Chautare magazine - Tourism and Travel in the East Himalaya

Picture credit:

Rajarshi Banerji, Sabhyasachi Ghosh,Ajoy Roy, Bhaskar Das, Paras Dahal,Jayanta Roy, Kaushik Deuti,Shishir Adhikary, Navin Namthang,Samarjit Roy, Tapas Das, Sandip Paul & Woodwalker.

Published & Edited by:

Marcus, Asit & Rajon behalf of Help Tourism and ACT

Design & Print:

REPROMANemail: [email protected]

HELP Tourism discoveries for you in the Northeast of India

As a visitor you always dreamt of a very authentic experience while visiting your chosen destinations. Most of the popular destinations have lost the charm for which they had become popular and often you search for your dreamt experience. We at Help Tourism, through the past many years have given you several new destinations to be combined with your chosen destinations and help you with authentic natural & cultural experience. Our new discoveries and infrastructure waiting for you to be the first visitor.

Western Arunachal Pradesh

Homestays at Thembang, a village that opens to the recently declared 312 sq kms Thembang Bapu CCA (Community Conserved Area) near Dirang and then other is Lumpo Camp with tentage accommodation in the recently declared 98 sq kms area of Pangchen Lumpo Muchat CCA near Tawang.

Meghalaya Garo Hills

A new 5 days 4 nights circuit covering Tura, a two days trek in the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, the area which still has the mother plant of oranges in the wild form and the coal area of Williamnagar before reaching Shillong.

Bodoland Tourism circuit in Assam

Other than the 10 unique sites in Manas Biosphere Reserve, a world heritage site, Chakrashila-the home of the Golden Langurs and the Rava Community who protects them, Gouripur & Dhubri-the twin towns of lost heritage, and the wonderful wetlands being the last of its kind.

Old Military Road in Darjeeling Hills

Some of the best forests and views of the Mt.Kanchenjunga range is from the ridge connecting Dowhill above Kurseong and Tiger Hill above Ghoom. A few villages like Chimney, Chatakpur and Bagora now offer homestays here.

Namthang in Sikkim

In the olden times when there were hardly any roads, the newly married couples had to enter Sikkim with a stopover at Namthang, the first village. Now in offer are homestays at Namthang and experience of the almost lost Tamang cultures & traditions.

Ballavpurdanga in Shantiniketan

A complete village experience with the santhal communities into a experience of tribal legends and tradition near Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan.

For more details log on to www.helptourism.com.

“...where old tracks are lost,new country is revealed with its wonders”.

Rabindranath Tagore

The first issue of ‘CHAUTARE’ was published for ITB, Berlin in 2007 when

India was the partner country. The issue was based on the theme of ‘Heritage’ and had received appreciation from all quarters. The newsletter was distributed from the IGCC, West Bengal Tourism and the Sikkim Tourism desks. Though now there is a dedicated internet edition, yet we decided to bring about a second publication on the occasion of TTF.

This issue of ‘CHAUTARE’ is dedicated to the changing domestic interest. More and more of Indian travellers are getting concerned about the environment of the country and are travelling to places where their visit would help the destination and the host community. We have tried to provide maximum information on several rural tourism destinations from East & Northeast India, most of which are close to rich natural landscapes and the local communities need your participation in the conservation initiatives. We not only look forward to your immediate visit to these destinations but also motivate your family, friends and fellow colleagues to confirm their visit too.

Your one responsible step can bring a big change to this world, be the “Chautare Changemaker”.

Contents in this issue:Best Birding is a compilation of trip reports which mainly highlights some of the most delicate landscapes of the East Himalaya that have been explored by celebrity Indian Birders Sumit Sen & Bikram Grewal. Help Tourism has established these birding hotspots as ecotourism hubs.

Rural Routes are a set of travelogues where famous travellers like Trine Willumsen and Bill Harvey writes of their travels with Help Tourism in remote Northeast India. Some of the Community based rural tourism sites supported by Help Tourism has been highlighted in their trip reports.

Jungle Camps are a series of model hospitality units established by Help Tourism in the fringes of Protected Areas to support the conservation initiatives of the local people, where community motivated conservation is the only way to protect the rich natural heritage. Famous travel writer Partha Deysarkar & ecotourism expert Marcus Bauer writes about their experience.

Tourism Responsibilities also involve providing support to scientific studies in Natural History and awareness about good practices in tourism, especially in the destinations based on nature appreciation. Help Tourism has supported scientific trips that has helped to discover two new species in the amphibian world and also supported waste management awareness programs.

A Help Tourism newsletterTTF 2009-10 issue

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Chautare are resting benches that are found throughout the East Himalaya where people

meet to exchange ideas and to discuss the future. Here the past meets the present. Here people learn from others. Here culture is alive and visions are developed. In that sense: Welcome to the first virtual Chautare!

The net issue continues...

Chautare was a print newsletter launched by Help Tourism & ACT-Association for Conservation and Tourism from India in 2007 to report about their experience and partnership in Community Tourism development in the East Himalaya. But there are so many other interesting initiatives around. A print newsletter can hardly cover them exhaustively. So what better than opening a platform for the amazingly diverse universe of community tourism that is open to all 24 / 7 around the globe? Any experience with community tourism is the prime content. Join, contribute and exchange - we’re curious.

Welcome to Chautare! A magazine about Conservation, Communities and Commitments through Tourism.

www.chautare.com

The people of India have lived for several thousand years in close proximity with its

rich natural life. The earliest Hindu religious work the Rig Veda refers to about twenty birds, but its anonymous compilers would have been familiar with several more. The later Vedas list up to 250 birds, and include an interesting observation of brood parasitism by Koels and their host the House Crow. Legends and myths grew around several familiar species. The Brahminy Duck, as well as the Sarus Crane, became symbols of fidelity, the pairs mating for life. The Chataka, either the Common Hawk Cuckoo or the Crested Cuckoo, was said to drink only rainwater, no matter how thirsty it was.

The Sanskrit poet, Kalidasa, frequently used bird imagery in his plays and poetry. His Meghdoot is a sensuous poem about a lover exiled from his beloved in the monsoon, traditionally the season for passion and romance, and in fact the time when large waterbirds like cranes, storks and egrets breed. Addressing a storm-cloud the lover says

‘Hen-cranes will know the time ripe for mating and rejoice when they note in the sky your eye-delighting presence; rest assured they will attend on you in patterned flight’.

The passion of bird watching still remains deep rooted in several Indians, but in a more modern context. They are more serious birders & bird photographers, who have contributed a lot in terms of science and bird habitat. We at Help Tourism had to launch a dedicated birding department about a decade ago and today the activity brings a big support to the rural tourism sites next to protected areas (wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, reserve forests etc).

We have been able to print a few trip reports by celebrity Indian birders Sumit Sen and Bikram Grewal describing some of their exploratory trips made in the past few years.

BIRD

WATCHING

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Chilapata Jungle Camp, the infrastructure is in-between the agriculture fields next to the forest. The firewood collectors come from the nearby tea garden using this route. Wild elephants are frequent visitors. The infrastructure was supported by Help Tourism to reduce the immense human pressure on the Chilapata forest corridor which connects legendary Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary with Buxa Tiger Reserve.

The location is close to Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, down from the Bhutan foothills towards the West Bengal-Assam Border. The area of the village is surrounded by forests & tea garden, inhabited by several ethnic communities Rava, Mech, Karjee, Oraon, etc who are dependent on the forests for their livelihood.

The activities are ideally suited to the place and include forest drives, cycling, trails, discovery of palace ruins, locating smaller fauna like amphibians etc, birding, tribal traditions, tea garden visit, river side activities etc.

The facilities are that of two numbers of bamboo cottages, ideally made in the local style and four cottages on concrete stilts, all with attach toilet & bath. The restaurant is roofed with sides open. There is a small amphibian centre. 32 youths from the local communities have been trained to be ecoguides. The small weekly market still maintains the character of the last century.

Chilapata Jungle Camp A community joint for conservation

For Bookings Log on to www.helptourism.net

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IntroductionI visited the Sunderbans for a few days in late

January with friends and to many of us it was a regular pilgrimage of sorts to Nature’s shrine. The Sunderbans is the largest delta and the largest mangrove forest in the world. Huge, magnificent and foreboding, the allure of the endless stretches of water and mangroves is magnetic.

Much has been written about the Sunderbans and Amitav Ghosh’s beautifully descriptive “The Hungry Tide” has enticed many a visitor to this magical place. For those who want to know more, a quick trip down Birds of Kolkata pages may be rewarding. In this presentation, I have chosen to present “The Sunderbans” visually, through images.

Hope you like it!

The StartMost trips to the Indian Sunderbans begin at

the Sonakhali jetty. Sonakhali (on the River Hogol) is 90 kms from Kolkata ( 21/2 hour drive) and is the start of the chain of waterways that are a feature of the land of a hundred islands. Opposite Sonakhali is the town of Basanti, soon to be connected with Sonakhali by a bridge spanning the Hogol. From Sonakhali, a slow and comfortable Motor Launch carries you down the Durgaduani Channel past densely inhabited islands ~ former forests tamed by man with the blessings of “Bonobibi”, the resident deity. Durgaduani connects Sonakhali to Gosaba and continues to meet the River Gumdi - the start of the ‘Land of the tigers’.

In tide country birders are never far from their binoculars and photographers from their cameras ~ even on a family holiday! The 4,000 sq. km of mangrove forests in the Indian Sunderbans is host to eight of the twelve species of kingfishers found in India. The Pied was the first of the six species we saw on this trip.

The stunning Collared Kingfisher is a mangrove resident, and rare in India. Widespread over the entire area in summer, in winter the larger and more aggressive Black-capped Kingfisher invades the area in great numbers pushing out the Collared to the forest fringes. This one seemed a trifle out of its depth to be hunting on the Durgaduani.

Sunderbans

Trip Report

by

Sumit SenJanuary 2006

Jetty at Sonakhali

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The battered hoarding at the junction of the Durgaduani and the mighty River Gumdi

welcomes you to “Tiger Land”.

The ‘Sunderban Tiger Reserve’ starts on the opposite bank of the Gumdi and stretches south till land meets the Bay of Bengal. We have now entered wild Nature’s domain.

Here both land and the water are controlled by ‘Dakshin Roy’, the Tiger God and enemy of Bonobibi, the protector. You step on Dakshin Roy’s territory at your own peril!

A bend on the Durgaduani channel

Pied Kingfisher

Collared Kingfisher Dakshin Roy

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The Trip begins...We reached Sunderbans Jungle Camp, the rustic and quaint resort run by Help Tourism at mid-day. The journey took us under 5 hours from the time we left home. The resort is located on the island of Bali ~ one of the southernmost inhabited island in the Indian Sunderbans. Bali is bordered by the Gumdi on the south, the mighty River Bidya on the north, Khanakhali on the west and the Duragaduani on the east. The resort is located on the banks of the Gumdi and overlooks the Sunderban Tiger Reserve and National Park.

Bali is home to 40,000 residents who constantly struggle against the elements to eke out a living from agriculture, fishing and collection of forest produce.

While the rest of the group stretched their legs, the intrepid photographer scouted the area around the Jungle Camp for avian subjects. Bird number 1 on Bali was a fine Indian Silverbill - a species not previously reported from the area. A great start to the trip!

Common Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater, Jungle Babbler, Oriental Magpie Robin and Plain Prinia were also in evidence around the Camp.

Post a memorable lunch we headed for the Sajnekhali Forest Office to get our first taste of wild Sunderbans and, more importantly, to pick-up our Forest Guide. Leaving Bali we crossed the Gumdi heading east meeting boatloads of very cheerful holiday makers on the journey. A short halt at Sajenkhali and a chance to say hi! to the rather touristy Rhesus Macaques thronging the jetty. Next stop was the Sudhanykhali watchtower.occasional tiger (a tourist saw 4 a couple of days

before our visit). We were looking forward to spending some quiet time in the forest as the sun set around us.

But that was not to be! On the day of our visit, the jetty was blocked by an invasion of tourist boats and we decided to stay away from the crowds and enjoy the serenity of the ride instead.

As the boat turned from the jetty, a flash of orange and red caught our eye on the opposite bank. Here was a chance to see one of the most enigmatic kingfishers in India, the threatened Brown-winged Kingfisher. This large Kingfisher is a mangrove specialist and can be found in places as far as Lankawi (Malayasia), Bhitarkanika (Orissa) and the Sunderbans. Nowhere is it seen in large numbers and nowhere is it common. So a boatload of us had the rare treat of watching this beauty taking its evening bath - a truly memorable moment!

Traditional welcome, Bali Jungle Camp

Indian Silverbill

Brown-winged Kingfisher

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......end of Day One

Coastal areas are renowned for the beauty of their sunrise and sunset. Sunderbans, to me, is a sunset place. At this time the sky assumes myriad hues which reflect on the calm waters creating brilliant sparkles which are framed against the backdrop of dark and silent jungles.

Back to base for the night, but the birding never stops, even after sundown! Bali island, like most areas of the Sunderbans, has no electricity. Help Tourism uses solar lights at Jungle Camp. The only bright light in miles is a surefire invitation to insects and inevitably to those creatures of the night who live off insects. The Spotted Owlet watching us with a certain amount of disdain is thus a regular at the Camp ~ keeping the mice down and the visitors entertained.

Spotted Owlet

Day 2 .....Day 2 started with a bit of early morning birding on Bali island. Plain Prinias and Purple-rumped Sunbirds were noted to be abundant around camp and Chestnut-tailed Starlings seemed to have replaced the Common Ioras seen on earlier visits.

Our primary aim on this visit to the Sunderbans was to enjoy the feel of the place. One way to do this is to take a day long cruise through the numerous channels and creeks which are typical of the landscape. These channels eventually connect to great stretches of open water where many rivers meet. Confluences like ‘Panchmukhani’ gives one the feel of being out on a calm sea without any land in sight ~ a place to appreciate the size and scale of the Sunderbans.

After a quick breakfast we got aboard M.V. Sundari. Our destination ~ the watchtower at Netidhopani. Netidhopani is some distance away from Bali and is the southernmost point we will visit on this trip. Our journey to Netidhopani will take us over the Khanakhali River and then through the many channels which crisscross the Sunderbans. We will eventually connect to the vast stretches of the Goasaba River on the banks of which lies Netidhopani Ghat.

Black-capped Kingfishers are much in evidence in the Sunderbans at this time of the year. We counted over forty of these brilliant kingfishers on the trip.

River Gumdi meets the River Kharakhali

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Tidal creeks, like this one, are a feature of the Sunderbans mangrove ecosystem.

The Sunderbans is the land of the tiger, crocodile, shark and venomous snakes. This juvenile Estuarine Crocodile, spotted by Kevin, was one of the few that we saw on the way to Netidhopani.

The Sunderbans is the land of the tiger, crocodile, shark and venomous snakes. This juvenile Estuarine Crocodile, spotted by Kevin, was one of the few that we saw on the way to Netidhopani.

On a previous visit Bikram Grewal and I spotted an over 18 feet monster - one of the largest photographed in India.

Plain Prinia Black-Capped Kingfisher

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Fishing is a way of life for the inhabitants of tide country. Many fishermen travel for days in

search of catch in dangerous country using these small boats (see image) as a home.

While the men face the many hazards of the the open spaces in search of ever dwindling prey, the women endlessly trawl the river banks in search of Tiger Prawn fry. A normal catch fetches Rs.20-25 ($0.50) - the effort of many hours in dangerous waters.

Intensive fry fishing is devastating the ecology of the area as the non-commercial catch is destroyed and countless marine species have been put at risk of extinction as a result.

The large Whimbrels and Eurasian Curlews are the most conspicuous birds on the extensive mudflats of the Sunderbans.

Fishing Boat, Khanakhali

Fry fishing, Khanakhali

The Tiger is elusive in the Sunderbans. Though its presence is felt, it is rarely seen. These pugmarks were seen near the area mentioned in the news snippet.

The Telegraph, Calcutta. 27/1/06:

Tiger preyCalcutta: Champa Naiya, 29, was killed by a tiger off the Matla. She was collecting crabs.

Eurasian Curlew

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In tiger country, the beast is never called by its name. Locals refer to the striped feline as “Mama” or uncle from fear and reverence.

The mudflats support a variety of marine forms adapted to the changing water levels which dictate every aspect of life in tide country. The mudskipper, an air-breathing fish of the Goby family, is a good example of such adaptability. It is equally at home in land and water and can use its fins as limbs to crawl and climb.

Whimbrel

Great Egret

Little Egret

White-bellied Sea EagleMudskipper

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Changeable Hawk Eagle (dark morph)

Ruins, Netidhopani

There are 15 species of raptors in the Sunderbans checklist. We added a new one

at the Netidhopani watchtower, a Changeable Hawk Eagle. More importantly, the bird was a dark morph specimen, the first of the type recorded in India. A star bird and a star record for the trip!

Netidhopani has mystery, myths and folklore. The ruins of a 400 year old temple point to the presence of humans in the area before the land went back to the forest. Little is known about the original inhabitants and work is just beginning to start on unraveling the mystery surrounding those who were the first to tame the Sunderbans.

The folklore based on Netidhopani relates the touching tale of eternal love between Behula and Lakhindar. Manasha, the goddess of snakes has a feud with Chand Sadagar, a merchant. In an act of vengeance she kills his only son Lakhindar on the wedding night. Behula, the child bride, puts Lakhindar’s corpse on a raft of banana stems and travels to the court of the gods to pray for her husband’s life. On the way, she passes Netidhopanir Ghat, where Neti, a washerwoman, is plying her trade. Neti’s little son disturbs his mother at work and she picks him up and bashes the child on the washing stone, dropping him dead in the process. Washing finished, Neti calmly picks up her son and restores him back to life before heading home. Inspired by Neti’s prowess, Behula seeks her help in restoring her husband’s life. Neti helps Behula find the court of the gods. As with most folklores, the tale has an inevitable happy ending.

The journey back from Netidhopani takes the boat through some of the largest river systems in India. Miles and miles of water stretch to the horizon at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal. This is the land of sharks, dolphins and crocodiles.

One of the most enigmatic residents of the Sunderbans is the Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), a greatly threatened estuarine species found in small numbers in dwindling habitat. Made famous in ‘The Hungry Tide’, this beauty was spotted by Sudeshna on the River Matla while it was fishing in the golden light of the setting sun.

Irrawaddy Dolphin

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A small detour on the return trip took us to the Dobanki watchtower, where a short canopy walk is the main attraction. A particularly tame Hoopoe was the birding feature. The bird refused to fly till you literally stepped on it! Other birds at Dobanki included a wire hopping Dusky Warbler and an Osprey

The evening at Camp was devoted to a performance of folk-theatre (‘Jatra’) featuring the tale of Bonobibi. Interestingly, Bonobibi has Islamic origins but is worshipped in the form of an idol by all inhabitants of the Sunderbans, be they Hindu or Muslim by faith. The story of Bonobibi’s travels from Saudi Arabia with her brother Shah Jungli to the forests of the Sunderbans and the vanquishing of the evil Dakshin Roy while protecting the faithful ‘Dukhey’ is a much adored village theatre in these parts, bearing endless repetition.

Common Hoopoe Bonobibi

Dusky Warbler

...... end of Day 2

Common Kingfisher

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The last day of the trip was devoted to bird watching.

The morning hours were spent on Bali and the posing Common Kingfisher provided a nice start to the day.

Other birds around the village included a Verditer Flycatcher at the extreme south of range, the rather common Greenish Warbler and the smart Green Bee-eater

Day 3

Greenish Warbler

Green Bee-eater

Verditer Flycatcher

As we left Bali island in search of waterfowl on the River Bidya, the last kingfisher species seen on the trip made an appearance and a pair of delicate Little Terns bade us goodbye.

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The endless stretches of water in the Sunderbans should be the ideal place for

wintering waterfowl. But repeated searches in the past had not successfully located significant concentrations in the area. Small flocks, like the Eurasian Wigeons seen flying over Khanakhali, had been noted in the past, but sizeable flocks had eluded observers. We had been tipped-off by locals and a group of birdwatchers who visited the area recently that the River Bidya held ducks in some numbers. Our target was to locate these flocks.

The area we were visiting was to the north of Bali island. The Bidya passes past uninhabited islands which are completely inundated at high tide. The mudflats on these islands held a significant number of waders including the rare and threatened Grey-headed Lapwing and numerous Pacific Golden Plovers. We counted over 30 lapwings and many more plovers.

First set of waterfowl sighted on the Bidya was a medium size flock of Lesser Whistling-ducks seen with a pair of Common Shelducks. We were despairing of seeing any more ducks as the river looked empty for miles. Our able guide, however, persisted and we continued further down the river.

Little Tern

Grey-headed Lapwing

White-throated Kingfisher

Pacific Golden Plover

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As we turned the corner at the confluence, we suddenly came across one of the most significant concentrations of Gadwalls and Wigeons Bikram or I have ever seen. There were literally thousands of birds and the flotillas stretched endlessly. Perhaps the biggest flock recorded in this area in recent times.

Greater Sand Plover

Lesser Whistling-duck

Waterfowl, Sunderbans

This trip was organized by Mr. Bikram Grewal in association with Help Tourism. Participants

included Ms. Alpana Khare, Ms. Sudeshna Sen, Mr. Kevin Fitzgerald, Dr. Sekhar Raha, Sumit Sen and Mr. Asit Biwas (on behalf of Help Tourism). For Alpana and Kevin this was a first visit to the area.

Dates: 21/1/06 - 23/1/06

Acknowledgements: Ms. Sudeshna Sen for editorial inputs and Mr. Asit Biswas for location inputs.

© Sumit K SenKolkata, IndiaFebruary 3, 2006

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Dibang Valley Jungle Camp is a location at the edge of the world overlooking the river valleys

and the backdrop of forested mountains inhabited by the Hoolock Gibbons and is designated as the Mehow Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the land of the Idu Mishmis, whose language is a concern to the UNESCO as one of the endangered or least spoken languages of the world (No. of speakers in India:8,569 & Linguistic affiliation: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, North Assam, Tani). The location, the locals and the landscape mesmerizes any visitor to this land.

The location is 12 kms from the town of Roing (the headquarters for the lower Dibang District in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh) on the way to the extraordinary Myodia Pass, which is the home for several Himalayan Pheasants and the Mishmi Takin (endemic to this area).

