Help Tourism

Buxa Tiger Reserve and its adjoining areas have a few Eco-Development Committees (EDCs), Forest Protection Committees (FPCs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), adjoining tea estate villagers and other youth groups of the area. There has been several meetings and seminars in the past, but for a long time an workshop was felt necessary by the groups themselves to take a step forward in conservation. Hence, this program.

It was suggested to have 05 groups to provide inputs to the topics as follows:
General view of Biodiversity and Development was given to all present by the various Resource Persons, Soumyadeep Dutta (Nature Beacon-Assam), Arjun Karki (Nature Conservation Society-Nepal), Jashoda Chettri (Association for Conservation and Tourism-Sikkim), Ivy Bose (Biology Teacher, Margaret School, Siliguri), Tapashi Bose (Association for Conservation & Tourism-Dooars), Babit Gurung (Chautarey NGO, Samsing), Kaziman Golay (Dooars Museum-Kalchini), Tara Shankar Thapa (First Home Stay Entrepreneur in Buxa) and a few local community leaders, Panchayat members, Information officer etc. On behalf of communities of Buxa, this workshop attended by 84 rural participants had been initiated and coordinated by Ram Kumar Lama of Yugantar Pariwar, who also happens to be a Zilla Parishad member (District Board) and Raj Basu of Help Tourism. The Tiger Reserve Administration gave entire support in regard to providing venue with allied facilities and as the Field Director of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, R.P.Saini. IFS had to be out of station on an emergency, he had confirmed all support for taking forward the workshop.
The workshop started at 11.30 A.M with small welcome ceremony followed by introduction and group discussions. The workshop concluded with a cultural performance and a simple community lunch at the local primary school.

Responsible Tourism Practices and Expectations from a tourist/traveller.

Rural Tourism by the members of EDC, FPC, SHG and other local youth groups has been established in and around Buxa Tiger Reserve for quite some time. This alternative livelihood of the people of BTR played an important role as the scope for agriculture and livestock rearing was extremely limited. For sustainable development of this form of tourism, responsible steps has to be taken, both on behalf of the host and guest communities, and hence this discussion.

Group Mobilizer: Tara Shankar Thapa and Raj Basu

Volunteering in conservation, expectations from the Forest Department.

The importance of Biodiversity in the life of the people living around the BTR and their role in conserving the same needed a review. This has often been a concern for the BTR administration for active participation of the local communities, without which the protection and monitoring of the Tiger Reserve would be difficult. Hence this topic for local people to decide on their role and the kind of partnership they are looking forward from the BTR administration.

Group Mobilizer: Soumyadeep Dutta and Ram Kumar Lama

Human-Animal conflict theatre and the scope for resolving and alternative agriculture opportunities.

The so called development around the BTR and the loss of extended biological areas of wild habitat has put more pressure on the traditional livelihood of the human inhabitants of BTR. Agriculture and Livestock rearing, which remains to be a major livelihood of the Forest Villagers till date, faces pressure of crop damage from their neighbours in the wild and hence this topic.

Group Mobilizer: Arjun Karki and Babit Gurung.

More active role of women in conservation and tourism.

It is experienced that if the Father of the house is educated, it is not necessary that the children too will be as educated, but if the mother of the house is educated, it is a must the culture of education will be much rooted. Even in conservation this is not an exception, the culture of conservation among all generations and in the masses can only be achieved with an active participation of women. The hospitality in tourism, mainly in homestays are much more dependent on the women of the house than the men. Hence, this topic is a part of the workshop.

Group Mobilizer: Jashoda Chettri and Taposhi Bose.

Local traditions/practices in nature conservation or local conservation cultures.

In almost all cultures or religions of Dooars and adjoining area people, there is an age old tradition of nature conservation through well defined lifestyle. The present consumer lifestyles in the younger generation have much drifted away. There are several cultures which can be of interest in tourism development. This group was destined to find out these living practices.

Group Mobilizer: Kaziman Golay and Ivy Bose.

Today we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day 2012 with all our partners in the various destinations that we have created during the past decades.

This event focuses on Visionary Innovators – individuals whose ingenuity and artistry have broken moulds, opened new horizons and made a lasting impact. For details read http://www.wipo.int.

While World Intellectual Property Organization celebrates this day, we would like to bring to the notice of the world the innovation that Help Tourism has brought in ‘people’s empowerment and people to people relations across borders through rural tourism’, with some grassroot level initiatives.

1991: Nature study and adventure camps being organized in collaboration with local people from host site. The participation in these camps were mainly from adjoining urban areas to give both the hosts and guests to have some understanding of each other.

1993: Rural Tourism Initiative in creating destinations, starting with Pelling in West Sikkim.

