Gobichettipalayam :) October 23, 2007

Confused… don’t be… Gobi,as people might know it better or I may like it to refer for convenience, is a small place in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. I happened to visit this place as part of my Organisational Training II, A project with Rural Innovation Network-A Chennai based organisation. I thought it would just be a visit but went on to stay for a month now and will continue doing the same for another month.

Comming back to the place itself, I had a good impression on Day 1 of my stay. It seemed to be a cleaner place than most of the rural areas I have visited (Gujarat, U.P, Punjab, etc.). Then eventually, I learnt more and here it is. Gobi is nothing more than a straight road…. hahaha…. believe me… our hotel-Vasu Palace, our office-Samruddhi, market comprising of small shops, bus stop, banks, etc. are all on a single straight road. This kept me bothering till late and then one evening I was supposed to visit few villages and shops. Will move a little away from this road at last, I thought. Hard Luck but, again our journey was only along the same straight road with a little diversion to enter the villages. Good for me though as am bad with roads and direction, so no more fumbles now.

Now time for what used to be major motivation all through my life-Food. As goes for the road, its the same for the food. I have tried 5-6 odd places. The thali or meals as they say, tastes the same where ever you go. oooohh…… sick nd tired of the flavour we decided to visit few bakery shops. Surprisingly, the cakes and the puffs whatever you eat and from which ever shop you buy, would taste the same Vasu Palace, our dinning hub…… you have south indian, north indian, chinese (well, they are proud to have it as part of their menu)…. every thing would taste the same

Now, am no good with Tamil. So whatever people say… it sounds alpha gamma beta to me. The people at office are more often than not on tours, interactions….. whats that??

Never thought how bland life can be. But Thanks to the telecom revolution- our phones work here. Talking to friends, family, near and dear ones is the only flavour that I can savour right now and hope to continue till I escape….

Rural Tourism March 20, 2007

Tourism is a combination of several services where an intangible experience is being sold. Tourism has been identified as an important avenue for employment and income generation, foreign exchange earnings.

With increasing levels of awareness, growing interest in heritage and culture and improved accessibility, and environmental consciousness, a new style of tourism of visiting village settings, to experience and live a relaxed and healthy lifestyle has emerged. This concept has taken the shape of Rural Tourism.

Rural Tourismis any form of tourism that showcases the rural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations, thereby benefiting the local community economically and socially, as well as enabling interaction between the tourists and the local community for a more enriching tourism experience.

Rural India has much to offer to the world. Every rural community is full of folklore and indigenous craft. It has diversity of culture, tradition, language, food, festivals, history, literature, art, handicraft, nature and heritage etc. Those who have a craze about traditional ways of life, arts and crafts are attracted to visit rural India. Already thousands of foreign tourists visit rural areas in Rajasthan, Gujarat and south India every year. Thus, there is a huge potential for Rural Tourism.

Rural Tourism can work wonders as far as development of rural India is concerned. It will help in capacity building of village groups. It can be used as one of the major source for generating employment and promoting sustainable livelihoods. It will also add to the foreign exchange.

For the success of this concept involvement of NGOs, local communities and artisans, strong community-private and public sector partnerships is essential. The government should develop necessary infrastructure for facilitating rural tourism. Not only this, people should be trained in different aspects of hospitability, lodging and cuisine with a view to provide services of global standards with local appeal.

“Aathiti Devo Bhava” is inculcated in us or rather inherent in us. So let the world come and experience it… The traditional way of life will greatly enrich the visitor’s experience for sure!!!

http://india.gov.in/citizen/rural_tourismpolicy.pdf

http://www.exploreruralindia.org/