A tourism venture can claim to be really successful only when it improves the life of the people in its neighbourhood. There are no better examples in North Kerala to lend weight to this view than the Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village at Iringal, near Vadakara in Kozhikode.
Iringal is no longer what it used to be. A couple of decades ago, it was known for the huge rock on the banks of the Kuttiyadi river, near the Mooradu bridge. It is said that Kunhali Marakkar, the fabled naval captain of the Zamorins in the 16th century, used to watch out for foreign vessels in the sea, just two kilometres away, from atop the rock. And many a war against the Portuguese was said to have been fought here too.
The Iringal rock has long ceased to exist. It was razed down for granite in the 1990s. What remains of it are just stumps that stand like icebergs on an ocean, above the waters of the large pond, the absence of the rock has created. Call it irony or a historical U-turn when the art and craft village constructed around these stumps has become an excellent model of responsible tourism in the state. The village developed on 20 acres of land around what remains of the Iringal rock has become a matter of pride for Kerala Tourism.
Set up in 2010, Sargaalaya is now a hub of experiential tourism, where one can not only pick exquisitely crafted products but also experience the subtleties of crafting them. The village is among the first ventures based on the concept of Responsible Tourism in the State. The Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society can take credit for its management. Over the years, Sargaalaya has earned the National Tourism Award for the best rural tourism project in India, besides the South Asian travel awards twice.
To manage a village with 60 huts featuring craft products in a completely eco-friendly manner is no mean feat. Sargaalaya has a footfall of over four lakh a year. During the annual Sargaalaya International Arts and Crafts Festival in December-January, it sometimes witnesses a daily footfall of over 5,000.
The greatest achievement of Sargaalaya, however, is that the local people have accepted it wholeheartedly. They are beneficiaries of round-the-year jobs, skill training and monetary support when necessary. The unit sources all its requirements such as plantain leaf, vegetables, meat, fish and milk locally and thus enriches the local economy.
Sargaalaya is now the implementing agency of the ‘Rural Art Hub’ project of the Department of Culture, enriching the lives of artisans in 22 heritage villages in the State. The problems of each village have been identified and specific solutions have been found.
The way ahead for Sargaalaya, however, depends on the development of other tourism destinations in the region, for a tourist would not want to visit a region for just one attraction. There are many proposals: a tourism circuit project incorporating nearby Thikkodi beach, Kolavipalam mangrove forest, Lokanarkavu temple, Vatakara as a Kalari city, Thacholi Manikkoth, Velliyamkallu adventure trip and a river cruise.
While it awaits approval from the government for those proposals, Sargaalaya plans to add a few more internal attractions, such as light-and-sound shows based on the Vadakkanpattu, the story of Kunhali Marakkar and Theyyam. A terracotta museum is also in the pipeline. They are all welcome steps, no doubt.
If all these come up following the standards set by Sargaalaya, Vadakara could be a major tourism centre in North Kerala, hopefully without harming nature.
(MALABAR MAIL is a weekly column by The Hindu’s correspondents that will reflect Malabar’s life and lifestyle)
