HERITAGE
Rural pulse
RADHAKRISHNAN KUTTOOR
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Aranmula in Kerala, which bagged this year's National Award for Rural Tourism, offers an authentic cultural experience.
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Vibrant tradition: The annual snake boat regatta.
"FAR from the madding crowd and the fast pace of life in the West, here we enjoy a sublime rustic culture and lifestyle which is totally alien to us. Here, we are trying to make ourselves believe that we too can be a part of this rich culture, at least for a short period during our Indian tour," exclaim a group of foreign tourists visiting Aranmula village on the banks of river Pampa in central Kerala.
Aranmula, famous for its metal mirrors, Aranmula Kannadi, the centuries-old Vaishnavite temple dedicated to Lord Parthasarathy and the annual snake boat regatta during the Onam festival season, Uthrittathi Vallamkali, has found a special niche for itself in the world tourism map. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of India have jointly identified this Central Travancore village as one among 32 villages selected for implementing the Endogenous Tourism Project.
Hot destination
The Government of India has also identified Aranmula as one of the five rural tourism destinations in the whole country for promoting the Gurukul concept as part of its cultural tourism promotion programme. Reghurajpur in Orissa, Hodka in Gujarat, Pranpur in Madhya Pradesh and Pochampally in Andhra Pradesh are the other four centres.
Every year, tourists from France, the United States, Australia, Canada, England, Japan, Switzerland and many other European countries come to Aranmula where a French woman, Louba Schild, has been running a centre for arts and culture, Vijnana Kala Vedi, for the past 30 years.
Ms. Louba Schild, who came to Kerala in 1968, started the Vijnana Kala Vedi (VKV) way back in 1976 with a mission to propagate the traditional art and dance forms of Kerala. She has learned Kathakali, Kalaripayattu, Bharathanatyam and Mohiniyattam under the guidance of veterans like Ambalappuzha Shekhar, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Mankombu Sivasanakara Pillai.
"Nowhere in the world could one see such a sublime culture that holds in its fold the richness of family values, simplicity of lifestyle and a mental frame that makes the people here see a divine touch in anything and everything," says Louba.
The steady growth in the number of tourists from different parts of the West over the past decade speaks volumes for the success story of the VKV Cultural Society. Dr D. Babu Paul, former Additional Chief Secretary to the Kerala Government, is its chief patron. "Most of the foreign tourists want to feel the pulse of rural India. People walking barefoot on the roads, the self-imposed discipline at various places of worship as part of the Tantric cult, the ritualistic art forms like Padayani, Theyyam, Column drawing and the soothsayers on the street are all enchanting experiences to a foreigner here," says Ms Louba.
Typical scenes
Elephants walking along the roads with a hefty bunch of coconut leaves tightly-clipped between its mouth and the tusk, mahouts giving the pachyderms a bath in the river, country boats ferrying commuters across the river and countryside toddy shops are all typical rustic charms in Aranmula.
The annual snakeboat regatta in the Pampa, Vallamkali, is a perfect blend of the native craft, devotion, and sports, the memories of which every tourist longs to keep in his/ her mind for years, says Ms Louba.
The 108-year-old Maramon Convention, billed as the largest annual Christian religious congregation in the whole of Asia, is held on the riverbed of the Pampa, about 200 metres upstream of Aranmula. As many as 100 small and medium old temples and churches in and around Aranmula are the other attractions to tourists here.
It is worth noting that the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has recognised Aranmula as a Cultural Heritage Village. The Vasthu Vidya Gurukulam, a State-run autonomous institution under the Cultural Affairs Department for the promotion of traditional architecture and mural paintings is also located in Aranmula.
A different experience
Ms. Louba says that the foreign visitors who come to VKV for learning the different art and dance forms are all praise for the Gurukul system. "To them, the sublime practice of treating the Guru (teacher) as the incarnation of God himself is a new experience and all those who have visited the State at least once are yearning for a second visit to relish this pure experience," says she.
Ms. Tara Fischer, a 32-year-old Canadian who had come to VKV to learn Mohiniyattom and Ayurveda says she learned a lot about the value of tradition and culture from her three-month-long stay at Aranmula. According to Ms. Jocelyne Chua, an American tourist, "there are immense opportunities for direct and intimate access to the various art and dance forms in Kerala, more than in any other State in India. The Sree Parthasarathy Temple, the Gurukulam mural art gallery, river Pampa and above all, the people, with a simple and humble lifestyle, here all contribute to a simply superb experience."
However, Ms. Louba is of the view that the State should provide enough opportunities and facilities for the foreign tourist to interact and understand better the rich culture and tradition prevailing in the countryside, instead of organising stage-managed festivals and shows in the name of tourism promotion.
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