The activities include trekking, birding, excursion to the Myodia Pass, village trails, discovering the history at the nearby settlement of Dambuk, and several drives to wilderness and history are some of the major activities. The sunset from the camp is a life time experience.

The facilities are that of two numbers of excellent cottages, each with two double bedded rooms with attach toilet & bath, tastefully done interiors and exclusive front & back verandas. The restaurant is at a very scenic location with views opening from all sides. The whole infrastructure is in the middle of the orange orchard.

DIBANG VALLEY The Jungle Camp in Eastern Arunachal


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Dihing River Camp offers local stilt houses, typically of the Northeast for accommodation

and fish cocktail throughout the day with fishes which can be hand-picked by you from the river nets. Quietly watching the river or floating in the country boats is the experience of the place. The camp was set-up with the intension to engage the local youth from the different communities to have a better co-ordination among them and conserve the rich rural culture of upper Assam, and also an opportunity for the visitors to explore the livelihood traditions which has remained unchanged.

The location is close to the heritage town of Dibrugarh, where the river front was the major centre of activity. Hence, the camp setting by the river in the rural ambience relives the lifestyle from the past, which has been continuing for centuries.

The activities include living the riverside lifestyle in a old Assam tradition, exploring the river and the adjoining village culture & nature. Sightseeing to the heritage Shibsagar district and getting involved with the village cultures. Village walking and cycle trails are also a major attraction for both guest & hosts.

The facilities are that of two numbers of Chang Ghar (houses on stilts) with a common toilet and bath complex. There is a facility for putting up tents again sharing the same toilet and bath complex. The traditional kitchen serves at the open dining hall made in the village style. Local barber on call is a special facility.

A local map of the Dihing River Camp & adjoining areas

DIHING RIVER CAMPThe Festival by the Dihing River


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The Magical Monals of

MishmiA Week’s Birding in Eastern Arunachal

by: Bikram Grewal18 November ~ 25 November 2007

Our collective curiosities about the Mishmi Hills were first aroused when we learned

that Julian Donahue and Ben King had ‘re-found’ the enigmatic Rusty-throated Wren Babbler (now re-christened the Mishmi Wren Babbler) in 2004. This bird was known to the world from only a single skin of a female that landed in the mist-nets of Drs Salim Ali and Dillon Ripley during their survey of the area in the late forties. It lay hidden from the ornithologists’ eyes till the venerable duo lured it by playing the tape of similar species and managed to photograph it and also record its song. We scoured the Internet in the hope of getting more information, but other than establishing that it was supposed to be locally common, little was available. Ben King’s reports were brief, but full of allusions about the birdlife of this little visited area. We managed to make contact with Julian, who was more than helpful and gave us maps, details of routes and, most importantly, names of places where we could stay. To him our grateful thanks. Another celebrated birder, James Eaton, visited the Mishmi Hills but did not complete a trip report, limiting himself to listing the birds seen. The list made tantalizing reading and was full of birds like Purple and Green Cochoa, Violet and Emerald Cuckoos not to mention Satyr Tragopan and Blood Pheasant. Names like Gould’s Shortwing, White-hooded Babbler, Pale-headed Woodpecker and Pale-capped Pigeons dotted the lists and made mere mortals like us toss in our sleep.

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Armed with what little knowledge we had, but with a high sense of anticipation, we contacted Help Tourism with a request to organize a trip to the Mishmi Hills. To their eternal credit the intrepid Asit Biswas and Raj Basu undertook two recce trips before proposing that we travel on the sensible road, i.e. to Hunli, via Roing and the Mayodia Pass. And so one sunny morning we arrived in Dibrugarh in eastern Assam, the northeastern-most airport in India. We met up with Raj and the support team and proceeded straight

to Saikhowa Ghat, where we had to ferry our two jeeps across the Lohit River. The journey took us through splendid tea gardens with familiar names and we spent pleasurable time seeing the affinis race of the Indian Roller, while the dark race of the Siberian Stonechat had us temporarily foxed.

The crossing was one the most perilous that any of us had ever undertaken and included the transfer of our vehicles, with the help of two thin planks, onto two country boats joined together to form a primitive raft. Having successfully managed this arduous task, we spent the one-hour journey eating our packed lunch and scanning the river, which was speckled with Ruddy Shelducks. A lone Osprey flew in the distance.

We drove on to the small town of Roing, the district headquarters of the Lower Dibang Valley and which was once the entry point to what was earlier referred to as the North East Frontier Agency, popularly known as NEFA. We topped up our supplies that included meat on the hoof, live chickens and, most important of all, fuel for the

cars. This was to be our last outpost before we entered the true Mishmi Hills. Essentials would now onwards become scant and cell phones would (mercifully) be dead. Fortified with enough food, drink and such necessities, we moved on, bypassing the broken bridge on the Itapani River, to finally reach the grand-sounding ‘Dibang Valley Jungle Camp’ This rustic camp consisted of a typical Mishmi ‘long-house’ built on stilts. Charmingly located overlooking the Lohit and Dibang Rivers systems, it sat on a forest clearing, now planted with nascent orange trees. Adequate would be a good term to describe the resort, though it must be said we were the first occupants and plans for improvement are underway. Sitting in the covered portico, we could see Common Buzzards and a Crested Goshawk fly over the river basin and a Common Kestrel sat on a wire near the camp. A pair of Grey Bushchats flickered in the shrubs. All of this boded good birding, and

after having eaten the first of many excellent meals, prepared by our camp cook Jibon, we retired to await a 3.30 am wake-up call. We rose to the call of the Hoolock Gibbons and shivered in anticipation (and the cold!) of what lay ahead of us in the mystic land.

First-time travellers to the Northeast will marvel at how early the sun rises and how soon it sets. It is always sensible to be out in the field thirty minutes before sunrise to take advantage of the day’s best birding hours. So it proved on our first day of serious birdwatching in these fabled hills. It is best to point out at this stage that most of our birding on this trip took place on the main road to Hunli and beyond and this was because the

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habitat was so pristine, so dense with no paths leading into the woods, and with the forest-edges and scrub limited. The birds were truly shy, and this we attributed to the many small-bore guns in evidence and almost every Mishmi tribal carried a slingshot. We saw several birds, particularly of the laughingthrush family, but due to the heavy foliage and their skittish behavior we could not identify them all with any certainty. Bird densities were low, the species less varied and hunting parties smaller than the ones in North Bengal and Sikkim. Similarly, the warblers were few and far between, with Yellow-browed being the commonest. Others, over the days, included a few Grey-cheeked, Buff-barred, Ashy-throated and a single Blyth’s Leaf Warbler.

This not withstanding, we soon had our first of many lifers of the trip. These included Long-tailed Sibia, Beautiful Sibia and White-throated Bulbuls. Grey-backed Shrikes were common and Short-billed Minivets made a brief appearance. A pair of Hill Blue Flycatchers surprised us all, and due to their rarity in India, we marked them as only a possibility till experts later confirmed from our photographs. Pleased with our brilliant start, we returned to the long-house, packed our jeeps and started the slow climb to Mayodia Pass, which was to be our next halt. En route, we played the tape of

the Rufous-throated Wren Babbler at the different points given to us by Julian. We elicited no less than seven responses, but the bird never showed itself. However Yellow-throated and Streak-throated Fulvettas, Sultan Tits, Streak-throated Barwings, Streaked Spiderhunter and Dark-throated Rosefinch kept us occupied. Perhaps the most interesting bird on this stretch was the very ‘tit’ like White-bellied “Yuhina”, which now rejoices under the new name of White-bellied Erpornis bestowed upon it by Pam Rasmussen. A few Striated Bulbuls also turned up on the road. By far the most gregarious bird in all our days in the hills was the Black Bulbul of the Nigrescens race. Flocks containing up to few hundreds birds were not uncommon and seen several times a day. A pair of Yellow-throated Martins

appeared suddenly and then disappeared with equal alacrity.

A quick lunch on a bridge added the two ubiquitous redstarts; the White-capped and the Plumbeous, while the Blue-fronted remained the commonest redstart of the trip. By mid-afternoon we had reached Mayodia where our accommodation consisted of a so-called ‘coffee-house’. It’s actually a rest house with basic amenities, but there’s an interesting story why it’s called a ‘coffee-house’. It seems the local government did not have funds for a full-fledged rest house but had some money under the head ‘coffee-house’. So they built this structure and labeled it so. Different matter no one asked why a ‘coffee-house’ should be built in such a remote place

where permanent population comprised just the chowkidar and his wife. Anyway, we were grateful to these far-sighted accountants, for it bestowed upon us a roof in this very cold and wind-blown pass. We spent the rest of the day birding locally, looking unsuccessfully for parrotbills in the extensive bamboo brakes. Though Hill Partridges called regularly, much to our disappointment we did not see any. A Mountain Hawk Eagle and a pair

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of displaying Eurasian Sparrowhawks provided small compensation.

Leaving before dawn we had just crossed the pass, when Sumit (who had left his spectacles behind) exclaimed that he has seen a flash of a white-tailed bird hurtle down the valley. As we stopped to search for this bird, Bill exclaimed that there was a deer with a white tail on the road. It was only when we lifted our binoculars that it dawned on us the there were not one but

two magnificent Sclater’s Monals. We had great views of these spectacular giants, even if they were over 200 metres across the valley. They are so seldom seen that almost no photographs exist of them in the wild. Little is known about them other than they are high-altitude birds and Mayodia pass is perhaps the lowest point where you can see them in this area. In 1998, the veteran birder Pratap Singh and R. Suresh Kumar had discovered a new sub-species of Sclater’s Monal in Western Arunachal. It had an all-white tail and was subsequently named Arunachalensis. Our birds with extensive chestnut banding on the tail could possibly be an intermediate race between the nominate race and the white-tailed one. We await expert advice.

Chuffed by our success we continued birding down the road, but that day was to prove the

leanest with only few birds seen. This surprised us no end, for the habitat was verdant with little disturbance, but the only birds of any note where Chestnut-capped and Black-faced Laughing Thrushes. The commonest birds were Rufous-vented Yuhinas, who seemed to thrive at this point. Another cold night followed, and next morning we packed our bags ands started a leisurely drive down to Hunli, seeing four species of yuhinas and two of fulvettas. A Chestnut-tailed Minla and Mrs Gould’s Sunbird showed well. A fast-flying Chestnut Thrush was an added attraction and as usual the Black-throated Sunbirds were the dominant nectar-feeders. A pair of Himalayan Griffons rode the thermals. The other raptors seen here were a displaying of Eurasian Sparrowhawks and a few Black Eagles. A possible sighting of a Vivid Niltava caused momentary excitement, but sadly we could not confirm if it was indeed one or some other similar flycatcher.

Hunli is a small town with a pleasant circuit house where we were booked. But the local village headmen (Gaon Buras) decided to hold an unscheduled meeting there and occupied our rooms. With some persuasion we managed to retrieve two rooms and spent two comfortable nights in this not-so-cold town. Birding in the garden produced a flock of Common Green Magpies and a Brownish-Flanked Bush Warbler. The evening was spent in trying to use the only phone in town, curiously based in the local liquor shop.

The local authorities had warned us that we should not venture beyond Hunli as warring factions of the Idu Mishmi tribes had caused tension in the area.

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lone Rufous in the relative lowlands) and we were relived to see a pair of Greater Yellownapes high in the canopy, which also produced the lone Blue-eared Barbet of the trip. Great Barbets, though, were plenty and were seen and heard all the time.

At the river a fine male Hodgson’s Redstart and a Brown Dipper added to the day’s tally. Himalayan Swiftlets flew overhead and just as were getting into our cars a fly-past of eleven Wreathed Hornbills completed our joy.

Next morning we returned to this magical strip to add Grey-throated and Golden Babbler. Several Red-tailed Minlas and a single Red-faced Liochicla were seen well. Long-tailed Broadbills were always a pleasure to watch and Grey-bellied Tesia a much-prized catch. A fruiting tree produced a clutch of Golden-throated Barbets who afforded us a long and leisurely occasion to photograph them. Other birds seen on this stretch were Grey-sided Laughingthrushes and over-flying Barred Cuckoo Doves. A solitary Fairy Bluebird flitted through the trees but Orange-bellied Leafbirds were common and seen often.

The next morning we started our long drive back to Roing, replaying the Wren Babbler tape at every suitable site. In the end, just as were about to give up, a single bird responded to the tape recording and Bill was fortunate enough to see it, while the rest of us had to be content with a few Black-faced Warblers.

It might be prudent to point out that while birding in the Mishmi Hills, keep a sharp lookout for a strange animal called the Mithun. A semi-domesticated bovine, it is a cross between a Gaur and domestic cattle. The more Mithuns a Mishmi owns, the higher his status. It is used as bride-price and often used for barter. They are let loose to graze and can turn up at an awkward moment!

In the evening Mr. Dhature Meuli, owner of several Mithuns and a local politician-cum-businessman, arrived at the resort accompanied by his charming wife Seppa and a horde of relatives, servants and children, and proceeded to cook a traditional Mishmi meal for us. This feast consisting of

We were glad that we disregarded this advice -- for the next 20 kms proved to be the best birding of the trip. As we drove towards the Ithun river bridge, we were greeted b y S l a t y -backed and Black-backed Forktails at every turn. A single Khalij P h e a s a n t h e s i t a n t l y crossed the road. We stopped to observe some unfamiliar looking White-crested Laughingthrushes and chanced upon a very obliging Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, while the next tree produced a pair of Red-headed Trogons. We were rather surprised by the complete lack of woodpeckers (the only one hitherto seen was a

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obviously well protected and were not shy at all. A visit to the Jokai forests is well recommended.

All in all it was a great trip to a largely unknown and understudied area. Though we did not see many of the species mentioned by King and Eaton, we still managed to spot many beauties such as Golden Babbler, Black-headed Shrike Babbler, Streak-throated Fulvetta and the two species of Barwings. The star, of course, was the Sclater’s Monal followed by the Hill Blue Flycatcher. In hindsight, perhaps we should have kept a few more days in hand, including some for the enigmatic Dibru-Saikowa.

As we proceeded home, the words of Frank Kingdom Ward rang in my mind: “Behind the mountain lies the garden of God.”

several dishes went on for many hours and was accompanied by the local rice brew that kept us happy but also a bit fuzzy the next morning.

Birding around the camp produced several Pygmy Wren Babblers, both the Racquet-tailed drongos and, much to our delight, we managed to trace a noisy White-browed Piculet as well as its cousin the Speckled. A pair of Hoolock Gibbons hooting in the canopy rounded off a great morning. The Hoolocks are India’s only ape, restricted to the Northeast and are highly endangered.

Bidding adieu to the Mishmi Hills we crossed the Lohit again, and on this occasion saw some Black Storks, a White-rumped Vulture, a pair of Great Created Grebes, and few Pallas’s Gulls on the river. A pair of Mallards sat on a far away island, as did a few Gadwalls.

We had planned to make a very short visit to the Dibru-Saikowa National Park, near Tinsukia, but our ferry got stuck in the receding river and by the time we extricated ourselves and reached Benu’s Camp at Guijan, it was almost dark. A quick boat-ride in the setting sun and the rising moon produced a Sand Lark, and some fast flying ducks. Some felt a flock of Tufted Ducks could have contained a few Baer’s Pochards, but we could not confirm this with any certainty. Ducks seen included Common Teal, Northern Pintail and a few Ferruginous Pochards. The banks of the Dibru River held Little Ringed and Lesser Sand Plovers, beside several Temminck’s Stints. The sudden appearance of a Gangetic Dolphin was a perfect end.

Promising to be back soon we proceed to Dibrugarh, where we stayed at the luxurious, colonial and enchanting Mancotta Chang Bungalow run by the charming Manoj and Vineeta Jalan, who fed us the most delicious meal that night. This bungalow built on stilts used to the residence of the manager of the tea garden; the Jalans have restored it to its original colonial glory and run it as a hotel. If you ever happen to be in this part of the world, don’t miss it. After days of roughing out in the wilds, we had a terrific sleep to the call of Spotted Owlets.

Early next morning saw us at the nearby Jokai forest and, in the few hours that we spent there, we found several Small Niltavas, Common Ioras, a pair of Little Pied Flycatchers, Black-winged and Large Cuckoo Shrikes and numerous Pompadour Green Pigeons. An Emerald Dove walked nonchalantly on the path. The birds here are

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Lohit River Camp, the experience of living by the legendary river which has its description in

the Indian Epic ‘Mahabharata’, where Parashuram throws his axe which cuts the earth to give way to Lohit to flow down to be Brahmaputra. This is a temporary camp site which is approachable only in the non-monsoon season and are temporary structures either with veneer or two men dome tents. The ghats over here connects the rest of the world with Arunachal Pradesh’s Lohit district headquarters Tezu.

The location is a few hours drive from the heritage town of Dibrugarh in the land of the legendary Khamti community called Chongkham, known for their rich Buddhist cultures. The area is surrounded by rivers and mountains, inspite of it being in the plains a large flat forested area. This community has the reputation of catching & training the wild elephants. The activities include living with the elephant and river communities in their day to day life. Exploring the rich Buddhist cultures and the traditions of the Khamti people is a life time experience.

The facilities are that of four numbers of two men dome tents or veneer huts with common toilets. Hot water is in buckets and bathing is usually in the river side. Food is a combination of local and healthy camp recipes.

LOHIT RIVER CAMP Legends and cultures


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Pilkhana Elephant Camp, the incomparable thrill of quietly observing the herd of elephant

while being served tea on the verandah of a stately Colonial Camp set-up is the content of dreams and legends - at Pilkhana, it’s an everyday occurrence. This exclusive elephant camp recaptures the romantic mystique of authentic Assam’s Elephant Training Camps of centuries past - the awesome natural world of Asia merged with colonial nostalgia and modern sophistication to deliver an unforgettably unique experience.

The location is close to Guwahati’s largest wetlands, Deepor Beel surrounded by forests & villages on small hills & highlands, frequented by the wild pachyderms before harvests in the winter months. The wetland too boasts of being a Ramsar sight conserved for the migratory birds.

The activities include living with the elephants in their day to day life with the mahouts, experiencing the rich tradition of Assam’s man and elephant relation. For the more adventurous, the winter months give an opportunity to participate in the field operations of keeping away the wild elephants from the crops of the villagers. Cycling and birding around the wetland is also a major activity.

The facilities are that of two numbers of luxury tents with attach toilet & bath, three cottage tents with common toilet & bath, one common dining space and all other facilities for a traditional elephant camp.

PILKHANAThe Elephant Camp


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The Ro

ad to

Lava

India’s ‘Hottest’ Birding MileBikram Grewal and Sumit Sen

Lava Section

An ‘about-to-expire’ air ticket prompted me to call my fellow traveller Sumit Sen to see

if he had any bright ideas about where to make a quick dash. Miraculously Sumit ‘discovered’ he too had a ticket which was about to reach its sell-by-date. We quickly ran through the various options and settled on the Lava-Algarah Road, which has the reputation of being, arguably, the best place in India to see rare birds. We had visited this area several times before but the true rarity the Blue-fronted Robin (Cinclidium frontale) had always eluded us. Indeed many of the birds seen here had escaped our previous attempts to see and photograph them. These included the Satyr Tragopan, the Rusty-bellied Shortwing and the Gold-naped Finch. The Lava- Algarah road was ‘discovered’ by an old friend Nigel Redman, who subsequently wrote on how he had seen the Blue-fronted Robin in a spinach patch in the village of Lava and this brought birders in droves and their reports made lip smacking reading. To see so many rarities in one short stretch boggled the mind and though our previous visits had lived up to our expectations, the said Robin had gone AWOL.

Being the nesting season, it was rumoured that Emerald Cuckoos were showing well as were other rarities. Determined to catch the action, we rendezvoused in Bagdogra airport, in time to savour at the restaurant, the best chicken cutlets and the coldest beer in the world. Highly recommended. After an effortless journey we

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reached the Orchid Retreat in Kalimpong, which was to be our home for the next three days. Run by Honey Pradhan and situated in the old nursery run by her father-in-law Ganesh Mani, it has the best private garden I have every seen, and that left my mouth watering. We spent a profitable evening looking at birds in the garden before turning in early to prepare for a four o’clock departure.

The road from Kalimpong winds its way leisurely to the sleepy hamlet of Algarah, passing through forests of “Dhoopi”, planted by misguided early British entrepreneurs looking for a quick buck and now the scourge of the North Bengal Hills. We soon reached milestone 5, from where the famous birding mile starts. It did not disappoint, for we soon had a family of Gold-naped Finches in our sight. Sumit clicked incessantly as these delicious little birds posed for us.

This famed walk produced several exceptional birds such as Black Eagles, Rufous-capped Babblers, Short-billed Minivets, Green Magpie, White-browed Scimitar Babblers, Rusty-fronted Barwings and a fantastic sighting of the Barred Cuckoo Dove. As we approached the nullah at milestone 4, celebrated for producing the elusive robin, we grew tense and spent many minutes scanning the forest, but it was not to be.

We trudged, disappointed, to Lava, where a Bengali lunch of ‘macher jhol’ managed to restore some of our spirits. We would not have been so despondent had we known what the afternoon had in store for us.

A flick of the coin decided that we walk down

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the road to the Rachet Forest. It was a good toss to win, for soon we stumbled upon a group of bullfinches high on a tree, and the usual discussion took place as to which species it was. We identified them as Brown Bullfinches, and were proven to be correct by the instant replay on Sumit’s camera. Rare birds are fine, but where was the star? Where was the elusive Blue-fronted Robin, which had disturbed and dominated our dreams for the last week?

We decided to check the Pipeline trail before returning to Kalimpong.This fantastic trail, was a chance discovery made on a previous visit to the area when enroute to Loylegaon, we had stopped on hearing a thunderous cacophony of birds. Chasing the din we soon came upon a thousand Hill Mynas circling the canopy below. A water pipeline lay along a trail, which we decided to investigate. It turned out to be a haven for birds and this time too it held untold delights. “Cutia” cried Sumit as I ran to join him, tripping over the lianas and vines that lay strewn across the trail. There he was in all its glory, foraging in the moss looking for food. It gave us fantastic views before flying off into the unknown. A woodpecker flew in

and as I had not seen this species before, inquired of Sumit as to its identity. “You are looking at the rare Crimson-breasted Woodpecker” he proclaimed with authority and I ticked another ‘lifer’. These ‘lifers’ are hard to come by now, after a misspent life watching birds and this one delighted me no end. The trail then produced breeding Large Niltavas, Blue-wined Minlas, and

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some Striated Bulbuls. The light was going down and we reluctantly packed our bags. As we were about to reach our jeep we came upon another bird that stunned us with its sheer beauty, the appropriately named Scarlet Finch. A red so deep that it is hard to believe that nature could bestow something so vibrant on a single bird. We promised to return the next day to see if we could photograph this jewel in better light.

