Devdayal Bhatt runs a small tea
shop between Almora and Kasauni. The land from the road to the river belongs to
him. More than tea, he loves to treat people with glasses of cold water, which
he instantly brings from a water source above his shop. He proudly tells his
visitors, drink as much as you want, no where you will get to drink water from
source, we still do not use anything to do with electricity. The river water
moves our wheels, which helps to move the crushing stones to give our flour. We grow and eat all
organic vegetables and pulses, the river water makes everything grow giant
size. He takes out a big size onion and said that this also grew in this land
here. He proudly said that you can take some of our potatoes; Delhi can never have
access to these tasty stuffs. This attitude that our people in the Himalaya
comes from being a part of the sustainable society with their food, clothing
and shelter, which they receive from the forests, rivers and air around them,
supported by a road access and tourism. 
Travelling in the area of Kumaon
and Garhwal Himalaya, for a long time, I did not know how to name this
attitude, till I went for a meeting at the Wildrift Camp at Mukteswar and saw
the organizers of the camp wearing the T-Shirt with ‘Mast Pahari’ printed on
them, yes this is the best term, MAST PAHARI. Tourism has started taking a
front seat in the entire area with every possible turning, village, river bank
or hilltop developing innovative tourism infrastructure like basic camping to
luxury camping, old houses or estate homes being converted into heritage
tourist bungalows, modern hotel building to resorts, every pine, plum and peach
grove added with some tourism accommodation. Most of the regular livelihoods
have been complimented with tourism and has stopped several youths from
migrating to the so called developed cities in India.
Swami Vivekananda, after his
return from America, spent a long time in Almora, where he planned the
Ramakrishna Mission. He strongly believed that all the so called privileged people
of this country, those who have achieved a more confirmed future compared to
their counterparts in remote villages, will be called traitors if they did not
serve the millions back in villages, based on whom the confirmed future has
been achieved. Tourism in true sense has showed a way. I remember Subrata da,
as a bright young urban youth, who could confirm his future in any city of the
world, decided to start the first of its kind of camping in Kumaon Himalaya in
a then very remote place called Munshiyari. Today, we find so many such youths,
who are creating a new future across villages in the Uttaranchal Himalaya,
where they feel that the villages they work with are part of their own. They go
beyond tourism to create social and environmental development in their area of
work.
The Governments at the states or
centre still fail to recognize such efforts. Instead of appreciating these
initiatives, they threaten them with half hearted Government Tourists Lodges,
where being Governments, they occupy the prime locations. When the Wildlife
Sanctuaries and National Park management are handing over the tourism
infrastructure to the private players against a confirmation of enhancing the
conservation process, look at KNVN clinging on to locations like the lodge at
Binsar Sanctuary, which would have not only brought great revenue to the
organization, but also supported the conservation initiative if planned
properly and handed over to professional hands. Sorry, this is an example as I
was discussing Uttaranchal, but the same stands for all the states in India,
including the India Tourism initiatives with ITDC etc.
The time has come to question,
that when we have such strong tools like tourism working at micro levels, do we
really need these mega projects of Hydro-electric power project dams in our
rivers, where we are killing the common livelihoods by killing our river
systems, which has supported millions and created civilizations. A tourist
likes the luxury of lanterns, then the common electric lights. S/He is more influenced
by the local village markets than the urban malls, the local organic food which
is preferred over canned and packed food and above all it is the unspoilt
landscape which will bring the tourists back over and over again, making the
destination another home. Can we deprive the thousands of people, who have
lived through generations along the rivers, through this imperialistic policy
to finish their livelihood and culture by building dams?
Nainital is the most popular
destination in the area. During my school excursion, when I had visited
Nainital then, much of it has changed, except the candle shop, which now calls
itself ‘The Pahari Store’, a must visit, if you are in the lake. In those days,
I could with lot of hardship visit Bhimtal, but recently I was amazed to visit
Naukuchia Taal. It is believed that it is only Arjun from Mahabharata, who
could see all the nine corners through his enlightened vision. Partha, my
friend, who is one of the few Asians to have participated in the White Water
Olympics (Slalom Kayaking) had put me on to The Lake Resort for my hospitality
at Naukuchia Taal. The Resort’s undisturbed forest contributed to the health of
the lake to some extent, but the best part was the bird life and the deer
population in the camping campus was extraordinary. 
The MAST PAHARI people, the fruit
orchards and holy landscape of Kumaon (Devbhumi) with all the legends makes
Kumaon a must visit in the Indian Himalaya.
