A door opens to untouched India

Integrated green tourism project offers benefits to locals high in the mountains

Kalap is a village lying forgotten in time in the upper Garhwal region of the northern state of Uttarakhand in India. Situated at an altitude of 7,500 ft, the village nestles among virgin pine and deodar forests, and overlooks the gorge cut open by the roaring River Supin.

Kalap is home to traditional Garhwali architecture and its surroundings offer stunning natural beauty, including views of the snow-capped Bandarpunch range. It is also a land of legends. The entire Tons river valley is considered to be the birthplace of the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit mythological epic.

The two protagonists in the epic, the Pandava and Kaurava brothers, are said to have descended from this very valley, and the people living here still claim to trace their lineage to one of the two clans.

Not being connected to a road head and far from the major trekking trails in Uttarakhand, Kalap has remained untouched by mainstream tourism.

Life is harsh at Kalap. Agriculture is the primary occupation with its terraced fields home to wheat, millets, potatoes and beans. The growing season is short between May and October. The next biggest occupation is rearing sheep and goats. Winters witness heavy snowfall, with the village recording upto 3-5 feet of snow.

But within this harshness is the beauty of Kalap, it all represents an opportunity to explore a path that is well and truly connected to the essence of life.

The community still adheres to a lifestyle that is minimalist and sustainable. The trekking trails in this region follow paths well-trodden by seasonal nomadic herders but unexplored by any outsider.

Tourists who visit should be prepared to be humbled by the stunning vistas on offer, be overwhelmed by the jungle alive with scents of pine, deodar and wild lavender, and take a dip in a sparkling mountain torrent.

The people of Kalap are ready to welcome visitors with hill people hospitality. They will surely go back home with more than a little bit of Kalap in them!

Kalap Trust, is a non-profit organisation working with the people of Kalap. It is an initiative by people who are familiar with the village and its problems. The basic idea is very simple — ‘to make Kalap a better place to live’. So…

The Trust has setup a FREE clinic in the village to deal with two longstanding healthcare crises – tuberculosis and nutritional disorders – with special emphasis on the vulnerable population – children, pregnant women and the elderly. A doctor has been appointed full time on a salary by the Trust.

The Trust has set up a Montessori-cum-primary ‘AFTER SCHOOL’ in the village.

This school runs everyday after regular school hours, and full-time on holidays and during vacations. The biggest thing imparted is English language training, so that it prepares the children to transition to a English medium school later in their academic life. All 90 children of school going age are enrolled in the school.

The lack of access to reliable electricity is a serious problem at Kalap. This impacts the quality of life of the community and restricts livelihood options. To solve this the Trust decided to partner with M/s E-Hands Energy Private Limited to deploy a renewable energy mini-grid for the village. The grid is a ‘for profit’ initiative, where the community pays for the electricity consumed.

Two local youth have been empowered with employment through ownership and maintenance of the grid. Last year Phase I of the grid, 2 Kw, went live. 20 homes were powered entirely by solar power.

Work is underway to setup two cooperative units in the village to create more livelihood options:

Kalap Weaves – Will focus on handloom products since wool is abundant in the village and skilled weavers are available. The task is to upskill the weavers with new textile designs, organic dyeing techniques and product designs.

Kalap Foods – Reviving the agriculture sector in the village will involve setting up a food processing unit that will work with the fresh organic produce and turn it into products in-situ in the village.

Tourism is set to generate gainful employment for the local people, thanks to the village’s scenic location. Local men and women have been trained as mountain guides. Rooms in village homes are used as homestays.

Now a number of travel opportunities are available for tourists from a 6 day/5 night Kalap Experience to 8 day trails from $330..all with trained guides.

Moreover tourists will soon be able to buy hand-loom wollen wear and local produce direct from farmers.

More details at: http://www.kalap.in/

Valere Tjolle

Key green tourism seminar unveiled for autumn Italy in historic castle:HERE 

Destination brands could make $Trillions: HERE