1995: Helped to create the first Rural level tourism association, PTDA (pelling Tourism Development association).

1996: Facilitated PTDA to adopt ecotourism guidelines.

1996: Helped WWF-India to create sustainability of their work in the field by introducing ‘rural tourism’ at Tinchulay, the first nationally established ‘homestay concept’. NGOs started accepting ‘rural tourism’ as a tool for people’s empowerment.

1996: Helped Forest Department of West Bengal to establish livelihood through rural tourism in the North of West Bengal, which later established as a main tool for conservation. Lava and Lataguri in the North of West Bengal were the first sites. Governments started accepting ‘rural tourism’ as a tool for people’s participation in conservation.

2000: The first model in the Indian Subcontinent involving Government Forest Department, NGO and Help Tourism in Sunderbans as ‘rehabilitation of poachers’ through rural tourism. Also in 2006, the need to get a copyright of the local culture ‘Bonobibir Yatra’ with the local people, HT supported NGO ACT sent the application to UNESCO, read http://www.actnowornever.org/act-letter-to-unesco-on-nomination-of-bonobibi-yatra-of-sunderbans-india-as-tangible-cultural-heritage-of-the-world.pdf, the first of its kind in IP rights from the region.

2003: Again for the first time ‘Terrorist Rehabilitation through Rural Tourism’ was initiated by Help Tourism with other partners in World Heritage Site, Manas, which finally could get rid of the ‘in danger’ tag mainly because of this initiative.

Continuous ‘Cross Border’ Inter-regional Initiatives through establishment of ‘tourism peace parks’, rural tourism festival for establishing cross-border peace and the Shantiniketan Declaration plus Paharpur Declaration are path breaking.

The list continues, but establishes the fact, that these innovative initiatives of Help Tourism have now become a movement for sustainable development through ‘rural tourism’.

Arunachal Pradesh, the easternmost state of India, shares most of her borders with Bhutan, China and Myanmar. A state, which is the home for 29 different tribes, and probably more number of headwaters serving the numerous Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks. One such park happens to be the most diverse National Park of the country, named Namdapha. Again a rich habitat that is the home for 05 big cats and some rich flora and fauna content, some of which is yet to be discovered.

The people who had always lived here from time unknown are the Singphos, Khamtis, Tangsas and Mishmis. The first two tribal communities are of Buddhist belief and the two later ones believe in Nature worship, though large parts of the Tangsa community are now Christians. The Singphos are known to the world for their traditional use of tea, which the Britishers in India discovered and made it a global tradition in an English way. The entry point to Namdapha, Miao and above was dominated by the Singphos till the time the Chakmas came as settlers.

Planting trees for the future school garden

Between the 1950s till the early 70s several people of the Chakma tribal community, who were Buddhists in the forests of Chittagong Hill Tracts of the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh were forced to leave their homes for destination unknown. They travelled from one place to another in Northeast India and finally a group found shelter on both sides of the Noa Dihing River, around the present Namdapha Tiger Reserve or National Park. This was possible because the kind Singpho chiefs took pity on these wandering Buddhist people and also understood that they would be support for the Singpho people in the several forest and agriculture related activities.

The easy access to natural resources, the low density of population of the Singpho community and the connectivity in tribal cultures saw swarms of Chakma people settling in the region to the extent that in a period of 02 decades they outnumbered all the tribal communities settled in that area. This created immediate pressure on the natural resources, a major part of it being represented by the star, Namdapha National Park and a conflict of the Chakmas with their immediate neighbours, the Singphos and to an extent with the Mishmis, Khamtis and Tangsas. It is here when, we as team with Jon Miceler initiated the idea to start with some activities which will create a foundation for Conservation for future. This is the time when IAC (Inner Asian Conservation) supported a Tribal Handicraft and Handloom Emporium along with NCF (Nature Conservation Foundation) being run by a local nature NGO of Miao named SEACOW being led by Phupla Singpho.

The Namdapha Nalanda Nature school under construction

We at Help Tourism and ACT (Association for Conservation & Tourism) took to training some local youth in ecotourism, who gradually established themselves in the field and they became the ears and eyes for the nature there. This is where we understood that the Chakma community has to be mainstreamed as they had permanently settled here, the present children being the 3rd generation. These children have to be made understood that there is a necessity to conserve their rich nature around them. At 8th Mile village, near the M’pen gate in Namdapha, the children went to the primary school which was on the river bank, every season, atleast twice a year, it would either be destroyed by the flood or the storm. The local Chakma society, almost all the families live below the poverty line, with no electricity or road connectivity or even basic facilities. Deep in their heart, they wanted their small children to get some education.

