FOOTLOOSE
Our cities and their stories
SEEMA SANGHI
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This alternative tourism company lets you discover aspects of your city you didn’t know existed…
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Photo: Seema Sanghi
Joys of discovery…
Every place has its stories, one just has to look,” says Vijay Kamalakara, a young entrepreneur from Chennai. Kamalakara, dismayed by the lack of skills in presenting our “Incredible India” to the outside world, quit his office job and founded “Story Trails” in February 2007.
Story Trails is an alternative tourism company which organises walks and short tours in and around Indian cities, focussing on stories behind everyday sights.
Working in an international bank and IT company for over eight years, Kamalakara hosted many foreign guests who regularly came for meetings. It was during this time that he saw the need for the stories of his city, Chennai, to be told in a professional and inspiring manner. “Tourism in India is a commodity. You get a car with a driver who is also your guide. You don’t experience the real life here,” says Kamalakara. What he wants to achieve with Story Trails is that tourists don’t merely visit; they become part of the place and create their own stories.
Story Trails’ flagship trail is the Peacock Trail, which explores the area of Mylapore in Chennai, home to the Kapaleeshwara Temple. Participants don’t just learn about the temple or the area per se, but more about the people and the stories of the place. They can see how temples function, learn why coconuts are offered and speak to the locals. “I was too shy to ask what the dot on the forehead meant, now I know its symbolism,” says Rebecca from Germany, who went on a trail with her company.
Local appeal too
Intended as a business targeted at foreign visitors to our shores, Story Trails is equally attracting Indians, who are as interested in knowing more about their everyday setting. “Our clients have changed from being all foreigners now to about 50 per cent Indians,” Kamalakara says.
What is considered “exotic” for foreigners is often familiar for Indians, but when the storytellers weave their magic, it’s fascinating for all. “Trails are often a reawakening for Indians, while for foreigners it is a ‘window’ into our local customs,” says Akila Raman, Story Trails Manager. She is quick to add that there is never just one story to explain something. The more people they talk to during their research, the more variations they are given. The storytellers therefore, present as many views as possible without sounding too pedantic and are always entertaining.
There is, amongst others, the Mystic Trail, full of stories about occult practices and supernatural beliefs; the Spice Trail gives an understanding of the history and role each spice plays, and the Dancer’s Trail looks at the multitude of dance forms and their stories.
“All our trails are like a performance,” Kamalakara explains. “They are thoroughly researched, scripted and the activities give the visitor an experience they wouldn’t otherwise have, for example, planting some rice in a paddy or sitting on a bullock cart on the Country Roads trail.”
The Country Roads Trail came into existence as many urbanites, though they may have relatives still living in villages, do not get to spend much time there. Guests can play village games, are taught the basic concepts of organic farming. On the trail I joined, the guides convinced us to mix cow dung with our bare hands. I was even able to learn how to drink coconut juice without a straw.
The 15 Story Trail guides, or “story tellers” as Kamalakara calls them, come from various fields: history, retired bankers, teachers, farmers, the list goes on.
Raman says that she got bored of teaching in a classroom and wanted to get out and explore places full of stories. “The best part is the questions, especially from foreigners. I was completely stumped when one asked me why Ganesh’s normal head wasn’t just stuck back on instead of finding the elephant’s,” laughs Raman.
Branching out
After a Country Trails guest suggested children would love such a tour, Storytrails Kids was born, and it’s grown into about 30 separate trails, designed specifically for kids. Trails include: Flinstones Trail exploring the story of people who lived thousands of years ago, using the Museum as a base and the Bazaar Trail about the journey of vegetables into our homes, visiting a market place.
Ten-year-old Mikhail enjoyed the Storytrails Kids so much that he wrote on the feedback: “Outstanding!..May I suggest something — many adults do not know most things, start ‘Adult Trails’.”
And the adult’s trails are expanding out of Chennai into Mumbai and plans are afoot for Madurai as well. See www.storytrails.in.
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