Dipankar Ghosh, old friend and resident expert on pheasants, joined us that evening from his home in Gangtok and we spent a pleasurable evening gossiping and planning the day ahead. The reason for our anticipation was that we were going to the fabled Upper Neora Valley, home of Satyr Tragopan, the subject of Dipankar’s research. Never have I woken up at 4 am with such spring in my step. Bathed, combed and ready by 4.15, we drove straight to the gates of the National Park, where we collected our mandatory guide and entered the buffer zone to be instantly greeted by a family of the rarely observed nominate race of Khaleej pheasants. Our next stop was a few hundred metres down the road, where we came up a mixed hunting flock, which included a Barred Cuckoo Dove and a Grey Crested Tit, another bird I had never seen before. As we observed this flock in the canopy, a smallish bird caught our attention in scrub at the bottom of a clump of trees. “Rusty-bellied Shortwing” we gasped in unison as it hopped back into the bush. We waited and watched but it did not reappear, but what did, left us speechless. A dark bird popped out for a second and here was the famed, the beautiful

and the extremely rare Blue-fronted Robin. Now here and gone in a flash, leaving us dazed. Two extremely rarely seen birds in one spot, within minutes of each other, it could only happen in Upper Neora. We sat down to still our excitement, while the young Dipankar busied himself with taking GPS reading of the site. Meanwhile Blue-winged and Black-faced Laughing Thrushes hopped in the undergrowth.

Happy as larks, we proceeded further to the gatepost at Pankhasari, where we exchanged gossip with the guards while our permits were checked. A little down the road, our hitherto silent Nepali guide shrieked “Munal Munal”, a cry I dismissed by saying that this was not Monal territory. Little did I know that the local term for the Satyr Tragopan was Munal, while the true Monal Pheasant was called Daphne in these parts.

By the time Dipankar corrected my arrogance, I managed to get only a fleeting glance of the stunning male, as it sailed effortlessly over the bamboo forest that lay below. Humbled by this experience we walked slowly towards Jhariboti area, encountering Black-throated Parrotbills in the thickets. These avian miniature jetfighters just zoom through the bamboo at high speed and never seem to sit still. I marveled at Sumit’s ability to photograph this species.

What a glorious morning, but we had to keep our date with the Scarlet Finch, so reluctantly we turned back and headed towards the Pipeline. Sure enough he was there, this time with the missus. Camera’s clicked as the birds enjoyed

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the wild raspberries. Obvious it was a favourite fruit, for this tree had a Barred Cuckoo Dove too enjoying the spoils. Nearby a pair of Pygmy Blue Flycatchers busied themselves with nest-building. The normally reticent Sumit, in a voice, not without excitement, proclaimed “Red-faced Liochicla”. What a name, what a bird and what a way to end our sojourn to this enchanted forest.

Bikram GrewalNew Delhi, India

Gold-naped Finch (male)

Short-billed Minivet Rufous-capped Babblers

Gold-naped Finch (female)

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Our area of work

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Major parts of India, almost 75% are still villages. The strength of this country

is in her rural traditions and culture. With this onset of globalization, the character of rural India is fast changing and in a period of one decade or two, we may not find the traditions which are extremely diverse. The only thing that is common in all Indian villages is the warmth and hospitality of the local people.

East Himalaya, including the Northeast India is biggest cultural fault between Lhasa and Calcutta (Kolkata). The varied cultures and traditions make this area an ideal destination for rural tourism. Every village in this area is different to the other and being remote and land locked by several international borders, has made rural tourism experience much more authentic.

Help Tourism since 1991 has been working in villages in this area using tourism as a tool for alternative livelihood development, bringing in global appreciation for their cultures and traditions and involving the local people in conservation. In the almost past two decades, the Help Tourism initiatives have shown a way to the region.RU

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Trine Willumsen, Grace ToursCopenhagen – Denmark.

I have been traveling to India longer than I care to admit and have wanted to visit the

elusive Seven Sisters in the North East for a long time. Somehow never got around to it. Rumors had it to be troublesome, unsafe, and difficult with no apparent tourism infrastructure. All of this has changed over the recent years and in March 09 I found myself crossing the boarder at Dawki / Tamabil between Bangladesh and Meghalaya along with some good friends.

We had spent a week in Bangladesh visiting friends and taking part in week long celebration of Independence Day, prior to making our way up north through lush jungle and tea estate country to the border. Not many tourist came this way and the border is mainly used by local traders, but all we met gave us very warm welcome and we were received by a smiling representative from Help Tourism.

Having sorted the entry formalities, we were off in our little yellow jeep to Ialong, a rural tourism project initiated by UNDP and supervised by Help Tourism. From the jungle near Bangladesh we drove up to the `Scotland’ of the North East, through the coal mining country, where every village and settlement seems to be centered around a church.

The people of ialong have formed a committee in charge of their community tourism project. The committee has initiated the construction of three ideally located cottages, all with stunning views over the valley. We were invited on day hikes through beautiful landscape and villages.

In the evenings we were introduced to the local songs and dances. A massive thunderstorm swept over Meghalaya and the electricity plant shut down. The entire state was left without electricity for 48 hours. Well, just one of those things that may happen when you travel ‘off the beaten track’ but remember that a smile and intrepid attitude takes you a long way. We spent the night in the kitchen near the fire place and listing to the thunder and tales of ialong. It was a heartening experience

being hosted by the entire village and more engaging and entertaining than spending the night in a bed not made for people taller than 5 feet .

We continued onwards through Shillong and Siliguri towards Assam. From Guwahati it was a long and bumpy drive to get to Manas National Park - especially the last couple of hours due to a massive road construction project.

Great was our surprise and joy when we left the pot-holed road and drove over a rickety bridge, though the local market to the village of Kokilabari. We passed the office of Manas-Maozigendri Eco Tourism Society (MMES) and came to a halt at Manas

North Eastern adventures

a journey with

Help Tourism

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Maozigendri Jungle Camp situated right on the outer perimeter of the park. Surrounded by shading trees we settled into the Jungle Camp. After rest and wash in our simple, yet stylish cottages built with local materials and

in the traditional style, we were ready to go exploring. Mind blowing safaris on elephant back and by jeep and a village trail trek to a village where we were welcomed by the Bodo people and offered local rice beer.

In the late eighties and during the nineties, the Bodo community struggled for a independent Bodo land with tremendous force and violence. The social unrest earned the Bodo’s reputations as terrorists and development projects bypassed the area. Animal life in the National Park (- declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO), suffered severe damage from poaching.

In 2003 Help Tourism visited the heavily scarred park, and a community decision was taken to revive the park to its former glory by financing reconstruction though tourism. The MMES was formed and Help Tourism facilitated the community tourism project. It has been a long journey but now it is possible to not only enjoy the park and its rich wildlife but also to contribute in efforts to conserve the park. Volunteers from MMES run the camp and as visitors we found we had firsthand access to a richness of information and stories about the restoration of the park and work they do. These days poaching and illegal timber logging is reduced to a mere fraction.

It was great to gather with the volunteers in the dinning room in evenings before going on patrol as they readily shared all information about the work done, people and wildlife before setting out for patrol in the jungle.

We also visited other Help Tourism projects and properties run by Help Tourism such as Mr. Das’ stunning architectural gem in Neora Valley, the Santal tribal project in Tagore’s’ peaceful Shanti Niketan and the gorgeous Bali Island Jungle Camp in the Sundarbans.

After visiting above mentioned Help Tourism projects we learnt a great deal more about the people and their lives in the North East through rewarding cross-cultural interaction. It seems apparent that responsibly managed community based tourism projects can facilitate economic growth and engages not only the visitor but also the entire local communities.

From our experience we can whole heartedly endorse and support Help Tourism. They are doing a grand job!

Go explore and enjoy the elusive north east where people and nature are truly amazing.

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Boutique Homestay

at The fort offers

Luxury accommodations

Delicious dishes

The ancient history

Of - GHIYATH-UD-DIN TUGHLAQ (A.D. 1321 - 25)

The Fort, Tughlaqabad Village, Ek Number Kothi, Near Tughlaqabad Fort, New Delhi 110044Mail at: [email protected]

ROOM TYPE SINGLE OCCUPANCY DOUBLE OCCUPANCY

FAMILY ROOM 5000.00 5500.00

MINI SUIT 5000.00 5500.00

DOUBLE DELUXE 4000.00 4500.00

ABOVE RATES INCLUDES ACCOMODATION CHARGE ONLY (EP)

FAMILY ROOM 5500..00 6500.00

MINI SUIT 5500.00 6500.00


ABOVE RATES INCLUDES ACCOMODATION, BREAKFAST & DINNER (MAP)

FAMILY ROOM 6000.00 7500.00

MINI SUIT 6000.00 7500.00


ABOVE RATES INCLUDES ACCOMODATION & ALL MEALS (AP)


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PLEASE BE A

IN MAKINGRESPONSIBLE TRAVELLER

1. Please respect your hosts & their cultures.

2. While Photographing the village interests or any villager, please ask for permission.

3. While visiting adjoining forests or Protected areas, please make sure that you have proper permission.Please make sure you visit the local nature interpretation centers and museums.

4. While on forest trails or forest drives, please do not divert track or you may be damaging several micro eco – systems unknowingly.

5. Please do not consume alcohol(Drink), smoke, play loud music or make open fires in villages or adjoining forests.

6. The flowers & leaves in the wilderness are part of the eco – system, please do not pluck or destroy them personal purposes.

7. Please understand that while visiting any wilderness, you are entering the home, feeding grounds & playgrounds for the wild animals. Please make sure they are not disturbed.

8. Your visiting destinations is your holiday home, please help to keep it cleaner than your own.

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When I was living in Delhi in the first few years of the new century the popular and

burgeoning internet-based Delhibird Club became a model for modern birding groups throughout India. Emailing trip reports and photographs led to nationwide interchanges and mutual help with bird identification and trip planning. One of the strongest links was developed with the Kolkata-based birders and from 2003 a few of us in Delhi began a series of visits to some of the great birding sites in West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. These visits coincided with the birth of a remarkable initiative in Indian tourism, Help Tourism which works out of Siliguri. We became among their first clients and were very willing to be used to test out new places from the point of view of experienced and quite demanding travelling birders. My contribution was to view the rather unusual operation through non-Indian eyes.

Help Tourism works on the principle that wildlife tourism must benefit the, often very poor, rural populations who live their lives with the wildlife. Not only does this help improve these lives and increase their resources but it is hoped that by showing the local population that they can benefit substantial from their wildlife they will contribute to their protection. This is especially important in north eastern India because many of the rural population readily eat wild birds and animals, kill them for skins, feathers, horns and casques (on hornbills) or are involved in poaching for markets in neighbouring countries. Help Tourism now has mostly village-based accommodation in a number of places, from the steamy Sunderbans to the virgin forests of the Mishmi Hills. Villagers work there and almost all the food is locally produced where possible. Further local people are trained as guides and as they live there all the time they quickly become extremely knowledgeable and indispensible to the visitors. I have stayed in at least five of their places and each one is extremely well sited with its own unique character and delightful, helpful staff.

Until this year I had always relied on my friends in India to plan the trips I joined them on and liaise with Help Tourism over the arrangements.

This often included transport and accommodation outside Help Tourism’s own network but the fact they are so very well-known locally means they had very good contacts and know the pitfalls and plusses intimately. I would just turn up and join in. However this year I decided to deal directly with them over a long overdue trip to Manas and other sites in Assam. Some time ago I had put my Kerala-based friend Meena in touch with Help Tourism as she had long wanted to visit the north east to study the incredible variety of plants there. She was planning a return trip this March-April and we agreed to join together for a few days in Manas. We would both have quite separate custom made programmes after that; me elsewhere in Assam, Meena to Sikkim and North Bengal. At the best of times arranging two overlapping custom made programmes within tight budgets must be a nightmare. But we had patient, good natured and above all efficient service from Asit Biswas as we emailed between the three of us over the preparatory weeks. As I was to find out again during my trip itself one of Help Tourism’s great advantages is its flexibility.

This visit to India started in Delhi where a friend had arranged my flight to Guwahati. Running through my plans with another friend, Bikram Grewal, led to a few last minute adjustments to take in Nameri which Asit took on with good grace. Bikram had been to most of the places I planned to visit in the last couple of years so his advice was useful. I arrived in Guwahati on the morning of 28th March and was met by HelpTourism who took me to their little office on the edge of town where we were overnighting. In the afternoon the car meeting Meena who was coming by train from Bangalore diverted to take in Deepor Beel which I have long wanted to visited. Not only did they do this but they picked up a local man who knew the birds there well. I had a pleasant hour or so viewing the bheel which hosted a huge flock of over 1000 Lesser Whistling Duck, half as many Openbill and a concentrated flock of 108 of the now extremely rare and local Greater Adjutant. The following day we set off for Manas, specifically Kokilabari in the extreme east of the National Park. This is the headquarters of the Manas-Maozigendri Eco-Tourism Society an NGO established to support the local Bodo

Fit for Purpose ; tourism for the futureBill Harvey22 June 2009

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population in its efforts to encourage and benefit from tourism. This being central to the existence of Help Tourism they have got involved the Manas Jungle Camp at Kamardwisa next door. This excellent facility has a few well appointed cottages and a dining room and kitchen in a well treed compound overlooking both forest and a marsh bordered stream. It is within easy walking distance of the village with its museum and local weavers. Everybody at the camp and in the village was most welcoming. The food at the camp was good and local, with the fresh fish to be particularly commended. Beer can be provided.

This initiative illustrates the Help Tourism philosophy particularly well as not so long ago the Bodo were involved in an armed uprising during which some of them poached wild animals and cut down trees. Manas National Park was itself closed. Now they are welcoming visitors and showing them the richness of their own environment. WE had an extremely well informed local guide, Rustom Basumatary and he lost no time in directing us to various excellent sites within comfortable walking distance. The speciality was the very local Black-tailed Crake, which we eventually saw with Ruddy-breasted Crake. The bird life was very rich with many interesting species, not least several sightings of the magnificent Great Indian Hornbill. In the afternoon Rustam took us to the disused Kokilabari Seed Farm which was close by. This is now probably the best place in India to see Bengal Floricans and we had great views of nine mostly displaying males. Other fascinating encounters were with a roosting flock of Pied Harriers, very musical Rufous-necked Laughing-thrushes and a pure Wild Buffalo. Having a local guide made all the difference as Rustom knew exactly where to go to see the maximum possible. The next day we spent in forests and grassland with yet more bird species as well as herds of Elephant, Gaur and Wild Buffalo. We drove slowly through the park on the third day to spend that night at Mothanguri Forest Rest House overlooking the beautiful Manas River and the rising mountains of Bhutan. You have to bring your own food and drink here and Help Tourism arranged all this. The driver doubled as a cook and Rustom remained with us as a guide. Two nights here gave us plenty of opportunity for walking and driving to see the birds and animals. The stars were undoubtedly a troop of Golden Langurs feeding across the river in Bhutan. Help Tourism had arranged another car to take us out of Manas so after a warm farewell to Rustom and the driver we drove out via the

Bansbari Gate and a welcome coffee at the Lodge there. We drove on to Baihata where yet another car met us to take me to Kaziranga National Park via Tezpur while Meena went back to Guwahati to embark on the rest of her trip.

The last part of my Assam trip was a rushed affair because I added in Nameri at short notice. Help Tourism arranged everything at Wild Grass where I stayed on 2nd April including an elephant ride and a good bird guide. As always at Kaziranga it was the mammals that starred with over 30 Indian Rhinoceros often with calves and often very close, as well plenty of Swamp Deer, a Hog Badger and a Hoolock Gibbon. Birdwise, it was excellent with the guide, Torun, being especially adept at calling secretive species into the open by “pishing”. This sibilant noise often attracts birds (and small mammals) perhaps because it sounds like a young creature. The star “pish” was a group of Yellow-breasted and Black-faced Buntings, Red-capped Babbler and White-tailed Rubythroat in a very unprepossessing patch of reeds. Torun also showed me a very low Great Indian Hornbill’s nest hole. It was quite an experience gazing straight into the heavily lashed eyes of the incubating female in her “bricked-up” nest! Next morning I set off in another prearranged car for Tezpur where I had to stay the night as the fabulous Nameri Ecocamp was full. I checked in at the hotel and then straight to the Ecocamp where Help Tourism had organised yet another first class guide and my lunch. On the down side it rained all day but that didn’t prevent Vikan finding me White-winged Wood Duck and Emerald Cuckoo as well as many other birds. After lunch I did the river trip on a low raft. The ride itself was fascinating but much enhanced by flocks of hirundines forced low by the rain and a lingering Ibisbill. Back to Tezpur for dinner and bed and then next day into yet another Help Tourism car for the interesting drive back to Guwahati and the flight back to Delhi.

From the tourist’s practical point of view Help Tourism’s local knowledge, flexibility and friendliness make them ideal for custom-built wildlife holidays in the north east, especially for people who do not know the region. But their responsible and supportive attitude to the local people and the wildlife environment bring an added dimension as well much pleasure and new friends.

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Jungle CampsAlmost all ‘Protected Areas’ in India are

surrounded by communities who have been there for generations and have traditions dependent on the natural resources. With the fast degradation of the natural resources in India, mainly because of commercialization, we are left with little which can hardly support any kind of traditional livelihood.

Hence, Help Tourism has tried to initiate an alternative livelihood among such communities who are interested in conservation and ownership of the natural resources around them through the creation of the Jungle Camps. Today, Jungle Camp is a brand of its own and spread all over east & northeast India.

As the sun went down over the mountains, electric lights of Lava and Rishyap were

shining like twinkling stars on mountains far away. The Jungle Camp of Kolakham in the Neora Valley at the fringe of the National Park plunged into darkness without having electricity. We were happy that the beauty of the splendid, still unexplored and densely forested wore a virgin look in kerosene lamps and campfire light. We had sought out the place exactly for this reason to be away from crowd, noise, smog and pollution.

We were in North Bengal, close to Darjeeling and Kalimpong, two hill stations of renown yet as if thousands of miles from both. Our Mahindra Scorpio ran along a road that is no road but stones and ditches.

Jayanta is driving in these areas long enough to negotiate bends, small rivulets and highs and lows easily. There were dense forests of oaks and rhododendrons, bamboos and sal. There were shrubs with wild flowers and tall grass and wild orchids and lichens hanging from trees. Fern and moss added to the mystery of the yet to be explored jungle. We had parked the Scorpio near a hair-pin bend to take in the magnificent panoramic views when we could see some movements above us in jungle. Jayanta signaled us to be silent and whispered that a Himalayan black bear was around. We waited it to show itself but almost 20 but it did not show up. From

Neora ValleyJungle Camp

Partha DeysarkarStress bursting at Neora Valley

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a distance we could see the Neora Valley Jungle Camp where we would be staying for a week. The Neora Valley seemed to us a perfect place for meditation, introspection and recharging of our bodies’ batteries.

We took a sharp curve and were at the gate of the Jungle Camp. I woke up and it was still dark. The kerosene lamp was switched off before I slept. I drew the curtains. The sun was somewhere in the horizon yet a silhouette of the third highest mountain could be seen, orange and distant. I picked up my binocular and Mt. Kanchenjunga came into my focus. I went outside. It was cold and lonely. Down below oak forest looked ghostly.

Fifteen minutes passed and I could see the great mountain by naked eye but I tried binocular again. Kanchenjunga was clearly visible. Its two peaks were shining faint pink turning into orange. The Kobru and Dom were visible; too, both were standing to the left of the Kanchenjunga. The Sincholu was at the right. Slowly the Kanchenjunga system comprising of Kobru south and north, Dom, Sincholu and lesser peaks were turning orange. The most glorious sunrise on earth was revealing before my eyes like magic. Now even the ghostly forest emerged from the darkness. I could hear birds singing. The Neora Valley was waking up. I looked up at the great Kanchenjunga again. It was a massive golden peak, the most cherished view of the great mountain. I was meditating before the God of the Sikkimese people when Tsering came with a steaming cup of tea. ‘Saab, kanchenjunga dekha…Sir did you see the

Kanchenjunga?, he asked. I told “Hain, bahut sundar…yes very beautiful.”

There are time and presence of something overwhelming when one doesn’t like talking. It was one such time. Tsering, the Rais of Nepal and child of the Himalaya understood it and moved away.

Last evening we had checked in into the Neora Valley Jungle Camp of Help Tourism. The Jungle Camp had stunned us with its location, architecture that merged with environment; its walls made of wood glistened and huge windows were next to the bed so one could enjoy the forest and mountains from the bed. Washroom was absolutely clean with 24 hour running water. Dinning Hall was a place so placed that it gave stunning panoramic view of the valley. Piyush and Sapna, from Chicago, openly admired the ambience Dumping our luggage in rooms, we went for a walk along a trail with Tsering as guide.

There were thick oak and bamboo forests with sub-tropical shrubs with wild flowers. The forest in the Neora Valley has such luxurious growth that even sunlight finds it difficult to touch the ground. Asit of Help Tourism had

told me that the Neora Valley was a bird watchers’ paradise and I experienced that in my first walk. We saw two Gold-naped Finch and a Sapphire Flycatcher in matter of minutes. In eastern Himalayas sun sets early. We started back for Jungle Camp. Inhabitants of Nepal had come here and settled down and they are Rais, worshippers of Krishna.

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So they are vegetarians, very hard working and treats nature as their mother. The Help Tourism is committed to look after their jungles, educate them about their valley and provide some employment and create employment opportunities in travel and tourism industries. Making local friendly gives solid security in jungle for guests. We gathered that evening for a camp fire where Rai boys sang with guitars in Nepali, English and Hindi songs. Ever smiling and innocent Rais of Neora Valley impressed me the most. Dinner was on metal plate like Rais eat at home. Food was simple but sumptuous.

