Mr. Rupesh Kumar, the grass root level leader and Mr. U.V. Jose the think tank create legacies of Responsible Tourism for Kerala.
While
Kerala adore with the accolade of ‘Global Responsible Tourism Tag for
Kumarakom’, the veteran warrior played a crucial role for this honor still
behind the curtain. Instrumental behind the glorious stories of Responsible
Tourism, he moves ahead with his silent revolution. In a short span of time he
proved that effective grass root level interventions can make difference in the lives
of people and nothing is impossible with the active community participation. Born
and brought up in a rustic premise, his mind and spirit was enticed by pro poor
struggles and bottom line actions. While
growing, his body and soul naturally adhered to social concerns. He always
thinks about nuances of social development and ruminates on strategies for
people empowerment. He continues with his never ending frisson.
Here
is the story of Mr. K. Rupesh Kumar, a grass root level leader from a pristine
and historic village Vaikom, turned the picturesque destination Kumarakom in to
the ‘first Responsible Tourism destination in the world’. Vaikom, a small
village in Kerala, witnessed multitude of people movement and
struggles. The massive movement Vaikom Stayagraha under the leadership of
luminaries like K. Kelappan, T.K. Madavan, Mannath Padmanabhan against untouchability,
even attracted Gandhiji and prompted him to visit the site, was in Vaikom.
In the background of these revolutions and struggles, Vaikom gave birth to
various grass root level leaders. As Bhagath Singh, the child of Jalian Valabag
massacre, Mr. Rupesh may be the one among them from Vaikom.
Mr. Rupesh was growing with a companion of revolutionary minds. As usual to the village youth, he also became an active member of the village party. His vigor and passion eased his steps forward. He decorated various high end positions in the Student Federation of India and united a chunk of youths with his off heat opinions and finely tuned missions. He was an active campaigner of his party while he was doing degree and M.Phil in the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. His innovative agenda and coordination made him the youngest syndicate member in the University.
Even though he was an active party leader, his mind always worried about the perils of poor. Different from mere politicians he strongly urge for the development of his people. He strived to keep his words by deeds, and he practiced what he preached. He was elected as the Block Member from his constituency and worked hard for the uplift of his fellow citizens. The stringent actions and cut and dry decisions of Rupesh against mining lobbies and mafias made him a pain in their asses. Amidst tensions and struggles, he completed his tenure as a people representative with active people support. When time moved he realized that his mission was in a different line, which forced him to keep himself away from active politics and turned to a full time social worker. Rather than politics his interest was on people, and he was in line with the populace thinking than popular ideals.
The launching of State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) by left government in Kerala enticed Mr. Rupesh. He received the invitation from the Government and joined as a Consultant for its active arm Kudumbashree, a revolutionized venture for women empowerment. The real journey of Rupesh started with the grass root level activities and trial and error experiments with Kudumbasree.
It was
in the wake of his successful missions with Kudumbsree in Kumarakom, Kerala
Tourism decided to select Kumarakom as a pilot destination to implement the novel
initiative Responsible Tourism. The Triple Bottom Line notion of Responsible
Tourism was a window to wide opportunities that triggered the real hero within
Rupesh. In a limited span of time, Kumarakom gained worldwide attention with its
sustainable actions. In between different prestigious awards like PATA, Rural
Tourism Innovation Awards, Best Tourism Product Award, President Recognition,
Ministry of Tourism Award reached his team and even a team of United Nations
(UNWTO) delegates visited Kumarakom to experience the success.
Responsible Tourism is all about ‘creating a better place to live and a better place to visit’. In another words, it envisions a tourism development that maximizes economic and socio cultural benefits of local community and minimizes negative environmental impact of tourism. Ultimately it looks for benefitting local community. The challenging tasks are ensuring people participation, empowering and equipping people especially women, creating a favorable attitude of people towards tourism development and building rapport between community and industry. As a grass root level leader Rupesh effectively achieved all these goals. Along with the visionary Tourism Official Mr. U.V.Jose (Director, Planning and Operations, Kerala Tourism) he planned strategies meticulously.
While narrating the success
of Responsible Tourism it will be an incomplete story if I forget Mr. U.V.
Jose. Mr. Jose is a dedicated tourism official always in the forefront of
planning and implementations in every steps, since from inception. He is a
luminary instrumental behind the length and width of Responsible Tourism
Project. As an architect from School of Planning Delhi, and an MBA holder, he
is an asset for Department of Tourism. His Midas touch was played a key role in
many innovations of Kerala Tourism. I was closely associated with Mr. Jose for
a period of 2 year where I witnessed his strenuous effort and hard work to make
things better. He was scrupulous, fastidious planner, idea rich and a man with
humility and integrity.