The Namdapha Nalanda Nature school in the midst of green fields in Arunachal-Pradesh

We took the opportunity, we requested all our friends from India and abroad to travel to Eastern Arunachal Pradesh and support the planned Namdapha Nalanda Nature School. A long house with 04 classrooms on concrete stilts, corrugated sheet roofs, sanitary toilets (the only ones in the village) and hand pumped water (again the first in the village) was planned and achieved very soon with the help of our celebrity travel writer friends Stefan and Renate Loose, who in turn put together their friends to support the initiative. Also friends and celebrity Indians, Dr.Sharath Ahuja, Dhritiman Chatterjee and others supported the initiative in several ways. Sharath wants to develop this unit into a regional resource centre. Our English friend from Singapore, Andrew Vigar has taken the responsibility to document the oral stories of the Snghpho and Chakma communities of the area and make a folk resource for the area by sponsoring a teacher from the school, who would teach the children at school and be the resource person for oral stories. The Field Director of Namdapha Tiger Reserve and the local ADC has always been very supportive in regard to the NNN School. The implementing agency has been SEACOW being led by Phupla Singpho and Setai Sena. Ramchandra Chakma, the elderly village head, who had to flee his home in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, had a dream to give good education locally.

Welcoming the guests at Namdapha Nalanda Nature School

Implementation is not at all easy in a hostile area like Namdapha (specially the extreme weather conditions), the regular monsoon floods could be survived, but the mighty storm blew away the roof along with the wooden frame thrice in one year and pushed us to uncertainty, but we managed, as we had promised to live Ramchandra’s dream. Benches low and high for students and chairs for teachers with table have been made, but we are still short. We still have students who sit on the ground. We are also trying making a good nature based curriculum from the teachings of Lord Buddha and relevant to the local nature, other than the State Government curriculum that they follow. In this regard, the Vice Chancellor of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Dr.Ravindra Panth and an expert on Nature Books and Photos from Mumbai, Nelson Rodrigues, has verbally confirmed to help us with the same. Let us all live Ramchandra’s dream while visiting Namdapha.

Note: Please help us with a logo for the school and mail to atishdipankara@gmail.com

October, 2011: Update from the field by Asit after the trip with Andrew Vigar-

Phupla Singpho was extremely supportive. I think he is an excellent partner to work with for the story telling project and the Namdapha school. Phupla has been provided with the voice recorder and he will record Singpho and Chakma stories.

Students, teachers and well-wishers of Namdapha Nalanda Nature school

We visited Namdapha Nalanda School on 21st morning. The half-yearly exam finished the day before yet there was a good attendants in the school. Seventy out of the total 93 students were present to greet and welcome us.

We had an excellent and very lively meeting with the Gaobura Ram Chandra and the local villagers. Phupla explained the background very nicely and was able to convince them to make m’pen area totally free from any kind of hunting activities as a part of the objective and mission of Namdapha Nalanda Nature School.

The school at the moment has two teachers who are from the Chakma community. The villagers collect contribution of Rs.5,000/- per month and pay up their salaries. Andrew confirmed that he would pay Rs.10,000/- per month($ 300) for the next two years.It is most likely that the school will get government affiliation in next two years. I then proposed that the villagers continue to collect their contribution so that with Andrew’s contribution a pot of total Rs.15,000/- per month can be made and the leftover after the salaries paid may be used for petty repairs of the school building. It was also proposed that a skilled teacher be employed against a higher salary if needed to step up the standard of education and the service of the present teachers be continued. The present teachers and the Gaobura and villagers happily agreed to it. They will look out for a deserving candidate from within their community first and then report to Phupla.Phupla will take interview and select the candidate.In case they fail to find out someone from their own community, they will inform Phupla and Phupla will identify a good candidate from Singpho community.The new teacher will be liable to support our story telling project by recording the stories and submit the same to Phupla.He/she will also run a small story telling session at the school for the students.An extra audio recorder has been left with Phupla which he will give to the new teacher when appointed.

Finally: A solid school building, chairs and tables, and regular classes with good teachers.

The school building looks really nice with paddy fields and lot of greenery around. The rooms are well-maintained and tidy. A portion of the roof was damaged in a storm which has been temporarily repaired with thatch/toko patta.This requires a permanent repairing. A portion of brick fencing also collapsed during the storm. This also requires repairing in the interest of the safety of the students. Few more benches are needed and the tube well needs to be repaired. I, without taking your permission, confirmed that we would arrange fund for these repairing works. The villagers and Gaobura agreed to spare one of the four rooms for the accommodation of the new teacher, if appointed from outside m’pen area.

