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By Freny Manecksha
Shaam-E-Sarhad, at the edge of the Gujarat desert, is an endogenous tourism project promoted by the UNDP and tourism ministry. Run by the Hodka community, the project aims to open up innovative livelihood opportunities for low-income rural communities and promote sustainable tourism
A flat tyre has delayed my plans. It is dark as we zip down the road from Bhuj towards Khavda. On either side stretch the vast, uninhabited expanse of desert and salt lands of the Rann of Kutch. We take a turning. Far in the distance I can see twinkling lights. Overhead, a clear canopy of sky, seldom seen in the city, provides its own spectacular illumination. I have finally arrived at my destination -- Shaam-E-Sarhad (Sunset on the Border), the new endogenous tourism resort at Hodka, located in the Banni grasslands right on the edge of the desert.
 Since I have missed the sunset, I get up early to watch the sun rise from outside my bhunga, or traditional conical mud structure. It does not fail to impress. Later that morning I am shown around the resort with its ingenious mix of traditional bhungas and tents beautifully ornamented with traditional Kutchi craftsmanship, with mod-cons like running water and electricity (provided by solar panels). But the emphasis is on restraint. There are notices reminding visitors that this is a desert and water must be used sparingly. Similarly there are notices urging visitors not to smoke indoors. This is tourism of a different kind.
The Hodka endogenous tourism project is one of the 31 rural locations, chosen under a programme promoted jointly by the ministry of tourism and the United Nations Development Programme. Its aim is to use the hospitality trade to open up new and innovative livelihood opportunities for low-income rural communities, especially unemployed youth. It has been implemented after detailed consultation with the local community stakeholders, the district collector, state tourism department officials and facilitated by the civil society organisation Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan. Since Hodka is rich in handicrafts, the project aims at promoting local culture and craft-based tourism for sustainable livelihoods and integrated rural development.
Banni, where the resort is located, is spread over 3,847 km. Until the 1950s, this was rich grassland with over 40 species of grass. Today there are only 10-15 species left. The dominant tree species is Prosopis julifora, planted in the 1960s by the forest department, which spread rapidly, eroding huge tracts of grassland and making the ecosystem even more fragile. Known as Gando baawal (mad weed) for its manic ability to spread, the species is now used to make charcoal and so generate some revenue for the people.
The residents of Banni are Maldharis, cattle-breeders. There are various Muslim sub-communities here like the Jats, Raysipotra, Saiyads, Mutava, Halepotra and Hingorja, some of whom claim ancestry from Iran and even Germany. There are Hindu sub-communities too like the Meghwals and the Vadhas. These multi-ethnic tribes have made Banni a unique patchwork of rich and diverse cultures.
The Shaam-E-Sarhad resort, run by the Hodka community, is an endeavour to showcase this rich diverse culture with a form of tourism that is simple, sustainable, in harmony with nature and, at the same time, a novel experience for its guests.
 The Hodka Paryatan Samiti that manages the resort is a committee set up by the Hodka panchayat with representatives from the 11 villages that comprise the panchayat. The samiti has four women members.
I talk to two samiti members -- Salimbhai of Hodka village and Aminbhai Khayali of Irandawati village who is the president of the samiti. They explain how the concept took shape in 2004, after the Hodka panchayat held discussions with government officials and members of various CSOs keen on promoting endogenous or rural tourism.
The resort was designed and built using traditional forms of architecture. For centuries, people living in Banni have used matti, or mud, in aesthetic and practical ways, using sun-dried bricks, adobe technology, stack wall technology or wattle and mud. The resort retains these traditional forms. It uses matti to fashion the landscape with lattice-like fences, benches and courtyards adorned with rich folk motifs and mud-mirror work (lippan kam).
Bhungas are sturdy structures capable of withstanding strong winds and even seismic activity, as the recent quake proved. Their circular design, tough mud plaster and thick walls keep the heat out during the scorching summer months, and protect against the biting cold in winter. The floors are also made from clay, arranged at various levels of plinths and platforms rising gradually to form the walls that terminate in pure conical roofs made from thatch.
The upkeep of the resort and maintenance of the flooring with its layers of mud and cowdung provides employment to various Hodka villagers.
The resort first opened in the tourist season of January 29-April 30, 2005. Salimbhai, who is in charge of the accounts, tells me that it was decided that half the proceeds would be set aside for maintenance and half for development works taken up by the panchayat.
The hospitality trade has generally tended to exclude local communities but under this programme training was given in Bhuj to local villagers in hospitality-related professions like lodging, cuisine and guiding.
All the staff at the resort, except for the manager, are local villagers. They have been given various responsibilities like maintenance of telephones, electricity, tents, etc. The security staff too has been employed from the villages.
The samiti holds a review meeting every Friday, which is also attended by representatives from the various CSOs.
Besides labour and wood, food items like butter, ghee and buttermilk (chhas) are procured locally. Earlier, women from the nearby village used to cook the food and send it over to the resort. But this proved uneconomical. Now there’s a kitchen on the premises where typical Kutchi food and Gujarati dishes are served to the guests.
The resort also functions as a kind of folk theatre and museum showcasing the talents of Hodka, which is famous for its artisans and musicians. Special programmes by local musicians demonstrating the various music styles of the Muslim and Harijan communities are drawn up for the night.
As with most pastoral communities, music plays an intrinsic role in the lives of the Maldharis who spend hours grazing their cattle. Songs are a form of self-expression, and here you come across several singing styles (gayaki), such as Bheth, Vaai, Kaafi, Daastan, Aradhi and Maulood, based on content and mood.
Then there are instruments that are unique to Kutch, like the Jodiyo Pavo, or a pair of flutes generally played together. It is believed that cattle become accustomed to the sound of their master’s music and do not stray beyond the boundaries of his notes!
The women of Banni are renowned for their skilled craftsmanship, with every young girl learning from her mother the highly intricate embroidery that will be used to fashion her dowry -- a mix of kanjris (long embroidered blouses), quilts and batwas (pouches). The resort encourages its guests to shop directly from the Harijan and Muslim artisans and to gain a true appreciation of their worth. Other craft items include silver ornaments, leather goods including embroidered mojaris (shoes), clay toys, hand fans, mirror frames and wall pieces. Aminbhai informs me with pride that Wassarbhura, a national award-winning karigar (artisan) famed for his leather craft, is from Hodka.
Aminbhai and Salimbhai believe that this kind of endogenous tourism will open up great employment possibilities for the Maldharis, who can also tap into their traditional knowledge of the grasslands. They can function as guides for wildlife trips into the wetlands of Banni that support a rich birdlife of some 273 species (including hordes of flamingoes and 107 other migratory birds).
It is early days and one is not certain whether the project will be economically viable. This unusual venture demands a different kind of clientele. A major challenge therefore is to tap into the right kind of market --both domestic and international. But judging from some of the comments in the visitors’ books many have enjoyed this unique experience and urged that no major changes be brought about in concept.
(Freny Manecksha is a Mumbai-based journalist)
InfoChange News & Features, May 2006
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