We ate mixed vegetable, dal, chicken with roti and rice. Guests from abroad are also served same food and they relish it. I asked Kaushik and Bhaskar who were looking after the Camp that if Rais were vegetarians how they cooked chicken. They explained that Rais were convinced that for the survival of the camp depended upon tourists coming to Neora Valley and if they were not given food of their choice they might not stay long at the Jungle Camp making it unviable.

Tsering was at my door after breakfast to take us to core area of the National park. We drove back to Kolakham village and took the track to National Park. Dense forest of bamboos, oaks, rhododendrons and wild shrubs engulfed us. Scenic beauty was terrific. We aimed for Jaributi, a beautiful location and strong point for viewing wildlife. Road was precarious one but a tar road would have been mismatched with the terrain. Jayanta stopped our vehicle after an hour’s drive. There was a clearing and we could hear gurgling of flowing water below. While driving we had seen two Oriols

and a Minivets. When our vehicle stopped, besides singing of birds and gurgling of a stream somewhere, we could hear silence

of jungle only. As we sat down with lunch, a Himalayan bear made its appearance and its black coat shining in sunray, it stood scared seeing us. We clicked on our camera. Puran picked up a bamboo stick whirling over his head. The bear moved into the bush.

I was angry with Puran but Jayanta and Puran explained that it was mating season of the bears and a male could be foul tempered. We sighted two bul buls sitting and singing on a small tree and also sighted a Pygmy-flycatcher. After lunch we began our descent following the gurgling stream towards a narrow gorge. There were huge spider webs from tree branches to tree branches. A deer herd was grazing at a distance. We could not identify properly, once deer seemed to be burking ones but then felt these were hog deer. Best sighting was Kalij Pheasant and a lone yellow warbler we reached the end of

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the gorge at a village where we had planned to spend the night. Suhas Rai, who lets out stragglers like us, made two rooms available for four of us. Our backpacks were thrown on Spartan beds where we were to spread our sleeping bags for the night. It was late afternoon, around 3 pm so we walked on. We saw a great-pied Hornbill, many doves and pigeons. Bearded vulture was circling above us. Lots of singing birds were in the jungle but most were invisible. We saw a singing yellow billed cuckoo. Our binocular picked up couple of red legged falcon on a tree. Near the water of the stream, we saw a few civets.

Sunlight was fading fast and we began trekking back. Bushes had wild flowers. That night we sat around fire and talked about the Neora Valley, Suhas Rai told us that finding tiger spoor; forest officials were surprised as till then they did not know the existence of tiger though there were leopards. Tigers were searched and found ultimately. Large tracks of the valley are still unexplored. The Neora Valley rises from 600ft to 10,600ft. Therefore, ecosystem and flora and fauna undergoes changes frequently.As we climbed higher bamboos gave way to oaks and rhododendrons with some flowering shrubs and bushes. Early in the morning, we began our trek back to the jungle camp. On the way we saw Golden Headed Black Finch, Himalayan griffon; great pied Hornbill, Red Headed Blue Finch, and the Rusty-bellied Shortwing. Binocular picked up a bear and two wild bores.

We crossed Rishi Valley tribal villages, cardamom plantations, couple of streams and a lovely waterfall. We also saw an early blooming orchid to our surprise. We were back to the Neora Valley Jungle Camp at Kolakham village. We had finished a probing trip to still unexplored Neora Valley. We had seen prolific flora and fauna. Birding was fantastic. And the last thing must be talked is the Jungle Camp where star facilities exist even in the jungle. Each staff is ever smiling. So is Bhaskar, the manager, mountaineer and a perfect host.

Neora Valley: The Neora Valley is located in Northern part of the State of West Bengal in the tri-junction of West Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan. The valley is cradled in the Eastern Himalayas.

Going there: The nearest airport is Bagdogra, which is well connected with Calcutta. Calcutta is connected by air with every part of the world. The nearest railway station is New Jalpaiguri and is connected with both Calcutta and Delhi well. Both from airport and railway station, one has to travel by USV to the Neora Valley.

Where to stay: Neora Valley The Jungle Camp run by the Help Tourism is the only place to stay in this virgin wilderness. Help Tourism provides birding facilities, trekking and wildlife sighting jeep safari

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Darjeeling, a part of Sikkim was annexed and developed as the summer capital of

the British Empire. The Sikkim Rajah received a lease amount from the British and then the Government of India till 1975 (till Sikkim became a state of India). Developing the town as a summer retreat, the British developed a railway connection, which is now a World Heritage Site. Tea Gardens were developed to generate revenue and in the process support a big labour force. Several infrastructures were developed in the town of Darjeeling and all over the Darjeeling Hills, which are now a part of the heritage. Average altitude 6800 ft.

• The Swiss Hotel, Gandhi Road, Darjeeling: A Swiss couple built a Swiss bakery and later added an Inn to it, which is more than 95 years old. After the British left India, the infrastructure changed hands and saw changes in infrastructure to become a full-fledged hotel. Ten double bedded rooms, two suites and one family room, all with attach toilet cum bath still has the old Darjeeling charm because of its location, garden and building. The DHR Steam restaurant offers good food in fixed menu.

Interest: Darjeeling town and Darjeeling Hills.

• Camellia Home Stay, Gandhi Road, Jalapahar, Darjeeling:A quaint home-stay, away from the hustle and bustle of Darjeeling town.The home stay is run by Mr. & Mrs. Gurung whose association with Darjeeling tea is well-known.

Interest: Nice view of mountains, Kanchenjunga range, Ghoom town and monastery. Wonderful walks and birding is possible in the surrounding forests and quiet roads. Very peaceful and tranquile.20 minutes drive from Darjeeling town and 15 minutes drive to Jorebungalow(Ghoom).

Infrastructure: Four well-appointed guest rooms with attached western toilet cum bath with running hot shower. The rooms open to a common balcony. On first floor there is a nice Tea Library cum Tea tasting room where guests can learn about the tea tasting process through a live demonstration by the host Gurung family. The first floor has large dining cum lounge.

DarjeelingHeritage town:

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The Barshey Rhododendron Sanctuary lies in the southwest corner of the West Sikkim district. Spreading over 104 sq. km,

across the razor sharp Singalila Range, which forms the natural international border with Nepal. In the South the Rambong Khola separates it from West Bengal. There are four points of entry: Hee, Hilley, Dentam and Soreng Visitors generally prefer Hee & Hilley since it is approachable by road. The bridle path from Hee & Hilley to Barshey already exists and is a favourite amongst tourists especially during the Rhododendron flowering season and winters.

Hee-Bermiok Village, West Sikkim:Bounded by Barshey Rhododendron Sanctuary & Kalez Khola in the North, Hee Khola in the West, Rangit Khola in the East and Samdong reserve Forest in the South, Hee Bermoik village in West Sikkim has a beautiful setting. Apart from many scenic spots, the area has a good deal of flora and fauna. More than 65 species of birds have been located in the surroundings.Though dominated by the Limboo community, large number of Chettris, Bahuans, Sherpas, Tamang, Bhutias, Lepchas, Rais and Gurungs of Nepali community live here. They have their own distinct religious and cultural heritage.

• Hee Tourist Lodge, Hee-Bermiok Heritage Tourism Circuit, Hee Patal, West Sikkim: Welcome to the land of the Limboos. This is a joint initiative of Sikkim Tourism, Hee Bermiok Tourism Development & Heritage Conservation Society, Help Tourism, Association for Conservation and Tourism (ACT), Hee Patal village and Tamling Nursery. The project offers the unique opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the cultural heritages of the Limboo community and the fascinating landscape of the area. One can even take a soft trek to Barshey from Hee to explore the Red Panda trail in Barshey Rhododendrone Sanctuary. Camping is possible between Hee and Barshey.

Interest: Limboo culture and hospitality, local cuisine, village experience, old Limboo cemetery, pristine forest, trek to Barshey, camping, magnificent view of Mount Kanchenjunga, Chayatal lake, Waterfalls.

Infrastructure: At present: the Hee Tourist Lodge has 4 well-equipped rooms with attach toilet cum bath, all rooms open to a common verandah which faces the snow capped mountains, and dining hall & kitchen serving organic & farm fresh local food. Those who are keen to understand Limboo culture and experience home hospitality can stay with a Limboo family.B

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When visiting the eastern fringe of Manas Nationalpark the first time in 2005, the

first hut of the Jungle Camp was just under construction. In that time we had still slept in the guest house of the local conservation and ecotourism society. Now, the camp consists of five huts and a dining space. And one problem that had been reported to us already years back still persists: The elephants don’t stick painstakingly enough to the Nationalpark borders. In the night before our arrival, a grey giant had scrubbed his back on the kitchen wall – slightly affecting the statics. Perhaps, he was excited due to the storm that had uprooted some trees and cut off the camp’s electricity supply. Without electricity there is no water as the pump can’t operate. The deeply longed for shower after the dusty ride on the bumpy road – that admittedly just is worked on with great effort – has to be postponed for time unknown. The kids bother little about that fact, they are wholeheartedly exploring the environs – and that’s quite a lot to do. It is of little interest for them that they roam one of the most diverse biospheres in the world. Playing in the green so undisturbed is a rare opportunity for them in our Siliguri home.

Not only our children needed some time in Manas to find to themselves. The tribal group of the Bodos – the traditional settlers of this area – as well spent a long time in search of their identity. And while our little ones under guidance pluck of a blade of gras and chase excitedly after the butterflies, the Bodos during the time of their independency movement had felled trees and shot wild animals. This as well often due to external demand. The Nationalpark has been left with deep scars from this time and the wounds now are healing slowly. With the recognition of Bodoland as an autonomous region, adulthood came and raised the question:“How can we live of what we possess?” Fortunately, the voices that proclaimed a sustainable use and long-

term conservation of the natural paradise on the foothills of the Bhutanese mountains had been louder than those of the promoters of a ‘fast money selling off‘ of the natural resources.

And though nobody really had an idea how to go about that, tourism was opted for as a viable means. Since, visitors are temporary members of the local ecotourism association and help in keeping the park roads free, and in listing and monitoring of species. This all sounds very strict, but it isn’t really. Along the eastern fringe of the Park, timber logging and poaching have been reduced to almost zero, so that patrolling hardly is different than visits in other parks. The weapons that have been surrendered to the park rangers by poachers, nowadays are displayed in a museum. Today, mostly it is the sheer presence of the nature guards that is important.

As local and external members are visiting the park only in small groups, the visiting pressure is not focussed on few spots, but spread over many more routes. Moreover, you can spend much more time inside the park and you get a very intensive interpretation of the environment. With our guide (fellow associate), we drive through a dried-up river bed to the Bhutanese border. On this route a government forest guard is compulsory; after all we are in the immediate border area. At least latently, the proximity of wild animals is omnipresent. Two rifles are aboard the car to shy away elephants with shots across the bow in case of a too intimate encounter. A strange thought in a conservation area, if one doesn’t consider that the giants can easily squash the car and its inhabitants.

The park is only one reason to visit the land of the Bodos, as we quickly recognize during a village walk. On the market place’s hustle and bustle we see few traders have come from Bhutan to

Regaining future a visit to

BodolandBy Marcus Bauer

May 9, 2008

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will need some more time. And consequently we spend our last three days on a small farm few kilometers away from the park’s entrance. We pass our time with day excursions to the village and the Nationalpark. Our time passes well too fast to listen to the stories of the old mahout, the elephant guide who proudly shows us around in the camp with almost 50 grey giants. During the time of the timber cutting the elephants had been an important labour force. Today the mahouts provenient hope for tourism as a meaningful and stable source of income. With the returning of the first rhinos from other reserves an important step into a prosperous future of this nature paradise is done.

The History & Genesis of Manas Maozigendri Jungle Camp

Manas Wildife Sanctuary, India, State of Assam, N26 43 30 E91 01 50 was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.The brief description says: “On a gentle slope in the foothills of the Himalayas, where wooded hills give way to alluvial grasslands and tropical forests, the Manas sanctuary is home to a great variety of wildlife, including many endangered species, such as the Tiger, Pygmy Hog, Indian Rhinoceros and Indian Elephants”.

The 1980s were a turbulent time for Assam as the movement to demand a separate land for the Bodos began. In the late 80s, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and Bodo political parties joined hands to demand a separate state called Bodoland. This movement took a huge toll on the national park first, since the insurgent groups and militants used the forests as hideouts and second because, both national and international poaching groups took advantage of the situation leading to destruction. The once resplendent park became a mere shadow of its former self as a result of rampant felling of trees and poaching of animals. In 2003, an accord was signed resulting in the establishment of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).

There was also a realization then that Manas needed to be brought back to its former glory. Some local youth and activists from the ABSU decided to take the responsibility for this through their local unit of Chapaguri Koklabari Anchalik Committee (CKAC). As a result, the restoration of the park and the endeavor to make it an important tourist destination was incorporated as a special package in the Bodo Accord signed in February 2003. It emphasized that participatory tourism should be promoted.

purchase stocks. On the Bhutanese side the Manas forests are so impenetrable that the residents of the villages have to bypass the way to the capital of their own country via India. The improvement of diplomatic relations is an important growth impulse for our village, Kokilabari. Not many economic options are available to the region. Though silk is produced, and in almost every house a hand-loom can be found, the colorful customs hardly leave the household. As in agriculture the majority of goods are produced for subsistence only. Also the construction materials are mostly local products. The compounds, comprising of several buildings, are traditionally made of bamboo, wood, mud and paddy straw. That tin sheets are becoming increasingly popular as a roof cover, as they keep out the water more effectively, brings some disadvantages as well. We are told that during the summer it gets very hot under the metal roof. Isolation was by far not as good as with the paddy straw roof. And though we prefer the thatched roofs optically, we understand the opting for dry premises. A suggestion that we have carried from other areas, namely the thatching of the tin roofs with straw, is being discussed with great interest.

Any improvement of infrastructure and innovative ideas are elementary topics. The school system is still deficient, many bridges and streets are overaged and at some places they are completely lacking. The substantial financial support by the Central government eases, but a lot still has to be done. After all it is about not less than the transformation of a somewhat unrecognized area of single settlements into a viable economic network while safeguarding conservation of the entire protected area. In the west of the park carpenters are installing platforms on boats to facilitate transport of the patrolling jeeps across Manas river. On the same way food rations can be provided to the remote villages on the other side of the river, thus preventing the encroachment of the park for new agricultural space. How high the hopes into tourism are becomes clear, as we observe the workings on the sighting spots and protection camps inside the park. Simple huts made of plastics and tin sheets are replaced by multi-storey constructions of ferroconcrete. A safe shelter for the nature wardens and visitors alike. Wherever old infrastructure exists – often from the times of the British rule – it is made over. As in the case of the forest bungalow in Muthangori, fantastically located with a view over river Manas to the mountain ranges of Bhutan. Enquiry is already high though the renovation

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Under the initiative of the ABSU and CKAC, the Manas Maozigendri Ecotourism Society was formed on 13th December 2003. It was given the mandate to look after conservation and ecotourism issues in and around Manas. In 2005, Help Tourism stepped in to facilitate the ecotourism work. MMES was registered in 2006. The then Field Director, Mr.Abhijit Rabha invited Help Tourism to be involved. Help Tourism got involved to use tourism as a tool to accelerate the peace process and support community conservation.

Help Tourism plays an advisory role. It has also facilitated capacity building for the staff and contributed in the development of the infrastructure. Help Tourism played a catalytic role when Manas was declared a “World Heritage Site in Danger” and mobilized support for the Park. Help Tourism encouraged the Bodos to support conservation and restore the lost glory of the park. This was done by first initiating the stopping of all poaching in an area of 250 sq km.Felling of trees and sale of wild meat was also prohibited. The hunters/poachers were punished and subsequently rehabilitated for patrolling and protection. Help Tourism has motivated the local people, ensured that an appropriate institutional structure is in place and has facilitated capacity building through training programmes in the hospitality sector.

Tourism InfrastructureTourism infrastructure at Manas Maozigendri Jungle Camp consists of four cottages and a dining cum common room all built with bamboo and other indigenous material. Built in ethnic Bodo style cottages on wooden stilts with attached western type bath cum toilet, each cottage has a

sitting deck in the front. Wood, bamboo planks and partitions, mud and hey have been imaginatively used following the traditional architecture of the Bodo villages. The premises are full of various species of trees and creepers and offers good birding opportunity within its vicinity.

Tourism Activities & ExperiencesManas Maozigendri Jungle Camp carries out what could be termed as ‘participatory tourism’ where the tourists are encouraged to participate in various activities of MMES such as patrolling the park, monitoring and census of various faunal species. Anyone who wants to support the conservation efforts of MMES can become a temporary member. Tourists can go on treks and walks and also avail of the cultural experience by interacting with the local villagers. Guides do escort tourists. All of them have received training from experts on fauna and flora identification; interpretation; basics of wildlife monitoring and management.

Besides patrolling and monitoring activities, a visit gives insight into the village life: Traditional weaving, cooking, rice-beer processing, bullock-cart ride, village-walks and music- and dance-performances are part of the tourism experience. Birding, Primate watching, Butterfly watching, Game watching are parts of the Manas Maozigendri Jungle Camp experience.

All visitors are temporary members and participate in the different activities with the regular volunteers such as species monitoring (mainly Bengal Florican and Great Hornbill), protection patrolling by jeep, foot, elephant, bi-cycle, local raft etc, village awareness programs, cultural interpretations, participate in school .

Cultural programmes are organized if tourists are interested. The local cultural team managed by the Cultural Group performs cultural programmes. They perform the traditional war dance, harvesting dance and songs etc. There are some dance forms that have been revived as a result of the tourism activities.

MMES has established a small museum in the village that displays some traditional Bodo artifacts, weapons etc.

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Cultural InformationThe Bodo are one of the biggest tribes in Assam. The Bodo culture is very colorful, both in the customs and in the clothes. Besides the Bodo Language many people in around the camp speak English. The exciting history of the Bodo can be experienced both in a small museum, which is integrated in the camp, and even more intensively in the

discussions with the fellow Society members. The handloom, the Bodo are renowned for, is produced not only for but together with the guests. After a ride on a banana-boat or on a bullock cart, some local households invite to find out about the preparation and the taste of the local rice beer.

Conservation efforts:One of the most important mission’s of MMES and Manas Maozigendri Jungle Camp is to help revive the Manas National Park. MMES with the help of its volunteer work force has established 12 protection camps within the park boundary to help in patrolling and monitoring against illegal felling and poaching activities. As late as 2003, wild meat and illegal timber were both freely available at the local village market of Lwkhibazar, which has historically been an important trade route between Bhutan and India

MMES started with a house-to-house campaign against the killing of wild animals and the illegal felling of trees and convinced people to refrain from these activities. Women were particularly mobilized to help in this campaign. Ex-poachers were trained to help in conservation and a conservation task force consisting of 47 ex-poachers are now part of the joint patrolling efforts that have started with the Forest Department. They are also part of the MMES. Today; the Forest Department has officially recognized them as partners in conservation.

Initial aim of the project was to re-sensitize local people for the richness of their homeland and to mainstream efforts to have Manas removed from the List of heritage Sites in Danger. Moreover, an expedient engagement of traumatized post-war youth generation was a major aim. Today, after 4 years, the model project has been adopted by other Conservation-NGOs from the Manas area. Currently, these initiatives are linked in order to facilitate exchange of information, experiences and ideas, and to create a tourism circuit that covers all of Manas. Consequently, the new umbrella aim follows a more holistic and challenging approach: To ensure conservation of Manas in totality.

This is the first conservation-based tourism initiative of Northeast India that dedicates its entire effort and earnings for revival of Manas and protects its wildlife while engaging local communities in every sphere of its activities.

LocationThe village of Koklabari is located directly on the southern border of the Eastern Manas National park in North Western Assam. From the nearest railhead Barpeta Road, the village can be reached by a 2 hours drive either by jeep or 5 hours by local bus; the nearest Airport is Guwahati (approximately 6 hours drive).

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TOURISMRESPONSIBILITIES

It was not only an end of the responsibility of Help Tourism of creating a destination, but it

was later realized that the local tourism service providers must be made aware of making tourism a tool for sustainable development. Hence, certain practices has to be adopted by the host community, which have been organized by Help Tourism with experts from across the world from time to time. Waste Management, Greening in true sense, protection of wildlife, rural hospitality training etc has been a few topics for the past few years.

Help Tourism in the past few years have supported several scientific trips in ground hospitality and local guidence to their areas of operations near Protected areas, which has helped to add new species in the list of small animals, especially butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, birds etc from the East Himalaya. This has led to the interest of the local people in smaller animals and finally help in the conservation of the micro habitat.

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Dr. Kaushik Deuti

the scientific leader describes the species: 1) Cona Bull Frog (Nanorana conaensis) was collected from a hill-stream about 3 km from Kolakham Village, near Neora Valley NP on 8th August, 2007. The species was known earlier from Cona (a place in Tibet, China near the border with Sikkim). This is the first record from India, about 120 km south of its known distribution range. The scientific note was published in Herpetological Review (USA) Volume 39 No 2 page 234 in February, 2008.

2) Chilapata Rain-pool Frog (Minervarya chilapata) is a very small frog which was collected from rain-water pools under thick undergrowth beside forest road inside Mendabari Beat of Chilapata Reserve Forest on 29th July, 2007. Due to its presence of Rictal gland, absence of vomerine teeth and fejervaryan line etc it was placed under Genus Minervarya, only one species of which (Minervarya sahyadris) was known from Western Ghats of Karnataka.

However due to other differing characters (longer snout & toes) and call pattern the frog from Chilapata was considered to be a new species to Science and named as Minervarya chilapata after the type locality (Chilapata). The manuscript was sent to the journal, Zootaxa (published by Magnolia Press, New Zealand) and has been accepted.

The species will be published soon in Zootaxa. This will mean a new frog species from West Bengal after about 23 years.

During the discovery of the first species he was based at the Neora Valley Jungle Camp in Kolakham Village in Darjeeling Hills and the later at Chilapata Jungle Camp in Dooars.

Two new species of

found in the Darjeeling Hills & Dooars

frog

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It took two years of painstaking work for herpetologists to identify a giant pit viper that has

been part of Nishi folklore for generations.

