Steering a tricky course

"As rapid development threatens to dent Kerala's reputation as an eco haven, Kevin Rushby meets the greens fighting to preserve the traditional way of life" The Guardian, Saturday January 12 2008.

Fragrant Nature, Marari Beach Resort, Friday's Place, Ayurveda Mana and The Blue Yonder is mentioned. One or two facts are misplaced, and the there are no direct links to our website anywhere. But when the article is covered in a website that is ranked in the top 700, and is one amongst the most read online news papers in the world, you don't complain much.

Full article is here

Bangalore © GP 2008

Missing beats - TBY on Guardian Travel

The Blue Yonder is featured under 'The Best Cultural Breaks in The Guardian Travel'.

Click on the above pictures to listen to the music. Unfortunately the last slide has our website spelt wrong!! its http://www.theblueyonder.com/ and not blueyonder.com :(

Bangalore © GP 2008

Poised to Soar

As a continuation to last year, Karnataka tourism had arranged a get together branded as "Connect 2008" with a tag line - “Poised to Soar". Day long deliberation which had hardly any resonance to the ground realities left a lot of bitter taste and fear for the future of tourism in destinations.

Well attended by the industry, the morning session included presentations by Tourism department officials. All the trumpeting about achievements through presentation was literally shot down with One Tight Slap by the CEO of Bangalore International Airport Ltd, Mr Albert Brunner who show cased the sad scenario Indian tourism is in! Why is it that we still need a foreginer to call the spade a spade? All he did was to put some points in his slides about traveller’s expectations and what was available for them in destinations! Simple presentation but very powerful.

Except for some insightful remarks on online travel bookings, from Amit Saberwal who represented Make My Trip.com and invocation by a local singer, there was nothing noticeable in the morning session.

It was quite unbelievable even in the later sessions that NOT A SINGLE presentation other than Minja Yang from UNESCO ,who mentioned 'People', or 'Communities' while explaining their work. The discussions were all around infrastructure, buildings, resorts and hotels. Oh, of course there was someone giving ideas of various segments in the business where you should invest, "if you want to make BIG money"...

How can I forget the guy from KUONI destination Management who redefined 'Rural tourism' as 'Pollution free tourism'. He also showed us what could probably be the future in terms of having the courage to use the term 'Responsible Tourism' even though it was so obvious that they had no sense of what it was all about. Eco tourism, rural tourism, package tourism and now Responsible Tourism. He said, 'We also support Responsible Tourism that brings in the benefits of the business to local people'. On asked to quantify KUONI 's contribution to RT in India, pat came the reply. “I can't quantify that but we are members of TOTF". How easy it's to be Responsible these days!

Hearing the possibilities for Karnataka tourism because of "Destination Fatigue" in other places like Kerala and Goa, I was so tempted to stand up and ask them if they had any idea on what was happening in Gokarna where the 'fatigued backpacker's exodus' from Goan beaches is now a reality. The sleepy coastal town known for pilgrimage and beautiful beaches is being butchered by irresponsible tourists and an administration that has no foresight. If not intervened ASAP, Gokarna will be synonymous to garbage and drugs. According to our local sources, even the strong Brahmin communities that helped maintained the cultural richness of the areas and even those who kept away from the drug pushing back-packers are now falling into the trap of drug business.

A destination where average daily spending hardly crosses INR 500 ( including food and drinks, accommodation, transportation, Internet and purchase of some souvenirs) per foreign tourist, some of the illegal shacks are apparently known to be making a profit of INR 2000000 in just six months of the peak season. According to our contacts that have seen it all, that money is coming from selling drugs.

What irritated me the most was the callous statement that Karnataka as a destination will benefit from the destination fatigue of other states! No one was interested in giving an answer when asked how they are planning to handle that traffic. Very diplomatically they requested me to ask questions that mattered to the 'present session' on the challenges of infrastructure. Interesting!

Poised to 'Sore'?

Bangalore © GP 2008

Second International Conference on RT in Destinations - March 2008 Kerala

Bangalore © GP 2008

Grandeur of a by-gone era - Poomulli Mana

Many hundreds of years before this was only a granary of the palace!

'Poomulli Mana' and 'Aaraam Thampuran' was always part of the legends we grew up with. It's a shame that I never ventured to the 'Mana' until we started The Blue Yonder even if it was less than 30 minutes from my village in Alathiyoor. The Mana, considered to be a repository of local knowledge have seen many stalwarts, amongst whom the most famous was late 'Aaraam Thampuran', Poomully Neelakantan Nampoodiripad, who was also fondly called as the 'Lord of Knowledge'.

Preserved through Responsible Tourism - the centre now offers Ayurveda treatment and wellness

An authority in Sanskrit literature, Ayurveda, Toxicology, Paediatrics, treatment of elephants, Yoga, Martial arts (Kalari payattu), Astrology, Percussion (Viz. Thayampaka) and Kathakali to name a few, he is revered by thousands of families who have been touched by his knowledge at some point of time in their life time.

Mana still continues the tradition of 'Kalari payattu', traditional martial arts of Kerala.

Once a palatial courtyard, Poomulli Mana has a history dating back to 500 years in a small village called Peringode along Bharatapuzha (River Nila) which literally became a knowledge centre because of its association with the family. The Namboodiri family's origin dates back to 900 years or so and were originally from 'Oorakam' of 'Peruvanam' village (one of the 64 ancient villages of Kerala).

some of the old structures in the courtyard

Like what happened to many other historic properties in Kerala, most part of the Poomulli Mana was also dismantled because of the huge cost involved in maintaining the old structure. In late 80's and early 90's, many Malayalam newspapers like Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi and the English daily The Hindu had carried stories about the 'Grandeur of a by-gone era'.

Old timers say that there were 4 ponds bigger than this inside the palace building itself!

If Responsible Tourism was in place at that time, may be this entire palace compound could have been saved and preserved as its done now with whatever little is remaining now. An entrepreneur Sajeev Kurup from Paithrukam Hospitality Services convinced the family run trust to look at health tourism as a tool to preserve the buildings which were in a state of decay.

The building that accommodates the present 'Ayurveda Mana' is an architectural splendour. For many of us from this generation, it's difficult to believe that this majestic building was used only as a granary (Pathaaya pura) !

I wonder how the old 'Mana' would have looked like!

One of the first members of The Blue Yonder Associates, Ayurveda Mana practices tourism that is environmentally friendly, socially and economically beneficial to the local people and culture. The place is now one of the major attractions for travellers visiting River Nila to understand its culture and heritage.

Bangalore © GP 2007

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