Trail Blazers - IFAD

Finally, Tara discovered a house used for storing grain that had been locked for
many years. The house was under joint ownership and Tara Singh, one of the
owners, tells me that he was very sceptical at first but an exposure meeting with
ULIPH-UPASaC convinced him. “When Tara Devi explained that my house could
be renovated to make it worthy of a guest house for tourists; I didn’t trust the
idea because we did not know the people, but later after many meetings and
discussions, I saw that many villagers, including me, can make decent money
from this idea.” Singh gave his consent and got the other owners (his brother
and father) to sign a 30-year agreement whereby GPS renovated the house
based on the design outline provided by the Co-operative. Of the total amount,
40% was funded by ULIPH as grant and 60% as interest-free loans. “The best
part was no outside contractor was engaged for the construction work,” informs
Tara Devi, “Local artisans from Supi did the work and since then GPS owns the
guest house.”
Tara presents the Manager of the Supi guest house – Durga Singh. “We have four cooks
today,” smiles Durga Singh, “and we are preparing mushroom soup, jeera (cumin) rice,
channa dhall (chick pea lentil curry), wheat tawa roti (Indian flat bread), aloo paalak
(potatoes-spinach) and vermicelli pudding for dinner!” He shows how well-managed
the affairs of the guest house are. “We keep registers for everything: from the groceries
we buy to the fuel used, from the porters and guides who work here to the tourists who
stay…every single cash inflow and expense is recorded meticulously,” he informs. And
Tara adds, “We encourage our farmers to supply vegetables and grain. By doing that,
we are not just helping them sell their produce but also save them the travel expense
downhill to the market.”
“
“We encourage our farmers to supply
vegetables and grain. By doing that, we are
not just helping them sell their produce but
also save them the travel expense downhill to
the market.”
Sharing his experience one of the guides, Santosh Joshi says, “Some of us work
for other tourism companies when there is a demand for guides, especially when
the seasonal agricultural harvests are over.” Responding to a question on how many
people visit Supi, Purusingh Takur, another guide tells me that close to 60% of guests
come after their stay at Binsar Valley and move on to Jhuni guest house, while the rest
are direct visitors. “There is always one guide assigned to each guest and of course,
porters to carry their luggage,” he smiles, adding, “We take care of our visitors like
guests at our own homes.”
The guides have a 24-hour duty and work on rotation-basis when there are guests.
Tara has always heard positive things from her guests regarding the management
of the guesthouse. She tells me proudly, “This is just the beginning…there are
plenty of traditional houses in Supi and neighbouring villages. We will soon open
more such guest houses to visitors who would love to experience village life up
in the Himalayas!” Thus by opening up jobs and the opportunity for farmers to sell
their produce with the village, Tara Devi has created a self-sufficient sustainable
community.
Guests at Supi enjoying the hospitality and experience.
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