Villagers from a small village in the dense subtropical hill forest of the Dafla Hills in the Papum Pare District, Arunachal Pradesh first showed Kedar Bhide and Nabang Radhe the giant snake which was almost 6 feet long in 2005 while they were working on a film in the area. After counting its scales, Bhide tentatively identified the snake as Kaulback’s Pit Viper Protobothrops kaulbacki, but needed data from more snakes to be sure.

Two subsequent expeditions aided largely by the support of the local villagers and a Kolkata based tour company HELP TOURISM & Association for Conservation and Tourism , led to the discovery of two more specimens.

Bhide collaborated with herpetologists from the State Forest Research Institute, Arunachal Pradesh (B. Bhatt), Maharashtra (A. Captain) and Germany (A. Gumprecht and F. Tillack). After comparisons with specimens in museums abroad and existing literature, the identity of the snake was confirmed. Kaulback’s Pit Viper was previously thought to be a rare snake known only from a few specimens that were found in Upper Myanmar and one in China. This is the first record of this snake from India. The black, yellow and blue colored pit viper is the longest pit viper known to occur in India.

It may be noted that a previous Indo-German herpetological collaboration resulted in the rediscovery of a snake previously thought to be extinct – The Indian Egg-eater.

The Background

IN SEARCH OF BARTA WHEN THE BAMBOO FLOWERED

Leporiang - an obscure and picturesque village in the Papum Pare district, bounded by East Kameng

District in the west and the state of Assam in the south, is roughly 180 kms from Itanagar .The village is dominated by the wonderful Nyishi tribe who prefers to live in isolation, and has proudly retained most of their original cultural and religious traditions and self-sustaining lifestyle. Lush green valleys, lofty mountains, virgin rain forest and numerous snow-fed streams and rivers have made this small village a Nature’s bounty.

In April 2005 Help Tourism was contacted by noted Delhi based documentary filmmaker Mr.Arun Kumar to conduct primary research and subsequently organize the month-long expedition in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram for filming the gregarious flowering of Bamboo on behalf of Animal Planet. The filming was a great success, and the film entitled “When the Bamboo Flowers” was first telecast by Animal Planet, all over the world on the 12th November, 2006-thanks to Mr.Gaddi, the then C.O of Leoporiang Circle, Nabam Hanyia-the Secretary of the Gaon Bura Committee, all the Gaon Buras of Leoporiang Circle, Nabam Radhe- a community leader and his team, and the local villagers.

The expedition not only revealed many interesting aspects of the Nyshi tradition and the legends associated with the flowering of Bamboos, but also helped the expedition team in gaining understanding about their social custom and community life. The outstanding conservation initiatives of the local Gaon Buras(GB) to stop hunting deserves appreciation and support.

Few surveys were conducted while the filming-expedition was in progress, and it was found that the Leoporiang circle is extra-ordinarily rich in various species of Medicinal Plants and Bamboos, Butterfly, Insects, Bird life and Herpetic fauna. It was during the survey that our team came to know about an unknown species of Pit Viper, locally known as BARTA, and the director of the film Mr.Arun Kumar and his producer immediately decided to check the myth and contacted Mr.Kedar Bhide for his expertise.After the filming the accompanying

RARE SNAKE FOUNDIN

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

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herpetologist Mr.Kedar Bhide expressed his desire to organize a separate expedition to identify the snake. Hence, two research-expeditions followed under the leadership of Mr.Kedar Bhide and Mr.Ashok Captain. The expeditions were supported by HELP TOURISM and its NGO named ACT(Association for Conservation and Tourism).The expeditions could not have been organized without the support and active participation of the villagers of Sango and Leoporiang.Mr. Sishir Adhikary from HELP TOURISM/ACT and Mr. Duyu Tamo from DUYU TOURS,Itanagar organized the logistics as Field Coordinators.The survey had further substantiated the assumption that BARTA could be a rare species of Pit Viper- first ever recorded in the India.

Considering the unique combination of the stunning natural beauty and the colorful Nyishi cultural tradition, HELP TOURISM feels that Leoporiang & Sango could emerge as a wonderful Ecotourism destination in near future. HELP TOURISM, in association with the state government, local travel trade and the local villagers of Leoporiang and Sango, has decided to initiate a Conservation & Community-based tourism model in this area to protect the BARTA and other wildlife and in the process to create increased opportunity for sustainable economic development at the local level, preservation of the cultural and ecological heritage and diversity of the area, and visitation of the responsible travelers from all over the world.

Kedar Bhide’s brief diary:

We stayed one night at Sagalee, one night at Leporiang , 5 nights at Sango and one night at

Kheel. We could go from Doimukh side to Sagalee as land slides were cleared on the same day. Rain also stopped after reaching Sango. 5 days at Sango were full sunny. We got all co-operations from Local people, we stayed in Nishi house. 5 local hunters helped us through out in our search. As it was sunny lots of butterflies could be seen near ‘panikheti’ in the valleys around sango. It was amazing to see so many big butterflies like Paris peacock / Krishna peacock, maps, blue bottles, and many unidentified. It will be very good butterfly trail in around Sango. I suggest Sango as a base instead of Leporiang. People will be more helpful and can support large expeditions with monitory gain for them, andd that single toilet of Guruji of local school is blessing otherwise to fight pigs for your daily routine is pain. Ha ha ! I could see lots of high altitude birds like hill barbet around Sango. Many pigeons, Black eagle etc.

Though I am a poor birder, bird activity around Sango was quite amazing Also reptile life is very rich there. We could get Mountain pit viper , cantor’s trinket, green rat snake, ( painted bronzeback near Itanagar on Doimukh road.) Though elusive Barta gave us a sleep this time we enjoyed thoroughly. Some skinks and lizards have also been spotted, but will work on them, may be next time. Leeches / damdim / some small black flies were active. Got hands swollen for 2 days due to some bites. Ate rice / dal/bamboo shoots, some wild vegetables, fish/ pork etc. Though once they got some Monkey killed by hunters, couldn’t eat that though. Enjoyed wild pears and figs. also local popcorns. As usual Radhe was at its peak. ( Getting settled in life, introduced us to his madam) Another boy from DOldo , Preme was a good find on this trip. Kanak our driver was also supported us and came till sango and he was also our cook through our with preme. I am impressed with him. Shishir was as usual worried about us, lunch and dinner etc. We also organized one dinner for all the hunters and the house where we stayed. Hania can be a good local leader. I am looking forward to go again, may be retirement life in Sango !!!????

Kedar S BhideMumbai28th August 2007

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Help Tourism has been practising tourism as a tool for conservation and

sustainable development in East Himalaya. Since 1991 they have supported various communities in the region in creating and establishing quality tourism destinations and have tried to address the environmental issues as well. As a part of their commitment to safeguard the environment, Help Tourism had invited the author to visit some of their important tourism projects and set up a simple, low cost, locally-managed waste management system that not only benefits the tour or lodge operators or visitors, but also the local communities.

Klaus Schaette – an Waste Management Expert from Germany shares his experience:

The Help Tourism Sunderbans Jungle Camp in Bali Island is beautifully placed on the fringes of the National park in the world’s largest mangrove forests. The amount of waste brought to and found in the area is rising, as the number of tourists is increasing, although awareness campaigns have been set-up by the National park authorities and NGOs plus the government’s declaration of the park as a No Plastic Zone.

As all over India, as well in the Sunderbans, many local people burn most of the waste, a smelling and hazardous procedure; half burned plastics, Glass and metal pieces remain. This is not an environmentally friendly practise, especially not for a fragile ecosystem as the Sunderbans.

Help Tourism initiated a visit for me in January 2009 for a workshop on Waste Management to train the staff to solve the waste problem in a different way. I, with my past experiences, introduced a simple system to avoid smell and hazardous smoke by only burning the “light plastic” (Plastic-bags and wrappers) with paper in a self-built incinerator, thus increasing the burning temperature and minimizing the amount of waste to burn.

Not for burning but for recycling are Water-bottles (PET), PVC (Pots, carpets, cables, Flip-flops), Glass, tins, cans! In some way Recycling is already practiced, as Traders come to the Island and buy selected Plastic, Glass bottles and Metal.

Since not all is right for burning, or recycling, a proper Dumping Pit has been introduced. Batteries are for separate dumping only, as collection for recycling is rare in India.

Organic waste, especially dry leaves and

Waste Management

Practices demonstrated

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straw should not be burned, because they give excellent compost! Please see the picture, when the fire is kept high, a high temperature and proper burning is maintained to avoid chooking and bad smell.

After Sunderbans, I had the opportunity to conduct similar workshops on Waste Management in some of the new project sites of Help Tourism – namely, Chilapata/Doars region, in Chilapata village, in the Buxa and Jaldapara Forest Reserve and in Sukna, a village near Mahananda Sanctuary.

These recent initiatives of Help Tourism actually followed by a successful pilot project first introduced in 2008, in Lava village, Kalimpong Subdivision of Darjeeling District. Although a popular tourism destination, the increasing amount of waste became an eyesore both for tourists and local people in Lava and adjoining villages. In January 2008 Help Tourism convinced the local community for a joint initiative, and subsequently the workshop on Waste Management was organized in which I was present as an expert consultant.

After three months Help Tourism made a follow up visit to Lava to check the progress and also to get some feedback from various local stakeholders The members of the Lava Hotels & Restaurants Association, members the Drivers’ Welfare Association and the Forest Department were around to share their experiences: All of them informed that a process had started with regular cleaning and burning sessions. Both local people and visitors now seem to have noticed and recognized the benefit they have derived our of this small efforts.

The summary: The collection and burning sessions have been quite effective. Lava appears much cleaner than before with many of the green areas left with no litter. People still talk about waste and its

treatment - the intention to bring this issue into the discussion worked out. Talking is not walking - and people have understood that well and the search for stable solutions continue.

For more detailed information please visit: www.helptourism.com orwww.actnowornever.org

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Post AILAcontinuedas reported by Asit Biswas

The three-storied concrete building of Bijaynagar Adarsha Bidya Mandir on Bali

Island is now providing shelter, food and water to nearly 4000 villagers including many children and aged people everyday since 25th May. Mention should be made of the efforts and selfless service of the head teacher of the school Mr.Sukumar Paira and his colleagues supported by our coordinators Mr.Anil Mistry, Mr.Arabinda Biswas and Mr.Shambu Sinha Roy and the volunteers and the members of local Nature Clubs. Unfortunately, the School building and its premises got partially damaged by the Cyclone.

The immediate support (relief materials) received from our partners such as WPSI, Samarpan Trust, Sanctuary Asia, Kolkata Birds, Delhi Birds, Bangalore Birds have already been distributed in the villages by our volunteers. Details will be available on the group in due course. More support is requested and is expected. The tube wells that exist in Bijaynagar Adarsha Bidya Mandir and in the premises of Sunderbans Jungle Camp are luckily still functional and are providing drinking water to nearly fifteen thousand villagers in Bali, Satyanarayanpur, Saterkona, Amlamethi, Gosaba, Pakhiralay, Dayapur, Satjelia everyday with the help of our motor boats.

The villagers of Bali 9 were surprised when a city-bred and leading West Bengal-based Industrialist Mr.Bipin Bhora arrived at their village at 3 A.M with three boat load of relief materials. He after reading reports in Newspapers and watching news on Television wanted to distribute the relief items himself and was accompanied by his wife and a team from his office. When asked by our coordinator Mr.Shambhu Sinha Roy how best the relief items could be distributed and to which areas, the villagers of Bali 9

Hello there!

The Blue Yonder, Traveltocare.com and Help Tourism have joined hands together to help Association for Conservation and Tourism (ACT), in West Bengal to help raise funds and support those affected by Cyclone Aila.

The week of 18-22nd May 2009, we spent time discussing the benefits of Travel Philanthropy. May be this is the time to get into action. We have already set up 3 bank accounts in Austria, Norway and Denmark. Charities Aid Foundaiton India is partnering with us to ensure transparent and accountable transactions.

Updates are available on http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=85465385255.

Our team is active in the ground, they need all support possible. Please join us and support the initiative. Thank you!”

On behalf of Cyclone Aila 2009 Support Group.

- Gopi

Cyclone Aila support groupTo members of ResponsibleTourism Networking

Gopinath ParayilMay 31 at 3:15pm

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unanimously told that they were in much better condition due to the immediate relief support they had received after the Cyclone. Based on their advice Mr.Bhora distributed the relief items in Satjelia, Lahiripur with the help and inputs from our volunteers.

What next?•With another full moon tide approaching fast and set to hit the islands on 7th June, the first and foremost task lies with us, the villagers and administration is to raise alert call and confirm minimum repairing and protection of the broken embankments on war footing basis. Proper and long term repairing of the embankments can follow once we are able to protect the islands from further inundation by the forthcoming tide. If we can not do that, there is no chance that we can really do much later. We must reach the communities in the villages urgently and organize community groups and initiate action as fast as possible. If we can do that, we may expect that the legendary Sunderbans Islanders will once again prove their unputdownable fighting spirit and add another chapter to the history of their never-ending battle in the land of the hungry tide.

•Secondly, emergency Medical assistance and supply of primary medicines to combat Cholera and Diarrhea would be crucially important and must be made available immediately. Support groups may be formed with local youth who after receiving a very short and basic training/ briefing by a qualified Doctor (one such programme will be held in Bali 9 village on Wednesday for 30 local health volunteers) can provide emergency medical support with stock of basic medicines readily available with them.

We will get back to you soon with more updates.

1st June 2009

1. The Indian Army has already started sending special task force to Sunderbans. The special rescue, relief and medical teams from the Army reached to the Islands today to provide the much-awaited support for evacuation, relief operation and reconstruction. Common people are of the opinion that such steps should have been taken much earlier.

2. The government departments seem to have been able to establish a basic coordination concerning relief operations. Each consignment is now being sent under the joint supervision of representatives from the Police, District administration and village councils making the relief operation quite smooth and democratic.

3. The carcass of dead animals (cattle) could be removed from the rivers and many villages excepting places like Kumirmari, Choto Mollakhali, Shamshernagar. These areas are affected by the full moon tide as well. There is no report of any attempt to repair the embankments here. People are already being evacuated from Kumirmari, Choto Mollakhali, Amtoli, Lahiripur, Satjelia and Kachukhali. In the mean while Calcutta Port Trust which keeps track of the tides in Hoogly river has issued an alert saying that the next tide scheduled to hit the Islands on 22nd June would bring higher waves than the current one. The government is planning to procure a barge to extract soil from underwater to repair the embankments as there is acute shortage of clay locally. The embankments will have to brave few more tides before the proper repairing work can be started.

4. The drinking water situation continues to remain same with enteric spreading in many areas. There are contradictory figures supplied by government department and health NGOs working there as to the number of villagers suffering from the disease.

5. There remains huge confusion concerning the amount of ad-hoc compensation announced by the government

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breeding furiously.

5. Though we have somehow managed to “stabilize” Bali Island to a great extent the condition in the interior Islands is much worse with aid only starting to trickle in the last week. The Bunds or embankments are yet to be repaired, even temporarily. So water still enters the island during high tide. Drinking water is still in very short supply despite the administration supplying water from Basanti by boats.

6. Fifteen boxes containing fresh clothes donated to ACT’s Garment Bank by following individual and institutional donors from North Bengal, Sikkim and other areas reached us today, which we will dispatch to the affected Islands immediately:

Ms.Jashoda Chettri, ACT, Sikkim Chapter.Ms.Mousumi Dutta, SPAWN, Jalpaiguri.Ms.Madhumita Guha, Intertek, New Delhi.Mr.Ranajit Mitra/Samarjit Roy/Shibshankar Mitra, ACT, Siliguri.Mrs.Reba Bose & Ms.Sanjukta Bose, Modella Caretaker Centre and School, SiliguriMs.Jyotsna Agarwal, Church Road, SiliguriSri.Suhas Basu & Mrs.Abhaya Basu, Subhaspally, SiliguriMs.Himali Das, St.Pauls School, JalpaiguriMembers, Nature & Trekkers’ Club of Jalpaiguri.

25 June 2009 18:29

for rebuilding the smashed houses in the villages. The villagers do not know how much money they will get, from whom, when and how.

6. While death follows as an obvious penalty when a snake sneaks in a house after flood sweeps away its nest and is eventually detected, the villagers of Bijayanagr 3 proved an exception by rescuing a Banded Krait today. It was trying to take shelter in Mr.Sunil Mondal’s house. They rescued the snake alive and handed over to the forest department officials. A little love made a positive difference on the World Environment Day.

5th June 2009

1. Immediately after the return of the previous team of Doctors lead by Dr.Supriya Samanta, a new medical team lead by Dr.Palit from Samarpan Foundation reached Bali yesterday. They will continue for the next 10 days and are working round the clock sometimes seeing up to 200 patients a day.

2. With the support from WPSI a generator has been hired and temporarily installed at the Choto Mollakhali government health centre to supply electricity there.

3. Since the hospital is getting flooded with patients who have to wait under the sun when the temperature is almost mid-forties, couple of tents have been put up in the Choto Mollakhali hospital premises with help from NCC cadets. The tents are now providing shade and are also being used as shelters for the serious patients.

4. With generous funding support from Bittu Sahgal of Sanctuary Asia and Mr.Hemendra Kothari 500 mosquito nets and 500 lanterns are being sent to Satjelia and Choto Mollakhali where the mosquitoes are

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It was about six years ago, Asit and Raj of Help Tourism, came to my office for design

assistance in the proposed Sunderbans jungle camp. Asit took out a preliminary plan of a two storied house with a deck overlooking the river from the proposed site. I was a bit sceptical of their intention. I requested them to take me to the site and off we go early morning the next day. After a drive on a quallis for 3 hours through the countryside on a beautiful winter morning, we sailed for another 3 hours on a boat to arrive at Bali village in Sunderbans. My first visit in 40 years. Alighted the boat and climbed up the jetty to encounter a vast green carpet of paddy fields. Small huts, made of mud and thatch roof, dot the landscape occasionally. As if they grew from the land, not competing but complementary to the surrounding. I enquired to Asit, pointing to those organically evolved houses; If you have this why do you want to build a two storied house. Asit did not reply but nodded in confirmation. Soon we were at the site where Help tourism wants to build cottages for their tourists guests.

It was a small site with water bodies and paddy all around. A beautiful setting. We were by this time surrounded by children of the village, about 20 or 25 of them. We asked the children to assist me in measuring the site and soon it was over and found to be only 100 ft by 40 feet with water bodies on either side. I asked the children to show me their village and their house. I used to use negative films on my camera those days. I devoured my eyes

through my Nikon lens and took many pictures of children in front of their homes, in front of their entrance gate, in front of their open courtyard or dalan, their pond, their fishing nets, their sloping thatch roof. I thus saw the whole village, captured in my mind as well in 8 rolls of film. Returning back by the evening on the boat, I heard from Raj about their efforts involving the local community in promoting and fostering eco tourism in various locales in West Bengal and their ideas of how their alternative tourism initiative is paving way for conservation and employment. Raj and Asit are passionately involved in this form of tourism and actively pursues their belief into action. I heard their earlier efforts and success stories in several locations in North Bengal and heard their plans for the Sunderbans that they plan to involve a local group in Bali, most of its members were poachers, to transform them by involving in their tourism initiative and thereby assist conservation of the environment and the biosphere. I was slowly sucked in to this idea of Help and started learning from them, about life, living, tourism and many many more. It’s a completely new education for me. I realised for the first time, it is important to unlearn and relearn from the land and its people. I was very happy, indeed.

The films were processed and prints were made. Sitting in my office, I was again transported to the Bali Island. To the children of the Bali Island. But I realised that I will not be given a free ride again by Help Tourism, if I just want to go to distribute the photos to the children. Soon I drew the site plan to scale and within a hour or so, a plan emerged, following what I experienced at Bali. Four small cottages and a dining cum community gathering space and a kitchen overlooking a open courtyard space, linked up by a winding pathway. The orientation of the cottages were made in such a way that they loosely give a sense of enclosure

Responsive architecturefor

Responsible tourismManish Chakraborty

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to the common central open space, inspired by the essence of the courtyard of the houses in the surrounding village. However the walls are built of brick, pointed from inside but rendered by mud on the outside, regularly rendered by mud pack by the villagers. My concern was how to make these cottages non interfering to the surrounding village and its people and to ensure that this camp is not intimidating to them.

The members of the society actively participated in the construction of the cottages, with a little advice on the construction from time to time. By the time it was ready, the villagers new there is nothing pompous about the cottages and started relating to them as an extension of their homes. Not the imposed perfect ethnic cottages from outside, but the cottages which they have built by themselves, which imbibed in them a sense of ownership. This ensured their sustainability, continuity and maintenance as the rendering of the walls of the cottages are still done since last six years by the female members of the village as part of their daily household work; and the tubewell to draw water for distribution to the taps of these cottages, was also made available for consumption to local population of the village, increasing their participation with the camp. For the past six years, the visitors are coming to this camp and left very happy and content, inspite of a small verandah, inspite of a small toilet, but cared and cleaned like the homes of the villages. Not to mention the handicrafts of the members of the society in preparing the local food and the enticing boat journey amidst the unique flora and fauna of Sunderbans.

Help Tourism is an organisation of three friends of Silguri in North Bengal, Raj, Asit and Sanjib. We became friends. Partly because we share some common perceptions about people and their environment which needs respect and actions emanating from there. In the last five years, I have seen how tirelessly and successfully Help has been assisting initiatives of community leaders towards eco tourism initiatives in the state of Bengal and North East. I have been called to assist their collaborative initiatives. In Darjeelinng a redundant heritage building, Swiss Hotel was restored and converted into as a heritage hotel. In Dibrugarh Assam, by the river Dihing, Help Tourism extended their supportive hand to enterprising leader Prasanta and his friends from the village to their dream of converting their small patch of land by the river into an aesthetically responsive camp for the tourists, which was built

over a year’s time from 1 unit to four units now. The architecture is local, on stilt made of thick round bamboo and fine intricate work of bamboo railing and traditional thatch, appearing solidly and beautifully like the thick legs of an elephant. Above Roing, in Arunachal is a valley called 12 Mile where the distinguished and respected businessman Mr Meuli Mishmi shuffles in his gypsy, between his marbled floor house at Roing and his traditional tribal houseform called Chang in 12 Mile about 20 minutes away in a valley of mist, hills and rivulets, partnered with Help to do a tourist accommodation. Intense discussion followed with Mr Meuli, over a favourite local drink of rice called jhul, about the aspect of participation of the tribal community in building tourist cottages. It was learnt that the tribal community, who all join hands to assist each other to build houses for members of the community, would not get involved for building the cottages which will be lived in by tourist from all over the world, something which is cultural and unacceptable by the community. Therefore, a design was conceived, on stilt to negotiate the slope and drainage, borrowing the spirit of the design of the houses in the region, not copying them but being responsive to the architectural scale of the traditional homes of the region , thus respecting the authenticity of the tribal homes.