The Gaobura, teachers and the villagers are really excited to meet Raj and Renate and Stefan Loose in November. They expected that Raj would also be coming with Andrew, but were happy when informed that he would be present with the Loose family in November.

Dear Traveller,

for more than 02 decades, people who travelled through us not only brought peace and relaxation to themselves, but also gave a better life to the destinations where they travelled. Without your visits and your valuable feedback we wouldn’t have been able to create and sustain all those new initiatives that came up since.

The 2012-2021 Mission has no logo yet. We have sent out a request to our friends and partners in the destinations to visualise their idea of “responsible footprints”. Who but them knows best what responsible travel means for a place. Then its your call to vote for your favorite logo.

Stay updated about the online gallery and the public voting

For the last one decade we have also followed with great attentiveness the warnings about how our travels have added to carbon footprints and climate change. We are aware that our travel does have an impact, especially if we have to use airplanes. But we feel that a great travel experience should not focus on the guilt of travellers. Tourism is a powerful tool for rural development, social upliftment and empowerment of the local people. Not that everything always was at its best, sometimes because of more greed at destinations the sustainability factor has been cut short. Yet we are proud of the many positive examples for the benefits of tourism. Those examples we want to highlight and built upon.

If you did not travel, you wouldn’t have understood this land or brought benefits for the people here. We all from the Help Tourism family want to thank you for this important support. We have thought of dedicating this decade 2011 to 2021 to Swami Vivekananda, the wandering monk, who through his travels understood this land and connected it to the world. He often said that it is because of his travels, he has found the meaning of his life and accordingly dedicated himself for mankind. He has left ‘responsible footprints’.

We at Help Tourism after dedicating the 1^st one decade in understanding the philosophy of travel, dedicated the next decade to several missions to establish that tourism can do only good, if we can create opportunities. This decade we want to make travel more meaningful for you, help you in choosing ‘responsible footprints’. We have finally realised that it is only you, the traveller, who through your travels can make this world a better place to live in and visit.

Dated the First of January, 2012.   Help Tourism Family

The annual missions:

2000, Visit East Himalaya, East & Northeast India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh

The 2000 mission was followed by

2011 was one of the most important years for Help Tourism Family, where we could directly show to the world the social, cultural and environmental betterment brought about by tourism volunteers. This has given us the confidence to partner with you, the traveller, to dedicate a decade to Responsible Travel.

A travel writers meet in the wilderness setting of North Bengal dedicated o the cause of local empowerment and to all who have completed 50 years of travel writing.

Date: 10thDecember, 2011,        Venue: Chamakdangi Forest Village (20 kms From Siliguri), off Sevoke Road

NCT or Noam, Chel and Teesta represents an area, which is the natural and cultural diversity between the hills and the plains in North Bengal, with areas which were important trade transit centres of the historical to recent past. The Haats or weekly markets then played an important role and the routes connecting them were important. Two such Haats which were famous are Matigara and Oodlabari, which were further connected to the legendary Silk route terminating or starting at Kalimpong. The route from Matigara or even the Darjeeling hills went through the Sukna-Sevoke forests, presently Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and stood at this village of Chamakdangi, west bank of Teesta. From here all travellers had to cross by boat, elephants etc, depending on the water depth and status of travellers. Chamakdangi then was a mixed village of several different communities, was helped to settle here by the King of Jalpaiguri. Crossing to the Eastern bank we then meet an area, which has been formed by the meeting of several rivers to Teesta River, called Gajoldoba, surrounded by the Royal Baikanthapur Forests. These rivers like Leesh, Gheesh, Chel come from the mountains, separating the villages on the high ridges known as Bagrakot, Chuikhim. Yelbong, Barbot, Manabari etc with Oodlabari at the centre.  Hence, as natural corridor these non notified Forest areas connects Neora Valley National Park with Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.

There are several such biological corridors all over Asia, some of them active and some lost with time and several on the verge of extinction. Responsible Tourism Initiatives have in the recent years helped to maintain such corridors with the help of the local residential communities of the area by giving them meaningful livelihood, bringing them out of isolation and confirming more commitment from the local communities in conservation. There is a trend of supporting such initiatives through new forms of travel programs like voluntourism, CSR programs, participatory tourism etc. This trend is being very heavily reflected in travel guides, travel columns, travel magazines, travel programs in televisions and most media being used for travel promotion. Hence, this travel writers’ meet, where veteran International travel writers like Stefan Loose and local like Gouri Shankar Bhattacharya are expected to attend and share their experiences. This meet in the wilderness setting of North Bengal will certainly help to make travel writing and documentation more rooted to the cause of local empowerment. This meet is being dedicated to all who have completed 50 years of travel writing.

Registration details