Prof. Dr Harold Goodwin, Professor of Responsible Tourism Management at Leeds Metropolitan University where he teaches and researches in the International Centre of Events, Tourism and Hospitality is the key person behind the propagation of Responsible Tourism all over the world. He is in the forefront RT right from the very beginning especially in the area of conceptualization.
From the destination coordinator, Mr. Rupesh elevated to the more challenging responsibility of State Team Leader that gave him more space and command. His consistent effort to build better linkages with people, business and politicians was played a key role in ensuring people participation. Even though I was working with Rupesh, I find difficulty to meet him many times. He spends most his time with people and that was a real reason behind the achievement of his missions.
His keen observation,
perseverance and long term vision make difference in the lives of people. The
life changing story of Sebastin, a carpenter in the village Kumarkom elucidates
his commitment. Sebastin was a leading a miserable life with his family and was
searching for an earning to meet two ends of his life. With utmost despair and
to get rid from the plight of poverty and debt, he was almost in the brim of
committing suicide. The keen observation and interaction Mr. Rupesh saved his
life. Sebastin was very good at souvenir and handicraft making. RT Team
polished his skill and trained him to develop beautiful models and miniatures
of house boats and related crafts. Rupesh made a good rapport between Sebastin
and Resort owners to provide sustenance for this artisan. Now Sebastin earns
around 30-35 thousands per month. There are so many stories like Sebastion are waiting
to say, but time and space force me to cease individual stories.
The Smarudhi shop owns and operates by women members is one of the best working ventures of RT. Samrudhi group procures and supplies vegetables in and around the village. Almost all the major hotels and resorts in the area purchase raw materials from the over 400 local production units in the panchayat. The 22 Kudumbasree vegetable units, 100 family based egg production units, 14 local farmers clubs, and 360 homestead units (Organic Farming) ensured quality and prompt supply. It assumed that at least 1,000 local residents have benefited from the industry – community link-up. Estimates show that total income (directly to community) generated through RT procurement supply mechanism crossed one crore (from 2008 to 2013 March).
Paper bag unit,
cultural groups, pappad making unit, chapathi making unit, community canteen
etc. are some of the innovations from Rupesh. There are 4 canteens in Kumarakom
run by women Self Help Group and each group fetch around 3to4 lakh a month.
The Destination
Resource Directory, Destination Employers Directory, Festival Calendar, Bio
Diversity Register and Community Based Tourism Products are the other brain
children of Rupesh. Additionally he authored three books related to tourism and
community development.
Dhanya Sabu, President of the Kumarakom village council says that Responsible Tourism initiative has transformed their lives. Integrated with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee programme, the villagers have planted 1,500 mangrove plants. Biogas plants are installed in some 1,500 households. Training in organic farming, wasteland cultivation, food safety, houseboat operation and backwater cruising, candle making, responsible driving, virtual learning and life guarding are still going on. She said there are units engaged in supplying milk, yoghurt, banana chips, plantain leaves, and tender coconuts, and making handicrafts, paper and cloth bags and broomsticks
Village Life
Experience Package was a novel Community Based Tourism Product of Rupesh. This
is an endeavor to showcase the village life for visitors thereby benefitting
local people. “Village Life Experience
at Kumarakom” and “A Stay in the Company of Farmers” even enticed officials
from United Nations. These packages are a trip in multiple modes for giving an
opportunity to the guests to experience village life in midst of authentic
cultural and natural settings.
The RT Cell under the leadership of Rupesh mobilized Kudumbasree volunteers to take up paddy cultivation in 85 acres of a fallow land and motivated around 612 homestead farmers to take up organic vegetable cultivation in their courtyards. Some people are doing fish farming, lotus cultivation in their ponds. On the whole, about one-third of the population in the Panchayat is presently involved in the production and sale of agricultural products to tourism industry.
Mr. Rupesh is now in a
mission to make Kumarakom a ‘Zero Waste Destination’. Earlier the effort put by
RT cell prompted the Government to declare Kumarakom bird sanctuary a ‘plastic
free zone’. Efforts of Rupesh helped in promotion of bicycle, renewable energy
sources and mangrove plantation.
His
collective efforts invariably proved that sustainable actions can be replicated
as an effective tool for inclusive development by ensuring positive and
meaningful involvement of the local community and thereby achieve local economic
empowerment especially to the women community. Commenting on the achievement of
Mr. Rupesh, Harold Goodwin, professor at Leeds Metropolitan University and the
director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism said “While Kerala
has made a lot of progress in the economic development of villagers through
Responsible Tourism, it is time for it to set a ‘stretch target’ and take it to
the next level,” People like Goodwin wants to this emulating model all over the
world and they search for people like Rupesh.
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