Thinking ‘Out Of The Box’

Capital View

Rabindra Seth

It is good to see that more and more states are thinking ‘out of the box’ and are planing mega projects to give tourism a push. The latest to join is Uttaranchal. Its Tourism Development Board, the first state to have such an outfit in place, has signed an MoU for a Rs 512 crore project christened ‘Corbett Country Destination’ with Ramnagar Eco Park Pvt Ltd (REPL), a consortium which includes a British partner.

Covering an area of over 325 hectares of picturesque land at Hempur in Udhamsingh Nagar district, it will, as the state chief minister N D Tiwari claims, be a world class destination in a part of Uttaranchal made famous by the hunter-turned conservationist, Jim Corbett. It will offer a golf course, a therapeutic centre, serviced villas, motels, youth hostels, an aviary, theme halls, a petting zoo, an agri-business complex and of course, a Jim Corbett National Gallery. From MoU to implementation will certainly take time but then the right beginning has been made.

Apart from the lure of the Himalays, Uttaranchal’s major draw is its attractions for pilgrims and for those seeking spiritual experiences. Uttaranchal has rightly been called the country’s Devbhumi mainly because of its treasure of the Chardhams - Badrinath, Kedranath, Gangotri and Yamnotri, apart from other ancient temples. Perhaps not the world over but certainly in India, pilgrimage has been the earliest form of tourism.

In its modern and organised version, social, spiritual and commercial elements have joined together to facilitate travel taking into account the more recent concerns about ecology and the needs of the local people. As in other parts of India like Vaishnodevi and Tirupathi, socially inspired entrepreneurs have been creating facilities for comfortable travel and accommodation of pilgrims, and in keeping with changing trends wayside ‘dhabas’ and basic shelters like ‘dharamshalas’ are being supplemented with air-conditioned hotels and hygiene concious restaurants.

In Uttaranchal, interestingly a Pilibhit zamindar family headed by Sahu Jagdish Pershad built a summer house in Nainital in the late 20s on a six acre plot overlooking the famous lake. One of Pershads close friends was parliamentarian Piloo Modi, who wrote his book - Zulfi My Friend (on Z A Bhutto) while holidaying in Nainital. It was Modi who persuaded Pershad to convert the summer house into a hotel. Thus was born in 1989 Leisure Hotels and the property was named ‘Naini Retreat’ with over 30 rooms among the more popular hotels in the lake resort.

Four years later after a marketing tie up with a Delhi company Clardiges was added to the name. The runaway success of the Naini Retreat encouraged the family to spread its wings and Clardiges Hideaway came up in Corbett with 28 cottages (now there are 44). Within a few years, before the end of the last decade of the century, Leisure Hotels had extended itself further with a string of properties and rafting camps in Rishikesh, Ramgarh (where a Himalayas View Retreat now stands) and Heritage Haveli on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar.

This is how Uttaranchal’s only chain of hotels has evolved with properties and 225 rooms. But that is not all. With the arrival of the new Millennium came awareness of the changing profile of the traveller on a pilgrimage and the growing concern for ecology. Leisure Hotels came up with a new concept - Chardham Camps.

Pershad’s grandson, Manish Kumar who looks after the chain’s marketing from Delhi explained the concept to this writer thus: “Set up for the first time in 2003, the Chardham Camps pioneered luxury pilgrimage travel in a market yet untouched by any quality service outfitter. The camps provide luxury accommodation in Swiss cottage tents with attached baths and showers for the first time in the history of the Chardham circuit. For entrepreneurs this also does away with the need for maintenance of a brick and mortar structure as well as the retention of high quality manpower in remote places.”

He also gave some of the highlights of the camps which are located at Joshimath (Badrinath), Guptakashi (Kedarnath), Barkot (Yamnotri) and Harsil (Gangotri). The camps have tele links, first aid and activity blocks to take care of aartis, religious discourses and yoga lessons as well as ayurvedic massages.

Kumar pointed out that the Chardham Camp initiative takes good care of the environment by following the best practices for ecologically sustainable tourism. Windpower, solar power, micro hydel power, alternative fuel, waste disposal, power inverts and chemical lavatories are all part of the scheme. Programmes are also arranged to involve the local people in eco protection.

The camps are organised for four months from April onwards.