions at an altitude of 13,000 ft above sea level!

pic: a road to nowhere? the entire stretch through the Rhotang Pass was similiar to this!

pic: An India post box in an Buddhist monsastery above 13,000 fr. In the background is Gulshan and Sunil. Fellow travellers. We also managed to find another companion in Bansuri. Gulshan leaves tomorrow for Mumbai and we continue our journey through Spiti Valley for another week at the least.

When we climbed up all the mountains, this is how Spiti Valley invited us! Prayers flags at the monastery.

Pic: typical Spitian architecture. It seems Spiti is not really Spiti but, Piti. The 'S' before Piti is a contribution from the Tibetans. Piti means the middle land or middle Kingdom. More on stories of the places later!

Pic: I never expected to do a biking tour considering my health. Looks like, health is fine and knee didnt crack :)

Kaza Spiti Valley © 2007

Manali

Considering the sweltering heat and 'power-cut' in the Capital (New Delhi), it was literally an escapade to the cooler heights of Manali even if the over night journey took around 15 hours by bus. It's been almost 8 years since the last visit and I wasn't sure what to expect from Manali. Was worried if it has also become another Shimla or Ooty two of the most famous hill stations in the country. Unplanned 'growth' and 'politician-land mafia' nexus has destroyed these once beautiful hill stations. (Imagine drought and traffic pollution up in the mountains!).

Contrary, Manali for some reasons remain clean and I did'nt see that much of infrastructure development to the scale of what has happened in Shimla and Ooty. Even when Delhi and surrounding regions are braving heat, there were not many domestic tourists. There were quite a lot of foreigners though.

In a nut shell, Manali still looks beautiful, it's clean and the market still has its uniqueness. It's still a pleasure to walk around even within the town, and not to talk about the immediate vicinity with it's breath-taking mountain and river views! With a wonderful company in Gulshan, we went around tasting some mouth watering local food! (BTW, after not being in touch for almost 5 years, we met each other through facebook and decided to travel together in an impulse!)

One of the difference from last visit to Manali was the absence of polythene bags in shops. All the shops we went were giving bags made out of old newspapers. That's quite an achievement considering the fact that the initiative has failed in many places including Kerala and Tamilnadu. Though the city looks cleaner, many picnic spots out in the woods were littered as you can see from the photographs. Frankly to my surprise, I was impressed to see some boys taking back their garbage after their picnic. After all, albeit slowly, we are becoming sensitive to the environment.

So far the trip has been fabulous and I hope I will be able to keep everyone posted once in a while. Like in many other trips, we ended up meeting couple of people and made instant connections. I can see that we will be working together with some of them in the immediate future.

All excited about the 12 hour driver by jeep to the mountains tommorow.

Manali © GP 2007

New office

Ekta and Arun in our new office in Sanjaynagar, Bangalore

Bangalore © GP

Face Book

Even though I spent a 'hellottof' time on the Internet, I hardly looked at the possibilities of networking through sites like Orkut and Face Book. I have been receiving invitations from many friends over the years, but never managed to even look at those seriously pushing it away as "one-of-those-friendship-thingy".

Recently an old friend from school got in touch with me after she found out about me from another common friend who was there in one of the old school group in Orkut. (Although all she wanted to know was if the gossip about my marriage was true;)). Then came another surprising phone call from the USA from a friend with whom I had lost touch after school some 15 years before! (Gosh, time really flies..).

So I decided to venture into Orkut and registered my name. Once the initial curiosity died away, I quite didn't like the whole set up there. Well, now I have my profile in the Face Book and also set up a group called The Blue Yonder. Rather than posting for "God-Knows-Who", this rather helps me to post with in a structure.

More over, I find Face Book as a excellent way for social networking. A no-nonsense site actually! Excellent functionality, clean interface, user friendly and I could 'connect' with it, unlike Orkut or My Space.

One thing that was annoying me so much about One Tight Slap blog was the fact the kind of people who post comments with anonymous tags. Some time sweet, some time malicious. As an owner of the blog, I always have the freedom to decide to post or ignore those comments, still it hurts so much some times, to see that there are people who prefer to even make racist comments, and throw abuse just because she/he doesn't like what you do! This was one reason why I have not been posting any thing even though a lot of activity has been going on as usual.

I still like it around here, as this was where many of my friends were keeping track of our work. Since I am going to travel extensively in the coming weeks, I probably might be posting some travelogues to ensure that some sort of 'process documentation' goes on for the organisation.

If you already have a Face Book profile, then join us here and keep track of the work and let's expand our network. Will be great to see all the readers / blogger's there. Or if you don't have an account, create one here and then join us.

It’s been collective thoughts from around the world that ignited many ideas in our work.We believe in the synergy created by the meeting of minds to evolve as change makers. Idea of this group is to bring together those who have interacted with us in various capacities. If you had interacted with us earlier and /or would like to keep track of developments in Responsible Tourism, we welcome you to join us!

A lot has been happening at The Blue Yonder in the last month. Promise to keep you all posted!!
Bangalore © GP

July newsletter

pics: tby project with 'people and places' in alathiyoor

July newsletter 'from the blue yonder' is out today. For those who have subscribed, you should be getting it in the next three days in email format. Otherwise, you can check it out here:

July issue is covering Tootha river trails, TBY partnership with People and Places, an interview with our new manager Sandeep Sinha, destination introduction to Sikkim, along with some interesting news updates from around the world.

Thanks once again to Lotte and Asha for keeping up with the release date. Let me know what you think about the contents at gp AT theblueyonder DOT com

Bangalore © GP 2007

The Final call

Bantam press has come out with an excellent book on travel. Leo Hickman who writes regularly for The Guardian has researched extensively across the world to provide a sketch on the social and environmental cost of holidays. Just finished reading the un-corrected proof. The book will be available soon through Sankars in India. If you are serious about travelling and love it, then please don't miss it.

Those who are worried about the un-controlled growth of tourism in destinations like Kerala should re-read sections on the impact of house boat based tourism in the backwaters!

Bangalore © GP 2007