I thank Help for giving me the opportunity to take me to see, learn and the appreciate the different cultural landscape in West Bengal and North East of India where they have initiated responsible tourism, and thank the community who have heeded to my few design ideas to translate them into something of their own.

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EXPLORATIONS&

EXPEDITIONSIt is necessary to connect the initiatives from time

to time with the help of expeditions undertaken by people who can make a difference to the communities and can connect with each other and the world. Many such people are internationally famed cultural performers, artists, newsmakers, rally experts, bikers etc.

Also after the identification of new places to be created into tourism destinations, Help Tourism with the help of the local authorities supports explorations of these places by experts from several fields.

Details from Pankaj Trivedi diary, a celebrity biker who has made it between London to Bombay (Mumbai) in his bike, made a recent expedition from the Mangroves to the Mountains.

Also India’s celebrity bird guide and the Director of Help Tourism’s birding division, Sujan Chatterjee writes about his short exploratory tour to the state of Tripura.

In 2009 again Meenakshi Subhramaniam, who is famous for her Homestay & nature trips in Kerala made a exploratory trip in this East Himalaya for her interest in Botanical drawings and communities, she too describes her trip here.

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At last I am on road after being stranded in Kolkata for six days. I was getting restless but

had no choice but to wait for the bike to arrive. Hero Honda sponsored the bike for this trip. The first day was an early start. I left from Kolkata for Sunderbans with a rear metal luggage box and lot of luggage and for the first time in my life I also had soft luggage with me which was going to be an entirely new experience. The only company I had was my thoughts, excitement and a hand made map of Sunderbans made for me by Asit Biswas, Help Tourism.

I knew that this trip was going to be different and difficult because I was doing a lot of things for the first time. There was a nip in the air when I left from Kolkata. I lost my way twice before reaching my first stop. The transition from a bustling city to the quintessential India was an experience of sorts. I encountered a fish market, which was buzzing with early morning activities. The smell was wafting in the air. Buyers and sellers were haggling and arguing. I decided to stop for a few minutes to get a feel of the place. By now I knew that this was it. I had been planning this trip for the last two years and finally I was here living my dream and starting a journey filled with excitement and anticipation. For the first time I was toying with the idea of putting the experiences of this trip into a one man documentary. It was a wishful thinking as I had never used a professional film camera ever though I was carrying two with me. It was a challenge and I had a feeling of some pressure to perform.

But the sight of lush rice fields, hamlets, the tall swaying coconut trees, fishing ponds and the landscape filled my heart with enthusiasm. The roads were getting difficult with a lot of potholes and I was worried that my luggage box would get damaged as the frame was not very well made. I could feel the box swinging on every pothole. All my prized possessions were in the luggage box. All I could feel was the palpitation of my heart with every swing of my top box, understandably.

I stopped for tea after an hour in a roadside tea stall. The stall was being run by a married couple. The wife was doing all the work while the husband chatted gleefully with friends. I joined the men folk and they were curious to know about me. Two cups of tea and biscuits cost me four rupees. I felt refreshed and was all set to carry on with my journey of self-discovery. I reached a place known as Sonakhaali from where I had to take a boat to reach Sunderbans (Bali Island).

I decided to take the bike to Sunderbans so that I could start my trip from Bay of Bengal. It is the point where the river Ganga merges with the Indian Ocean. Taking the bike on the boat was not an easy task because the space was not too big and for a moment I felt that the bike would fall into the river. I would have to end my trip even before starting it. I was willing to offer anything (as Hindus offer money and things to Ganga River) in the river but my bike. The boat ride lasted for one and a half hour. I reached Bali Island and so did my bike. I was welcomed by the staff of Help Tourism and they were evidently excited to see a bike like mine. They have four or five bikes on the island but mine was a bit different and that fascinated them. It was wonderful to see how Help Tourism has empowered the community with its conservation project. There is a Jungle Camp run by Help Tourism which offers visitors a unique experience to get closer with the community and understand their way of life. I was in Sunderbans

Mangroves to Mountains,a Hero Honda expedition

to follow the community movementPankaj Trivedi

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for three days and it was very heartening to see how the project has helped so many families and made them self-reliant. Everybody is a part of this initiative and the collective effort of the community was visible everywhere.

I went to see the mangroves in a boat accompanied by a local guide. He informed me that the word Sunderban is derived from Sundari, a plant and Ban means forest. It has an area of 13, 30 sqkm. It was established as a National Park on 4th May, 1984. the Royal Bengal tiger is the hallmark of Sunderbans which is though very rare to see. But it is not only the Royal Bengal tiger which is a must see. Sunderbans is home to an eclectic combination of flora and fauna. Sunderans is also the largest estuarine delta in the world. I became one with the community and nature for once in Sunderbans. After spending three nights in Sunderbans I realized how difficult it must be for the local community to live there. They have to live under constant threat of man eating tigers coupled with poor infrastructure and without any proper medical facility. But the smile on their faces makes you forget that they live with problems every moment of their life. I feel that it is their resilience which keeps them going and gives them the strength to live on in the hope of a better tomorrow.

I left from Sunderbans for Kolkata. The journey back to the bustling city gave me mixed feelings. After spending a night in Kolkata I started for Bishnupur. I decided to take the Howrah- Jangipara Chanpadanga- Arambagh route. The road from Kolkata to Chanpadanga was a nightmare. It was a totally off road. My worst fear came true before I

reached Chanpadanga. The frame of my luggage box broke and so did my heart. I knew that help

was the last thing I would get in this place. But to my utter surprise, I discovered a small auto garage. Hoping against hope, I told the owner my problem. I told him that a bolt had broken in the chasis. He came up with an innovative idea. He fixed another plate for my luggage box and told

me that it will last till I reach Bishnupur. I trusted him and carried on. He proved his word. I had no problems on the way. The moment I reached Bishnupur, the first thing I did was to locate a Hero Honda showroom. It took me almost the entire day to get the problem fixed. I checked into the hotel and called it a day, a really long day.

Next morning I decided to sight see around Bishnupur and true to its name, the place was dotted with magnificent temples. I entered the first temple and there I bumped into a local guide. I went around seeing all the sixteen temples with him thinking it will be easier and faster for me too see the place with him. We negotiated and he showed me all the temples in two hours. He told me the historical significance of the place. Located 132 kms away from Kolkata, Bishnupur was ruled under the Gupta period by local Hindu kings who paid tribute to Samudra Gupta. The place is famous for its terracotta craft. The place is also called Mallabhum after the Malla rulers of this place. The Malla rulers were Vaishnavites and built the famous terracotta temples during the 17th and 18th century.

The architecture and splendor of the temples left me stunned. My guide took me to the market where artists were making Ganjifa cards,cards with pictures of gods and goddesses and animals. As expected, my guide wanted me to buy some of them. I did not buy because I knew the cards would not survive the trip.

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In the afternoon I left for Tagoreland (Shantiniketan). I reached in the late afternoon. I checked a few guest houses but none had parking space. Some had parking space but they were in

the main market. I wanted to stay in a quiet place. I finally managed to find................The moment I stepped in, an employee gave me a surprised look. I asked for a room but he sounded reluctant, so much so that he called the owner who at first was not very convinced. It was only after an elaborate explanation that I got a room for rupees four hundred. The mattress was too hard for my tired back. To my surprise, the bathroom had two connecting doors. I did not know which opened to what. In the evening, the owner told me that the two must see things are the Rabindranath Tagore Museum and Baul singers. I skipped the museum because of the 24th March, 2004 burglary where the Nobel Prize medal along with other valuables belonging to Rabindranath Tagore was stolen. I had an uneasy feeling. I had a feeling of shame and disgust at the loss of priceless arte facts. I and went to meet Basu Da, a very good Baul singer. Baul is a form of folk singing which has traces of bhakti and Sufi music. The songs primarily reflect the cultural, traditional lifestyle of the Bengali community. It is a very vibrant form of art.

Basu Da has been a Baul singer from the age of seven. He left his home and started singing, going from place to place. He was on a mystical journey. He met his wife during his journey. Generally in Baul culture, a couple goes in front of Goddess Kali and seeks her blessings for a happy marriage. I went to his house which was a very simple dwelling place with a Shiv Linga at the centre. The walls were filled with pictures of Hindu gods, goddesses and Baul sadhus. The whole ambience was one of unmistaken spiritual aura with a kind of rare stillness. The fragrance of

incense sticks wafted through the entire house. We sat in front of the Shiv Linga and started talking about religion, life and philosophy. I felt so much connected with him that I have no words to express. It was a very strong vibration I felt being with him. His wife brought us tea and Basu Da put lot of clarified butter in his tea which was unusual for a singer. But when he sang a song for me I realized that it is not external factors but the passion from within that makes all the difference. His voice was simply mesmerizing. Meeting Basu da and his family I also realized that life is all about following your dreams and doing things that you are passionate about. He redefined simplicity and contentment. I saw my mirror image in Basu da. But the only difference was that he lives his dream and passion all through his life but in my case, I am not very consistent. I am off and on the road only when I have no material pursuit to chase. But here was a man who chased only his dream and nothing else.

After a soul stirring meeting with him, I came back to the guest house and left for Malda in the afternoon. I witnessed the worst accident ever in a place near Takipur. A local bus had had a head on collision with a truck. The bus was carrying around fifty passengers. The whole scene was one that of chaos and panic. There was a massive traffic snarl because of the accident but it was easier for me to snake through the serpentine queue of cars. I wanted to lend a helping hand but I was helpless. The only thing I could do was pray. The rescue operation was carried out by locals who did not have much idea about what needs to be done. But something was indeed better than nothing. I just experienced Incredible India! I reached Malda in

the evening at sunset. I checked into Hotel Golden Park. I had a hard time convincing the manager that I was an Indian and not a terrorist. He asked

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for identity proof. I gave him my Driving License then he asked if I had something else. I handed

over my EPIC (Voter’s Card). Even then he was not convinced. Then I offered him my PAN Card and I thought this is it. But to my shock and surprise, he asked me for additional papers. I was frustrated and angry but had no choice but to comply. The only thing left was my passport. I gave it to him and told him that it was the last proof I had about my identity. He was convinced, finally. Entering into United Kingdom was far easier. I could not believe that I was being harassed in a place like Malda. At times I wonder what I look like. A threat of danger from an alien world, being an Indian I was finding it very difficult to convince another Indian that I am an Indian. It was only after we started talking that we became comfortable with each other. He apparently knew about Help Tourism. He was from Siliguri. The accident haunted me through the night. But I knew there was nothing I could do. Next day, I left from Malda for Silguri in the morning after a fairly good breakfast of sandwiches and coffee. It took me around five hours to reach Siliguri. I first went to Help Tourism office to meet Raj Basu. He is a very old friend. We have known each other for twelve years and we share the same interests. I have always been a fan of his. His perspective on life is something which is very inspiring. But he was out when I reached his office. My stay in Siliguri was arranged by Help Tourism. I went to my room and waited till Raj came back. I finally met him in the evening and then he told me about a Buddhist festival coming up in Tashiding in west Sikkim. The name of the festival was Bumchu. I did not have any plans of going to Sikkim. But I thought it would be nice to go to the festival. I agreed and we left a day later. But there was a bandh on that day. It was a joint bandh called by two outfits demanding separate states. But with Raj around,

I knew we would manage to reach Tashiding. We were joined by Babi, a photographer who later became my friend for life. We were stopped once but Raj explained that we were going for coverage of a very important Buddhist festival. We reached Tashiding in the afternoon. We stayed in a home stay run by a nice Nepali family. We went to Tashiding monastery. The festival was one day away but people had already started arriving from different parts of Sikkim and even Bhutan and Nepal. The whole place was filled with reverence. This was the place to see Buddhism at its best. Prayer wheels, fluttering flags and rosary beads in almost every hand were a divine sight. The crowd had people of every possible age. An old man from Bhutan, a six year old holding his mother’s hand, a young energetic man in his twenties and a group of teenage girls, all of them making their way through the steps to reach one of the holiest Buddhist spots in Sikkim. We came back from the monastery and had our dinner. We went to the monastery again in the night as it was Bumchu eve. I took some very good pictures and I was pretty satisfied with myself. It was in Tashiding that Raj said we must cover other nearby places as well. That meant a longer stay in Sikkim. A very hectic week started for us. After Bumchu, we went to visit a tribal school. We got to meet the Principal who was a very enthusiastic man with a lot of ideas for th school. We met the Panchayat and other local people as well. We were also taken to a waterfall which had a lot of honeycombs. It was a very beautiful sight. A sumptuous traditional lunch waited for us in Labdang, a picturesque village in the western pocket of Sikkim. It was a lavish spread with a choice of local vegetables and dairy products. Someone has rightly said that the shortest way to a man’s hart is through his stomach. I could not agree more. Labdang offers a scenic view of the mountains and caves which are enveloped in an aura of mysticism and are as old as time. I was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this place. W drove back to Tashiding and decided to leave for Yuksom. It took us an hour to reach there. We stayed in Tashigang Resort, a beautiful place indd. Yuksom was the first capital of Sikkim. It is the base camp for mountainring expeditions and it is from Yuksom that the famed Dzongri trek starts. I got to meet Ugen, an old friend of Raj. She runs a cosy restaurant in Yuksom. She is also actively involved in conservation and ecotourism initiatives in the area. The coffee and noodles I had there was on of the best of my trip. The next morning we were off to the coronation throne which is the piece d résistance. It was here that

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the first Chogyal was coroneted by three highly learned lamas or Buddhist monks in 1641 AD. The footprints of Latsun Chempo , the chief lama can b seen today also. It is preserved on a stone. There is something undeniably divine about the place which is an all encompassing experience.

After spending almost two hours in the throne went to meet the members of Kanchndzonga Conservation Committee. Babi bought a cool t-shirt with th Kanchndzonga massif at the back. I and Babi decided to walk up till Dubdi monastery,

which is the oldest monastery of Sikkim. It took m hardly twenty minutes to cover two kilometers. It was no doubt a steep walk but quit an enjoyable one. The monastery was locked and there was nobody around to help us. But we managed to peep through the gap in the main door and we saw a butter lamp burning. It was so calm and serene that I all I could feel was the sound of silence.

It was around 1 in the afternoon that we came back to Yuksom. We left for Pelling the same day. But Raj would not b there with us for the rest of the trip as he was a bit unwell. So he left for Siliguri after dropping us to Pelling. So now I and Babi were left to complete the unfinished task. That meant greater responsibility and most importantly getting up early on our own. Raj was not there to give us the wake up call. We had had a long day and deserved some good time eating and drinking. W drank and watched a documentary on bike racing. Next day w left for Pemayangtse monastery. W were just in time to catch the morning prayers. That day some special rituals were being performed as well. We got some fantastic footage and pictures. We could not be happier. The next stop was Khchoplri Lake, on of the most sacred lakes of Sikkim. It is said that it is a wish fulfilling lake, especially for married

couples desiring a child. The lak is very still and the prayer flags around it lend it a mystic feel. W saw some Bhutanese people offering prayers with utmost devotion. I rotated the prayer wheels and it is said that if you finish all in one breath, your wish comes true. Well it remains to be seen whether my wish comes true but the experience was on of its kind for sure. After Khechopelri Lake we were off to Rabdantse, which was the capital of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814. It is now under the direct car of Archeological Survey of India.

The evening light was just perfect to enjoy and capture the beauty of the different nook and corner of this fantastic structure. Rabdantse was captivating. It was after sunset that we headed back to the hotel. We called it a day and spent a quiet evening in the hotel room. We checked the pictures and the videos and dumped them into our laptops. I was kind of satisfied that we had covered almost all important places in west Sikkim.

The next morning we went to Sangacholing monastery which is the second oldest monastery of Sikkim. The walk is quite steep. It is perched on a ridge overlooking the mountains and it is a treasure house of rare Buddhist murals.

The same day we left for Gangtok via Ravangla, a small town in South Sikkim. We visited the Yung Drung Kundrak Lingbon monastery where monks follow Bon faith. We also went to Palchen Choling Monastic Institute which is also known as New Ralang monastery. We witnessed a massive forest fire on the way to the monastery. It took almost forty eight hours to bring it under control I learned later.

We felt a bit uneasy passing through a thick blanket of smoke but the very sight of the monastery made us feel calm. The monastery was amazingly magnificent. We were told that it was built in 1995 and it houses more than 200 monks of Kagyu order of Buddhism. We could not believe our luck when we reached there. All monks clad in maroon robe were out in the courtyard rehearsing for a special dance coming up in May. Inside the main prayer hall, an elaborate puja was on. It was a surreal sight, the reverberating sound of the bells and the chants and the woody smell of the incense sticks. I just had one word to describe the whole feeling-divine. I was thrilled at having got some incredible pictures and footage. W got more than what we wanted and expected. It was around 2 in the afternoon when we left for Gangtok. We were hungry. We stopped for some tea on the way. I was

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pleasantly surprised to catch a glimpse of young girls playing badminton on the National Highway. On thing I liked about this place was their laidback lifestyle. We stopped in Singtam, a town in east

Sikkim for a late lunch. I had paranthas. Gangtok was around 30 kms away. I was going there after twelve years. I was sure that things must have changed a lot. A friend wanted me to drop into Mayfair Resort in Ranipool. I obliged. But Babi decided to go back to Siliguri after dropping m in Mayfair. No amount of persuasion helped. I suddenly found myself amidst strangers. I just knew one face in the crowd. My friend sensing my uneasiness wrapped up the informal meeting quickly. I met some wonderful people but I was too tired to carry on. It was around 9:30 in the evening that we landed in Gangtok, finally. I was staying with my friend in Gangtok.

A hot shower and a good night sleep was all I wanted. I got both. It was around 11pm when I hit the bed. It was only then I realized how tired I was. I slept like a log.

The next day was a Sunday. My friend took me to the local market. It was in Gangtok that I took things easy. I needed to unwind. And I knew this was the place.

I went to the Zoological Park. I was thrilled to see red pandas, civets, leopards and a host of other animals. Gangtok had changed a lot. MG Marg has morphed into a breathtaking mall which comes alive every evening with the benches filled with locals and tourist alike. The town had become happening with lots of places to see around. Many fancy eating joints have come up in Gangtok. I got hooked to Baker’s Café. Their pizzas and coffees are heavenly.

After spending three days in Gangtok, I decided to go up to Tsomgo Lake, which is a must visit for domestic tourists. The lake was beautiful as ever.

One evening my friend took m to a karaoke bar. And before I realized I had made some very good friends. I even met a biker who had read my articles. I was interviewed by the local news channel and newspaper.

I hit a discotheque with friends. It was fun but my friends had a brawl with some guys. But it was nothing very serious except for some punches. Anand, Chetan, Norden, Khusboo were wonderful as friends.

But on man who rally caught my fancy in Gangtok was Vivek Chettri, a lecturer of Physics in the government college. I met him for the first time in the karaoke bar. W got talking and later we dropped into his place. He was a man with very profound thinking. H also turned out to b a big fan of Osho. I loved my interaction with him.

The people of Gangtok were unbelievably warm and affectionate. I was fed rice and momos (dumplings made with meat or vegetables) wherever I went.

After staying one week in Gangtok I went back to Siliguri from where I would be off to Manas National Park in Assam.

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Tripura, is the most remote & secluded state of India. It’s surrounded by Bangladesh on 3

sides and Assam & Mizoram on the fourth side. Birdwise ill informed, there is lots to look forward to in this place. A lot of browsing through the nest produced nothing much except for a small checklist of waterbirds and common Garden Birds. After a lot planning with Asit Biswas of Help Tourism & Pralay Roy of Agartala, Apurba Chakraborty & I visited Tripura on 26th April 2009. This was a recce birding trip for future visits. We had two National Parks in mind Trishna & Sipahijala.

26th April :- We flew to Agartala over Bangladesh and were received by Mr Pralay Dhar, he is a very helpful gentleman related to local news Channel and with a very good insight regarding Tripura. There after we drove 3hrs in Maruti Van on a very bumpy road to Rajnagar. The main FRH (with great view & with forest cover) was under renovation so we settled for the one without the view. Half way through we passed the spectacular Neer Mahal, a palace on a large lake. The lake is a wintering

ground for migratory waterfowl but also sported a few Jacanas & moorhens.

The Trishna wildlife Sanctuary was notified in the year November 1988 and is situated on a total area of 194.704 Sq. Km. It claim to fame is large herds of Gaurs, which caused the creation of the Sanctuary. One species of Bamboo Oxtenanthera nigrocilliate locally known as Kaillai is plenty here, leaves of which are liked by Gaur.

The Sanctuary is 95kms from the state capital Agartala and the road goes via via Sonamura. Its located between 23º 12´ to 23º 32´ N & 91º15´ to 91º 30´ E. the rainfall received here is maximum- 508.20 mm in July and Minimum 03.58 mm in December. The temperature ranges from 37.7 ºC in June to 6.8 º in January.

The forest type found here are Tropical Semi Evergreen Forest; East Himalayan lower Bhabar sal; Moist mixed deciduous Forest; Savanah wood land.

In the afternoon we visited a local lake and a Sanctuary lake Called No 3. Here we saw some Lesser Whistling Teals, Greyheaded Lapwing (I found it very strange to find it there in the end of April). We trekked along the edge of the lake and saw Red Jungle Fowl, an ever calling Indian Cuckoo, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters, Bengal Bush Lark, White-rumped Shama, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker. The number of birds was sparse but the species count was good. Most of the forest here is degraded. Before the barbed wires came up timber poaching from Bangladesh was rampant. The forest is now struggling to get on its feet. In several areas paddyfields has encroached deep into the forest.

That night amongst severe power cuts we had out dinner a planned the next morning’s action.

Tripura trip Report

Sujan Chatterjee

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27th April :- This morning we visited the main sanctuary which sports a very tall watchtower. A disused jeepable track goes through the forest with Bamboo groves on both sides. The best forest was long gone and bamboo is still poached here. We spend the morning here and came across a secretive but obliging Hooded Pitta, two Olive Bulbuls, Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, a numbers of White-browed Scimitar Babbler, and Crested Goshawk. We beat a retreat at 10am due to the oppressive heat. In the afternoon we visited the Lake & watchtower No 1 overviewing a large lake. We walked along the lake and saw aflock of White-thoated Bulbul and a family of Brown Fish Owls. We also saw a flock of Little Grebes in the lake.

28th April :- Today we decided to do a round trail of the Sanctuary (it was a total bad decision). We started off early with our cook cum guide. The start was fine and we White-cheeked Partridge, Stump Tailed Macaques. We went passed the tall watchtower and came across this sign Gibbon Viewing point. Forest office has mentioned to us that there was no gibbons left in this forest and neither there was any leaf monkeys. I spotted in the bamboo grove two very familiar legs dangling. It was a male hoolock Gibbon. It scampered through the bamboo as we tried to approach it for a closer look.Then after a while we heard a strange loud call coming from the top of a coppiced tree. We followed the sound and came across our first, a single male Phayre’s Leaf Monkey. It had perched itself on top this tree and hooted it self to glory. But he was quite shy, the moment it saw us it scooted in to the Bamboo , Olive bulbuls, a Crow-billed Drongo. We also saw a large troop of Stump tailed Macaques and a lone Hoolock Gibbon. Later we came across Pale Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Warblers more troops of Leaf Monkeys. After trekking for a few hours we reached a point where the forest became extremely degraded and the canopy cover vanished altogether. Finally after losing our way several times we came across series of encroached paddyfields within Sanctuary area. We walked for another 2 hours in the scorching mid day heat and reached our designated meeting point. This afternoon we packed our bags and headed towards the Sipahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. We reached the gates in the afternoon and got ourselves stationed in the beautiful bungalow on the edge of the picturesque lake. Here we took a short walk and saw some more obliging Phayre’s Leaf Monkey and a troop of Capped langurs. The

lake fringes were full of Greater Racket tailed Drongos and Red-breasted Parakeets and a Pair of Grey-headed Fish Eagle..

The Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary is at a distance of 35 km from Agartala and the NH 44. The Sanctuary is spread over an area of 18.53 sq km Its famous for its Leaf Monkeys which can be easily seen. The area has some natural forests and a small area of Rubber plantation. Rest of the area has a well wooded Zoo and a Botanical Garden. There are a few waterbodies in the Park which hosts some resident Whistling ducks and moorhens.

29th April :- We started early and went walking in the sanctuary. We found a large troop of Leaf monkeys. An hour was spent looking at their behavious and antics. We then came across a distant kingfisher which later turned out to be a rare Blyth’s Kingfisher. The afternoon was spent roaming around in the in-house zoo which has large number of Clouded Leopards. In the evening we made an optimistic attempt to look for a clouded leopard in the wild. We were guided by a local forest chowkidar, but of course we knew we can’t be all that lucky. Instead we saw some wild boars and a muntjac.

30th April :- we drove an hour back to the airport and took a flight back home.

Hopefully a winter visit will produce more birds and waterfowl, considering the location of the state it could produce some interesting species.

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It was early April when I decided to first visit Manas in Assam and then Sikkim. I was excited

to traverse these unknown areas, however remote with the assistance of Help Tourism. Help Tourism is what one can safely call a green business initiative. The locales offered can be best described as breathtaking, scenically resplendent and ecologically sustainable.

So, based on Asit’s suggestion here I was in Siliguri initially to touch base with Help and then take the Rajdhani to Guwahati from where there was a car organized to take me to Manas.

The road was washed away in several places, thanks to the onslaught of the previous year’s monsoon rage. Roadwork however, carried on relentlessly.

I made it, safe and sound, ready to explore Manas.

Manas- the name evokes images of the serene Manas river, mysterious jungles, tall, tall, grasses, and the border to Bhutan. My first stop was Koklibhari, where the Bodos have their very own autonomous council. This after years of armed rebellion and seemingly no respite, fear, foreboding and loss of man and nature in unending conflicts between tribe and establishment. Today, Koklibhari resonates peace and I resonate along with her. The settlement is full of young people, smiling and cheerful. My guide, Rustom is diminutive but a giant in the forest. He is equally excited and the first bird I go out to see is the Bengal Florican, rare and making a comeback after years of hunting pressure and loss of habitat. I counted nine birds well within their demarcated territories. In the same field we watched Pallid Harriers swoop and rise. The Floricans have their own territorial dance performed by males while the females wander around pecking the ground for food, pretending not to notice. One rises, we wait holding our breath…. Suddenly, the bird literally leaps up a few feet above the ground and hovers, a large black and white handkerchief in

the air, with his “manly” chest out, puffed and excited! He lands, only to rise up and perform his handkerchief routine again. Around us are paddy fields which the Floricans now call home. Around are people going about their daily life, school children smiling, beautiful Bodo girls in their traditional clothes, all woven at home. Intricate patterns are woven in a weaving centre that they run. Here they spin Assam silk yarn and make cloth from cotton with their weft and warp skills. A must buy if you visit Manas- beats the boring “brands” that everyone dons.

The next morning, after a simple Bodo breakfast I am taken birding. Rustom all of 23 years knows more about Manas then anybody I have known. We are accompanied by a forest guard who keeps a gun to warn elephants. The days go on taking on a dreamlike quality. We are soon on our way to Mothaiguri. The guesthouse is on the banks of the Manas river, across is Bhutan. The place is crowded over with monks who have arrived for a lama’s ceremony. Suddenly, it was like being

in Bhutan itself. A prayer was being arranged and it was a special occasion. We explored the forests more, finding more birds, most of them “lifers” for an amateur like me. We would come back for the simple but tasty lunch and set off again for an afternoon jaunt. One such jaunt took us to Ultapani where a good sighting of the Red Headed Trogon awaited us. Streams gushed

Meenakshi’s Explorations in East Himalaya

An unorthodox holiday…..

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alongside and Manas worked her magic on us. A baby gaur spends its time grazing outside the guesthouse. Unafraid and unharmed this is what the Bodos today symbolize. Peace, tranquility and the symbiosis of mutualism with their living spaces. Never mind the large mammals and other denizens that occupy it too!

I return to Siliguri by a plush Rajdhani train which includes liveried waiters. I am now on my way to Sikkim. Prior to this, I meet up with Raj Basu, one of the three founders of Help Tourism (the

two others are Asit Biswas & Sanjib Saha).They are extremely knowledgeable about the Dooars, Sikkim and the Darjeeling areas of the eastern Himalayas. Most importantly, they have been able to successfully include several communities in Help’s tourism ventures- be it Kaziranga, Dibang,Manas or Sikkim. The initiatives are now called clubbed together and called Peace Parks.

I as usual want to go everywhere and see everything. He sets me off to Neora where Help has an extraordinary camp for nature lovers. The lengthy car journey is softened by the landscapes and people I see. Teagardens dot the countryside before we start to climb through the Dooars towards Neora. We pass several small settlements where even local transport is a random occasion. In a much touted fast paced planet, it is otherworldly to see locals swaying along to another zeitgeist!

I am greeted in Neora by Mr. Pal and Chandan, the local chef extraordinaire. I set my things down in a fabulous wooden cottage spacious enough for four to five people. The cottages are all named after birds. Mine is Shikra, cozy as a nest with a clean modern bathroom and a jaw dropping view of the Kanchenjunga out in the distance.

Out in the garden, are Verditer Flycatchers, Pied Flycatchers and a Black Eagle gliding up in the sky. Below lies the Neora village , clean neatly swept homes, bamboo roofing and walls in evidence everywhere, vegetable meticulously planted. Scrubbed up, shiny faced children are giggling and smiling. I set off the next morning on a walk to the village. The camp itself is ecologically sustained and is a true community oriented partnership. The local Gurung Nepalis are kings of cuisine- vegetarian only. It pleases me no end. Where else in the world do they fill you four times a day with soul food? Noodles, silken momos, exquisite spicing and vegetable curries-Neora has it all.

Mornings are exceptional for walking through the very many paths, scouting birds and plants. Intermittent showers through the day are part

of the experience. Occasionally, the mighty Kanchenjunga allows us mortals, a peek or two.

The silence is therapeutic; in fact Neora is a therapeutic paradise for all computer geeks, nerds and high flying corporate executives, bent on ruining the planet. It is also paradise for plant crazy people, birders and nature freaks like me.

Five days pass in this paradise before I decide to carry on to Sikkim. The road takes us through some fabulous birding habitat close to Lava. Then we carry on to Sikkim. The first shocker is seeing what is happening to the beloved rivers of the Himalayas. I could, just like any other pantheist lay my head down and weep at man’s designs on nature. Here are tunnels and dams coming up almost all the way up. To be put briefly-horrendous carving of mountain sides, tunneling mountain,

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cement and dust all along.

I am not allowed to take a picture, I can see why! No one knows exactly what is intended, it is all at breakneck speed and all that an engineer knows is, build now and build fast! Oh! The designs of politicians and power lobbies- could they all step off the planet? A must see for anyone who never understood concepts such as “monomania of small minds” or better still, “development for development’s sake” and a cancerous madness contributed to largely by very simple minds.

I am on my way to Tashiding. Tashiding is one of the small but important settlements on the way to Yoksum, from where trekkers and mountaineers stock up before the Kanchenjunga hikes and trails begin. Tashiding is also famous for the monastery. My accommodation is arranged at a local Gurung chief’s home. His wife and mother come out shyly to greet me. The room is cozy and basic. It is election time in India and the chief is out on election related work. So are I am told all the local Panchayath leaders.

Tashiding is a major centre of Buddhism here in the Eastern Himalayas. It is believed to be encircled by several caves, used by the great Tantric Guru, Padmasambhava. Close by are the villages of Labdang, Gangyap and Yoksum. With its intricate system of roads, today all of these places are easily accessible. The local Gurungs and Tibetans dominate the landscape and Buddhism is the backbone of life. The main agricultural crop appears to be ginger and cardamom, mainly because of a lack of imagination and state propaganda. So much so, that most of Sikkim’s forests have disappeared in the last two decades as more land is brought in for cropping. Wither to, biodiversity!

Despite the rapid deforestation, Tashiding is still magical. The monastery sits atop a hill and the walk up is interesting. The view if you are up early enough is astounding. The Kanchenjunga tends to spread out and it is easy to see all its high peaks from the top. Several Tibetan families live alongside, cheerful and faithful as ever. A lot of them are climbing up with me to offer prayers and salute the deity. Though deforestation is taking its toll in and around Tashiding, no tree cutting around monasteries is allowed, in keeping with the Buddha’s teachings. Heartening, as it actually gives one the opportunity to see birds that are otherwise elusive.

This is a paradox when compared with religious tourism elsewhere, be it Sabarimala or Varanasi.

I drop into a Tibetan eatery. My driver, Prakash is pleasantly surprised to find that they are long lost friends of his from Siliguri. A bowl of hot nettle soup in hand, I was reminded of the great Tibetan saint poet Milarepa who spent a long time meditating in a cave and living off nettle soup to such an extent that his whole body turned green!

The soup is not just tasty; it gives me a sense of what new foods will come my way after the gastronomical adventure at Neora.

From then on for the next week I look forward to the friendly Tibetan fare, always served with a smile. One evening I am even offered a good draught of fiery yet smooth Sikkimese rum, of which I will never tire. My driver Prakash has by now found even more friends from the past. So I am invited into everyone’s homes and besides their simple tasty food, offered everything from chang and arrack distilled from corn to hot alupuris that women make as breakfast for school going children!. Given the remoteness of Tashiding, children go to school. Education and being literate is of the utmost importance to these progressive folk. I am greeted every morning by ‘Good Morning” or “Hello!” everywhere. Dustbins line the road sides and littering is strictly prohibited. Wish our cities would take a page or two from the small Gram Sabhas and their epithets.

Sitting now in lush Thekkady, I wonder when I can go off on yet another jaunt with Help.

I wonder about those remote hill communities where life is at a pace of just day to day. Peace is not just a word opposite to war but a genuine feeling of completeness and harmony with the world.

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World Tourism Day will commemorate on 27 September 2009 its 30th anniversary in Ghana under the theme ‘Tourism - Celebrating Diversity’. Other than adding perspective to the role of globalization in balancing tourism influx and environmental and

cultural sustainability, this year’s theme also aims to shed light on the most human side of the industry - its capacity to build understanding, foster social inclusion and promote higher standards of living.

36 unique locationsacross 20 states in India

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The Northeastern states of India are landlocked by several borders and hence there exists

a delicate cross-border situation all through the region. Also, the several communities with different origins dominate the region and the chances for conflicts are always there. Being close to borders the region has refugee settlers from all around. Most of them are political, environmental, economical, religious and labour refugees. The only connectivity for any of the development support to reach is only through a chicken neck corridor connection from the rest of the country.

Help Tourism has identified certain clusters where tourism can be used to establish peace, which could finally slow down the process of loss of nature due to socio-economical & political instability. These have been proposed to be declared as ‘Peace Parks’. These areas are unique places to visit and also for the people to live in. The first ‘Tourism Park’ of India was declared on the 5th of June, 2009. This has been described as well as a few proposed ones.

PEACEPARKS

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Tashiding, the main centre of pilgrimage in East Himalaya, is located in the West District

of Sikkim. Sikkim, referred to as the Bayul Demazong (Hidden Valley of Rice) in the Neyig (Guide Book to Holy Places), was blessed by Guru Padmasambhava himself. The centre of this blessed land is the most sacred establishment, ‘Dakkar Tashiding’, surrounded by four holy caves, Sharchog Bephug in the East, Khandozangphu in the South, Decchenphug in the West and Lhari Nyingphug in the North.

The Bumchu or the ‘Holy Water Vase’ festival is organized every year on the night of the 14th day of the 1st month of Tibetian Almanac. It is the celebration of the entire agrarian society of the East Himalaya, including Bhutan, where The Vase containing Holy Waters is kept in a miniature mansion (Chosham) under lock and seal of the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim, to be opened only during the particular occasion under strict supervision of Lamas and high officials. The quantity and quality of water decides the fate of agriculture and the society of the running calendar year. It is believed that a drop of Bumchu Water is the Seed of Enlightment.

The once very inaccessible Tashiding is well connected by roads and bridges maintained regularly by the Government of Sikkim. The more remote areas has have been recently connected by fair weather road under the initiative of the present Area MLA and Speaker, Mr.D.N.Thakarpa and his team of active Gram Panchayat (Village administration) leaders. Several remote and interesting villages has now become easily accessible from Tashiding, specially to mention the Gangyap village, dominated by the age old Lepcha Monastery, Sinlon Gompha and the Eklabya Tribal School. The Lepcha people believe that one of their greatest religious leaders had arrived here at the Sinlon Gompha with his disciples to create a new world in the late 1950s, but had to leave and finally walked into the glaciers north. The Eklabya Tribal School, housed in the more than 100 year old Lepcha house has students from various communities of the adjoining areas. The Principal boasts about the multi talented students, who

care for their traditions and also excel in modern education, sports and music.

The road from here continues further north to Labdang village (7,000 ft / 2,100 mtrs approx) via Kongri waterfalls. The rock bee hives in the waterfalls starts becoming active from March end and so does the birds dependent on them. The road leads through the Lepcha villages to Labdang, which is dominated by the Gurung community, who are also Buddhists by belief. Labdang can be designated as the cleanest village and very hospitable people. The road ends here combining traditions with modernity, people with nature. Labdang is the base camp for the Areylungchok Dzongri Round Trek Expedition, Neythem Holy Cave Trek and several day and overnight trails.

There are several other villages like Mangham, Karjee etc which can now be heard of because of the road connectivity, but the major circuit would be a combine of Tashiding, Gangyap and Labdang villages. There is no major tourism infrastructure in this circuit and hence basic home stays are the main support for the visitors of all categories. A week long package program launched by Help Tourism with the support of the Gram Panchayats is a major breakthrough for the tourism in the East Himalaya, which in the long run would be instrumental in the formation of ‘Peace Parks’ locally.

Contact: www.helptourism.com.

The Mt.Narsing Tourism & Biodiversity Peace Park

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Bumthang in Central Bhutan is considered the origin of the formation of modern Bhutan.

It was during the reign of the Tibetan King, Srongtsen Gampo (627-49 AD) that the first Buddhist influence came through Tibet. There existed several small kingdoms then, Bumthang being the most prominent of them all. Once when the Bumthang King became very ill, he called for Guru Padmasambhava, who was then in Kathmandu valley. He told His people to proceed and that he would follow. After about a month of travel, His people reached the foothill near Sarpang to find their Guru meditating on a leaf that was floating on a water body. He travelled with the rest to Gangtey and rested there, and then further moved on to Bumthang.

The present

Today, we find that this blessed land through which he walked is the most diverse land in terms of natural resource. The Bodo people living near Sarpang still can identify Gongar Lama, the road that he walked through, and Machbhandar in Ultapani, where he was seen meditating on a leaf floating in the water body. Today, also the Bodo people consider Ultapani as the most religious place where they offer prayers to Mother Nature. Ultapani, Saralpara & Indian side of Sarpang (Sarbhog) is a part of the Manas Biosphere Reserve, where inspite of heavy felling and poaching in the past, it still remains to be the breeding ground for many important fauna like Hornbills, Golden Langurs, Indian Tigers etc. The road to Gangtey is also surrounded with very rich natural diversity and passes through the biological corridor connecting Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, Royal Manas National Park and Jigme Singye Wangchuk National Park. Gangtey Monastery itself is in the Black necked crane breeding ground area of Phobjikha.

The proposal

Considering the rich biodiversity of the blessed land and the fast degradation, Help Tourism and the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) proposes

a ‘cross-border biodiversity peace park’, named after Guru Padmasambhava. The area to be considered can be proposed only after the consent from Bhutan’s Department of Forestry services under Ministry of Agriculture, followed by a preliminary survey. The proposed project can be considered under SAARC Forestry Cetre and WWF Eastern Himalaya Program. Presently, the BTC has motivated the communities living in the areas of Ultapani and Saralpara to be involved in conservation activities and Help Tourism has been instrumental in initiating ecotourism owned by the community locally. Traditional conservation through religion here would play an important role to involve the communities on both sides of the border. Community based ecotourism would emerge as a major livelihood for people living on both sides of the border, who are economically poor and occupying land for traditional livelihood would mean the destruction of the last green frontiers of the rich biodiversity of both countries.

Guru PadmasambhavaBiodiversity Peace Park,a proposalThe legend

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Noam-Chel-Teesta (NCT) area is a small corridor of rich nature, east of the legendary Teesta River, criss-crossed

by several rivers and streams, interrupted by remote & quiet villages with rich traditions and sparingly brushed by the tea gardens. Fast dropping from the Tibet & Bhutan Himalaya, the Darjeeling Hills meet the plains of Dooars here. Most villages in this area are unknown to the outer world and modern development has hardly touched them. The inhabitants find their livelihood in the nature around them. The consumer demand and the lack of alternative livelihood have commercialized the use of natural resources and hence exploitation of the available forest covers. These forests together form the home for several large mammals in the wild like the leopard and the elephant etc.

The part of the said area, north of Oodlabari is mostly under the management of West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC) and the area south is mostly managed by the Baikanthapur Forest Division, hence a major concern is the conservation of the rich natural resources. Community based tourism is a way that has been chosen to achieve this goal and also to help maintain the peace and harmony among the different communities of the area. The first meeting for the purpose was initiated by Pallab Basu of Oodlabari Tourism Development Association, officials of WBFDC and the Help Tourism members on the 14th of December, 2008 at the factory of Assam Bengal Veneer Industries (ABVI), which was attended by 61 local stake holders from the several villages.

The tourism Peace Park was launched on the 5th of June 2009 World environment day.

Initiated byWBFDC & Help Tourism

COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

An incentive to villagers to conserve their forests &

natural resources in the East Himalaya.

Supported by:Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators Association

(EHTTOA)Baikanthapur Forest Division, Department of Forests,

Government of West BengalDepartment of Tourism, Government of West Bengal

Nature & Adventure Society (NAS)Oodlabari Tourism Development Association

Assam Bengal Veneer Industries

NOAM CHEL TEESTATourism Peace Park

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Several Travel Writers, from international to local fame,

have taken trips to destinations initiated or connected by Help Tourism and have described their vision about the organization in their own way in their own language. Regional language writers have also tried to express in English for the convenience of the readers.

Among the many tourism organisations I’ve dealt with, HELP Tourism has always stood

out as both notable and remarkable. By taking tourism and its benefits to some of the most vulnerable and least understood destinations our planet has to offer, particularly the under travelled regions of Northeast India, the organisation does what few other companies are willing to do: to put tourism profit and social development on the same agenda.

Why is this so important in our world today? Why do we need more companies like HELP Tourism?

The issue is that tourism has become such an extraordinary global phenomenon, accessible now to many more millions of people than ever before. The industry holds great promise to equalise the great divides among humanity; the same divides that are the root of misunderstanding and conflict. So many chasms exist in our world today: between the rich and poor, between the East and West, between the cultures and worlds that until very recently, have never been able to see eye to eye. But tourism and travel are a unique opportunity to bridge these divides. Tourism could be the great equaliser, the ultimate way in which we can come to see and understand ‘supposedly’ foreign cultures. In doing so, we make these cultures familiar and understandable, and sometimes we even learn to feel at home inside them. By broadening our personal views of the world we can come to humanise the other people on our planet and see that behind the veil or underneath the stereotypes, we all want the same things: peace, security, financial well-being and a better world for our children.

Unfortunately, we’ve discovered that tourism hasn’t always produced these positive outcomes, especially in the world’s more well-travelled destinations. We’ve seen sexual exploitation in Thailand, paedophelia in Cambodia and rampant profiteering in China. We’ve seen the human cost of tourism and that’s why it’s time for travellers

TRAVEL WRITERS’ DESK

HELP Tourisma personal inspiration

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and the tourism industry to evolve its approaches to tourism, and to market products that benefit our world and enlighten our travellers.

I believe HELP Tourism embodies these ideals. Having worked with the company for the last year, I feel I have discovered a model in the hospitality industry that many others should adapt to their own needs and requirements. I believe that travellers will continue to demand more from their tourism experiences, and choose holidays that enlighten and benefit the people of the places they visit.

This is why I wholeheartedly recommend that they be recognised for their work and I wish them nothing but the greatest success when it comes to furthering their tourism agenda in Northeast India.

Mikey Leung, Travel JournalistAuthor of Bangladesh: The Bradt Travel Guide Memory fades memory bright as I look back

in the Silhouette landscape, gone are those days full of my adventure & enthusiasm. Since my boyhood I chant the mantra CHARIBETI, CHARNAI BO MADHU BINDATI. I always desire and dream the life of vagabond. I get eternal bliss when I roam in the lonely path of the forest. A serene & sublime beauty pervailes my body and soul. Travel is part & parcel of my life. I write, at least try to express my feelings in my writings readers will appreciate.

I can’t recollect the exact day of first meeting with the boys of Help Tourism. May be in the year of 1991. They are all like my students: Raj, Sanjib , Babu, Asit, Soumitra, Partha, Samrat and many others. Later many of them seperately set up their own buisness in Siliguri & Kolkata. But Help Tourism has always been quite different. Their motto is not simply Travel Agent or Tour Operator. Actually they are promote some basic responsibilities of tourism. They never neglect the local people, rather try to preserve local cultural and natural resources, sustainable ecotourism mainly in Northeast including North Bengal. Personally I get immense help ample guidance through discussion with them whenever I desire. Several time I take part with them in tourism surveys, which includes jungle safari, tea tourism, home tourism or any excursion trips. I always support them for new adventure, new destinations. In short, the concept of travel has completely been changed by Help Tourism.

Gourishankar Bhattacharya, a travel writer in Bengali language has been covering for almost all Bengali dailies and magazines for the last Forty years, and he describes

“My days

with Help Tourism”

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‘Travel to Care’, a web based responsible tourism promoter has been a partner to Help Tourism in several of its initiatives. They have surveyed some of the Help Tourism sites and described them in their own way in their booking site. Their way of representation is wonderful and one of the examples has been included in this print issue of ‘CHAUTARE’.

Gurung Guest House

The Gurung Guest House is a creation of HELP Tourism, a pioneering responsible tour

operator in Eastern India and the gigantic Gurung family—41 members currently crowd their massive family house! Visitors don’t have to crowd the house with them though—their guesthouse is actually located in a separate building. With four standard twin-share rooms and four quad-bed rooms, the building was designed by the family after the village started attracting tourists. How did it do that?

Over the last few years, Tinchuley has emerged as an agro-friendly tourist destination, and earned a reputation as a ‘model village.’ Tinchuley was specifically developed as part of a joint initiative between WWF – India and HELP Tourism. Scattered around the Gurung Guest House are a number of tea plantations, orange gardens, cabbage groves and several other vegetables of all kinds. Poultry is raised nearby; a fish tank lies terraced into a hillside. Just above it is a small biogas production facility that supplies cooking fuel to one of the houses in the village, while a nearby shed houses a dozen ‘natural grass processors’ who moo and produce the necessary manure that fertilizes everything.

Because of all this local production, the family and village is almost totally self-sufficient. They require almost no food from outside and when guests visit, all of this locally grown food ends up on their plates. The family prides itself on this fact, and makes sure that no guest leaves lighter than when they came. Visitors who enjoy organic food and the company of a rambunctious local family will enjoy their visit to Tinchuley, and there are plenty of opportunities to burn off the massive meals with walks in the village, or even more adventurous activities like rock-climbing or trekking in the hills.

With its focus on agro-tourism and friendly homestay, visiting Tinchuley is very much like visiting family relatives at their farmhouse.

Stay

There are two houses – one for the extra large family and one for guests. The guesthouse’s

standard rooms are not so large but comfortable in their simplicity, much in line with the Gurung family’s style and character. In this new house, there are 4 Standard Rooms that sleep 2 persons each, 4 Quads that sleep…well 4 persons and 1 stand-alone Cottage for couples who want to get cosy.

Considering that guests used to stay in the house with the family, the new building does offer a modicum of privacy and comfort. You can still manage not to be too disconnected from the family atmosphere as you are free to linger with the family as much or as little as you like. While the wood-panelled rooms are not uncomfortable, they are not terribly spacious either, as the wooden bed, small table and shelving occupies almost all the available space. Oddly enough, the best views out into the hills are from the bathrooms! Nevertheless, those bathrooms are tiled and kept quite clean, with hot water available in a shower setup. Whether in the twin rooms or the four-bedded rooms, each has exactly the same amenities, and if guests prefer an added level of comfort, there is a single cottage available with all the above named-amenities and a larger space to play in.

Dine

Meals are served on a fixed-menu basis and taken in the main house in the family dining

area. The family has made lovingly prepared home-style meals a big selling feature of the Gurung Guest House, which makes sense given that all of their food is prepared locally and organically. Each meal is served with a salvo of sauces, pickles and spices, of which guests are free to mix and match according to their tastes. The food’s style is some kind of cross between Bengali and Nepali, and can be adjusted according to guest’s taste (i.e. more or less spicy, more or less fried items, and more or less vegetables).Perhaps the most salient feature of eating at the Gurung Guest House is that you must run away from the table when you are finished eating, as it is an unspoken rule that every guest will leave heavier than what they came.

Partners in Help Tourism Initiatives

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There are no other restaurants in the nearby areas and no alcohol is served given the family atmosphere.

See & Do

A sunrise view lies just five minutes walk from the guesthouse, next to a small monastry

offering views of the mighty Kanchenjunga.At nearby Gumbadara, visitors can look into Sikkim and see the Rangeet River. There is apparently some climbing around this area as well as some caving which can be arranged by some of the younger members of the Gurung family.

Eight km down the hill from the guesthouse there are several orange gardens that belong to the Gurung family. Here, they produce and package their own juices, pickles and marmalades.

The Takdah Bazaar is a small village with a few hundred meters stretch of shops and stores. Nearby, visitors can also check out the Takdah Orchid Centre.

As part of the Darjeeling district, several tea gardens surround the village. If visitors want to go for a scenic drive nearby, the Teesta Valley Durpin Dara offers some spectacular views of the Teesta River Valley covered in tea bushes.

Being Responsible

The Gurung family has already received well-earned recognition of its organic practices

and a tour through their gardens, orchards and farmlands is an eye-opening experience of what can be achieved when villages make an earnest effort to keep things local. With a little consultative help from the World Wildlife Fund, the family has managed to expand its selection of locally produced foods, and judging by the size of the family (and the size of their family members!) they know their food well. The other practices of the village, including biogas production, pesticide-free production and the many uses of cow dung, make for educational experiences that helps reunite city people with their rural roots.

As a local homestay, the family’s hospitality is unbeatable and food-lovers will find themselves well-taken care of. The house is as open as their hearts, and this makes for an earnest, insightful and belly-filling look into village life in the lower Himalayas.

Being Environmentally Responsible

All food served to guests is grown from the family’s own agriculture business and it is

grown organically. No pesticides or chemicals are used in their foods. They have their own tea gardens, own rice, and the only thing they need to get from outside are a few spices. They also try to promote organic growing practices with their neighbours in the surrounding village. Their aim is to keep their environment pristine, and so by sharing these practices they can promote the health of their people.

Most of the leftover organic material is fed to the animals in a kind of natural compost processing system. They reuse most of the towels and linens as cleaning products for their own house.

Energy efficient light-bulbs are used throughout the guesthouse as it saves money.

The family runs a series of business that are all very eco-friendly. For instance, their tea gardens supply tea to their guests and their agricultural business supports the guesthouse. During the busy season they also source some food from the neighbours, which works fine as they grow organically as well.

Guests pay to get themselves here, giving them the option to use public services. There is a direct bus from Darjeeling and there are share jeeps which will reduce your environmental impact.

Being Socially & Economically Responsible Most of their business is kept inside their family and when they need to outsource they always choose people from the local village. Most of their material is produced locally and they only turn to outside sources when absolutely necessary.

Most of the guesthouse affairs are run by the female members of the household, and food and other things come from the male-run businesses in the family. It’s a family business, so they take care of each another.

They support the tourism development of their area. The surrounding villages also benefit because they sell some of their food products such as honey or flowers to their guests. They do ask their guests to visit the local bazaar and see what is available. They are free to purchase what the local villagers sell.

Being Culturally Responsible

The family designed the building and hired some workers to build it for them, thus

maintaining a ‘local feel’ for the place. They have maintained a traditional style that is line with their culture. Most of the handicrafts that decorate the

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place are supplied from the nearby villages. They use local youth from around the Tinchuley village to share songs and dance during the peak tourist season. This is a way of engaging the local youth to participate with visiting tourists.Many locally-produced handicrafts are available, and when the bazaar is not on (it only comes once per week), guests are taken to the houses to see the handicrafts being made. Only local food is available here and when a guest requests to learn their cuisine they are happy to take them into the kitchen and let them try. Personal Insights

What’s Hot!• A true agro-tourism destination, with real opportunities to learn and participate in the production of organically-grown food. • Trying to keep track of the family members as they’re introduced to you while you eat! • Beautiful walks nearby—the Teesta Tea Valley is one of the most scenic in the area. • Real family atmosphere.

What’s Not!• Rooms could have been more spacious but are by no means uncomfortable. • Slipping and nearly falling in a cow manure pile. • Non-experimental eaters will find a lack of choice.

Pack Your Bags• Ideal For Whom• Gurung has capacity for just about any kind of traveller or group of travellers. Families would easily find themselves entertained and their kids would likely be handed from relative to relative for close inspection. Groups of young and energetic travellers, such as student or youth groups, might find themselves working in the Gurung’s kitchen or in the field during harvest seasons. Individuals would find themselves highly entertained and could easily mix with other people staying at the guesthouse, during the busy period.

When To Visit• Like everywhere else in the Himalaya, the post-monsoon, pre-winter months of October and November are the most ideal time to visit the region. While the monsoon season does offer a certain kind of beauty, it also adds a degree of unpredictability as the area is particularly vulnerable to landslides. December to February will be quite chilly, where as March – May would

bring nice weather once again but not as clear skies as the post-monsoon season.• Trekkers, climbers and those seeking a lot of outdoor activity should definitely stay with the pre- or post-monsoon periods.

How Many Days• Two nights at the Gurung would serve most travellers and families quite well. It would be enough time to explore the village, learn about its organic farming practices and not become too weighed down under the quantity of food served by the Gurung family! Adventure seekers/special interest travellers may want to spend more time on the basis of the potential rock climbing or trekking opportunities. Finally, those with more than a passing interest in organic farm practices or agro-tourism should take more time—guides are happy to share the knowledge and background behind the agri-cultural practices employed by the people of Tinchuley, which has earned them so much fame.

Things To Bring• A good pair of shoes is essential for walking around the village, hills and pathways of the local villages. A healthy appetite and a sense of taste adventure would also make the stay more enjoyable. Tinchuley is not so remote as to not be supplied by electricity or hot water. Some kind of flashlight might also come in handy but is not an absolute requirement.

Press Reviews“Sit in the gardens together at dawn sipping the Gurung’s unique tea and watch the Khangchendzonga range glow in the first light…Food comes straight from the land, including marmalade from the orchard. Walk through the woods with one of the Gurungs and study eco-tourism at its best; 35 people representing three generations live in a sprawling house and greet guests with unfailing warmth.”

India Today Group Online, December 2, 2008

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The road was narrow and foggy. In the early hours of the dawn as I sat in my 4 wheel drive beside my

driver I could barely see 20 meters ahead. My driver was driving at about 10 miles an hour often coming to a grinding stop at the murderous bends of the high mountain passes of this remote northeastern state.

Suddenly my guide Tamo barked at the driver to halt. Tamo was assigned to be my personal guide and translator by Help Tourism. Something was in the middle of the road he said. We could barely see but Tamo was an Apa Tani tribal - born and brought up in these mountains and I figured his vision was trained like the eyes of a hawk to pick out anything unusual.

Slowly like a phoenix arising out of the smoke a silhouetted human figure came out of the thick fog. This was in the middle of nowhere on the high mountain road between Daporijo and Ziro right in the middle of thickly forested mountains. Tamo got out and walked forward as the shadow came out I could see who it was. It was an old Apa Tani lady with a cane basket over her back pulled by straps over her head.

She was, and I guess, about 40 maybe, certainly not more than 50. Tribal woman are hard to guess ages. She had a torn green sweater, a cotton tribal home spun wrap and had a worn out pair of flip-flop slippers. Her basket was full of chopped logs for

fuel I imagined. She had an enormous pair of ears with carefully pierced oversized holes in them for ornamentation. Her complexion was light brown and she had a disarmingly warm smile, mysterious and soft.

I offered her a cup of hot sweetened chai and some biscuits and sat down to converse with her. Where was her home I asked her. High up in those foggy mountains she replied. Her fingers pointed to a distant range at least 1000 feet high above my forehead. Where have you come from I asked again. This time she pointed to the edge of the road. Down below was a deep valley completely covered by fog so much so that I could see an ocean like wave. She does this everyday of her life. Bringing firewood fuel for her family was her everyday job, but now she was getting old she said. She was a grandmother and her feet had calluses. We offered her some first aid. She expressed her gratitude by smiling again and nodding her head to me.

I asked if she was agreeable to me photographing her – she readily complied and stood with her load on her head smiling at the camera as I shot at this incredible image of tribal Arunachal. Everything she resembled was written all over her face and her demeanor that represented this fascinating remote region of India.

With an area of 26,000 sq miles it has 26 major tribes, all democratic and endogamous. Most are matrilineal and yet have have equally strong rights distributed amongst both the sexes. This is one of the worlds richest ethnically diverse and fragile regions with a priceless array of cultures packed in a tiny land locked state – untouched, virgin, remote and completed undeveloped.

With “development” sweeping India at a breakneck speed I wonder and worry how long will it be when the culture and traditions of the tribes of the smiling lady of Arunachal will be assaulted by reckless and indiscriminate attacks.

Very slowly the smiling lady walked away in to the fog.

The trip to Arunachal Pradesh in North Eastern India was arranged by Green Frontier EcoTravels, USA with their Indian partner Help Tourism, Siliguri, India. Both of these companies have been collaborating in eco-friendly, responsible and community based tourism. Their joint and common mission is to provide conscientious travelers authentic experiences with remote communities, thereby providing sustainable means of income for local communities in an environmentally friendly way. They both help the mutual exchange of sharing between travelers and host communities. Help Tourism has earned considerable reputation amongst the US clients of Green Frontier.

The Smiling Lady in the Mist

Shyamal Dutta

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Kaziranga was declared as a game sanctuary in 1905. The name was inherited from the Karbi word

Kazi and Ronga, meaning boy and girl. Today, it is not only a world heritage site, but has no match in the world.

Hundreds and thousands of visitors from around the globe visit Kaziranga. One of the primary economical resource is tourism, but a major share of the ownership in this economy lies with the people who do not belong to the villages around Kaziranga. This lack of participation and share of the villages around in and around Kaziranga in the economy from tourism in the park makes it vulnerable to several anti-conservation activities routed through these villages, taking opportunity of the poor economic conditions.

However, in the past some good community participation efforts were made by Wild Grass, which inspite of not being in the prime location of Kaziranga as per the present tourism development, have remained the most popular infrastructure among western visitors because of the local community involvement. It should be mentioned here that even in the worst political disturbance in Assam, Wild Grass in Kaziranga managed to attract tourists.

The next effort came around five years back with the endogenous tourism project (ETP), being launched by Government of India, Department of Tourism in collaboration with UNDP. Amongst, the several rural sites, they chose the village of Durgapur, close to the main tourist hub hub of Kaziranga, known as Kohra. The District Collector (DC) of Golaghat and a local NGO, NEST being the implementing agencies.

Presently, the National Highway between Jaklabandha and Bokaghat runs almost through the northern bounderies of the Park. It has been planned for all practical reasons of conservation, that the Prime Minister’s East West four lane expressway will avoid this alignment and connect Jaklabandha and Bokaghat. This means a fall in local economy and increase of human pressures on the Park. The only sustainable tool which should be planned with immediate effect is to consider the area between Jaklabandha and Bokaghat be declared as the ‘ECOTOURISM ZONE’. Bokaghat can then become the tourism hub and the activities may be planned to include natural and cultural heritage. The wildlife experience, tea tourism experience, Karbi experience, Missing experience, Assamese experience and the river experience may be considered for long stay activities. Considering, the need, Help Tourism has already started initiating activating with local partners.

There was a time when the riverways were a major means of transport, and the River Brahmaputra was the life line. With all the rivers meeting Brahmaputra, it formed a big network. One such river in the east of Kaziranga is Dhansiri River. Two small villages, one belonging to the Missing community and the other belonging to the Assamese community existed next to each other, at a place where Dhansiri met Brahmaputra. Then there was a big flood, which forced the Assamese village to shift near the highway in 1959, known as Durgapur. The Missing village known as Dhuba Ati continued to remain where it was, on the easternmost boundary of the park next to Agratoli range, getting water logged for more than three months during the monsoon season, along with the park.

Durgapur For the last five years work has been carrying on in Durgapur in hardware and software development in tourism as per the guidelines from UNDP and Government of India, Department of Tourism. A tourism day package had been been launched on 27th September, 2008 on the ‘World Tourism Day’.

Dhuba Ati In addition to the Assamese cultural experience, Dhuba Ati village has been identified for the Missing cultural experience. Help Tourism in collaboration with NEST has identified a local Missing NGO, ‘DAGRAB Ecotourism and Eco-development Society’ to run the tourism activities next to the Agratoli range.

The Karbi Experience It was quite encouraging to find the Karbi Along Autonomous Council making the huge tourist village, the infrastructure is under construction. This for certain will be the hub for the Karbi experience, if handled in the right way with the help of the Karbi community.

RHYTHM OF THE GRASSLANDThe village trails of Kaziranga

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Interactive Tour to the ‘Rhythm of Grassland – Durgapur 1959

Timing and particulars Persons The Cost

From 11 AM to 2 PMThis includes Transport to the site, Traditional Assamese welcome, Visit to the Naam Ghar – place of worship and an institution for village governance, Weav-

ing trail to homes with traditional looms, Enthralling cultural show of Indian Classical Satria and folk Bihu dance and music, Grand Asomiya feast prepared

by the community members, served the traditional way.

5 4000

1 Extra 750

Interactive Tour in the ‘Dhuba Ati Mishing Tribal Village’


From 11 AM to 2 PMThis includes Transport to the site, Traditional Mishing Tribal welcome, Village

trail, handloom, handicrafts, living style, traditional fishing, traditional orna-ments and wears, agricultural practices, buffalo riding, Mishing Tribal feast,

Traditional Dance, songs and Apong (rice beer).

5 4500

1 Extra 850

River Dolphin Cruise


From 3 PM to 5 PMThis includes Transport to the site, Rent of the boat, cost of boat man, Mishing

Tribal feast and Apong (rice beer). 4 3800

1 Extra 1000

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Festivals play a major role in the lives of the people in the East Himalaya. Several of them

have been continuing through ages and have unique themes. Some of them have been launched in the modern times for the purpose of tourism, where participation of visitors in the celebration along with the local people is the content.

Some of the visitor friendly festivals which Help Tourism as an organization would like to promote are:

Chilapata Ecofest being organized by the ecoguides and the other service providers of the Chilapata Sanctuary, along with the local forest administration and Help Tourism. The Principal Co-ordinator for this festival is the famous naturalist from the Dooars landscape, Ranajit Mitra. He has decided to take this festival to its second year maintaining the same dates, 15th to 19th of September, 2009.

Pangsau Winter Festival is held every year between 20th to 22nd January has been designated as a global village as it conjoins all the diverse tribes of the North East and Myanmar to reveal their customs and culture in broader perspective. Amazingly, the cultural carnival has traversed all the social barriers, inspiring the secluded regions to celebrate the ethnic existences that strongly bond together all the distinct tribes with diverse cultures and different religious backgrounds. The year 2010 is expected to witness the Stilwell WW II heritage car & bike rally beyond the frontiers.

Traditional Festivals have their presence almost all through the year and every visitor in this region may encounter any of these unique festivals. The HAATs, weekly market days which cater to a cluster of villages are also interesting happenings and nothing less than a festival. Help Tourism puts together many such festivals between 5th of January to 7th of February every year under one title ‘The East Himalaya Festival’, the return to the roots.

FESTIVALS

For Bookings Log on to www.helptourism.net84

CHAUTARE 2009-10

Tea Tourism

Tea, the oldest health drink in the world probably started its journey from the Indo-Burma and

East Himalaya biodiversity hotspots. The modern Tea Industry started in the East Himalaya 150 years ago, and still maintains the century old traditions in its growing, processing, transportation and life style. It is a wonderful experience to live inside these sprawling tea plantations spread over hundreds of acres with a old world charm of the English culture.

We from Help Tourism have motivated these great tea planters to take guests who would want a perfect tea holiday and find out the mechanism, emotions and sincerity behind the cup of tea that we enjoy sipping almost everyday. Accordingly, we have organized their support manpower for the purpose and created the tea tourism programme for you. The Tea estates are spread in the different landscapes of East Himalaya.

1) The extraordinary Darjeeling Hill landscapes that produces the best tea in the world.

2) The wild landscape of Bengal & Assam Dooars in the foothill of the Bhutan Himalaya.

3) The Brahmaputra Valley landscape in Assam that produces the strongest tea in the world.

4) The Singpho people in the Indo Burma landscape, the community from whom the world has got today’s tea.

The details are available in www.teatourindia.com

Help TourismSiliguri

143, Hill Cart Road, Malati Bhawan, P.O. Box.67Siliguri - 734001, Dist. DarjeelingTel: +91-353-2535893, 2433683Fax: +91-353-2532313email: [email protected] [email protected]

Kolkata

67A, Kali Temple Road, Kolkata 700026Tel: +91-33-24550917, 24549682, 24549719Fax: +91-33-24854584email: [email protected] [email protected]

Guwahati

Opp. Green Land Nursing Home, Milan Nagar,VIP Road, Guwahati-781015Tel+Fax: +91-361-2842048, 09957832005email: [email protected]

Field Offices: Delhi, Darjeeling, Dibrugarh, Sikkim

Visit us: www.helptourism.com www.helptourism.net

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