‘Telling local stories & protecting forests.’ Guides from tribal communities lead TN’s tourism drive

Of about 230 guides working for Trek Tamil Nadu, 70 percent are from indigenous communities. Their other responsibilities include documentation of flora & fauna in off-season.

Some of the guides roped in by the forest department for the Trek Tamil Nadu initiative | By Special Arrangement

Chennai: With a trekking pole, a backpack and a walkie-talkie, R. Babu strolled through the slimy rocks and tall trees of Baraliyar, a fragment of the Western Ghats located 9 km away from Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district. Wearing a grey T-shirt, cap and camouflage pants, the 38-year-old led a group of 15 people, who cautiously followed each step and instructions of Babu and his colleagues.

Formerly working as a daily wage labourer earning Rs 600 per day, Babu has been working as a guide for the Baraliyar trek since 1 November. Offered a monthly salary of Rs 12,000, the Irula tribal man says he likes his new job better though the money is less.

“Earlier I was wearing a veshti (dhoti) while going to work. Now I have a uniform. People are respecting me and are listening to what I tell them,” Babu says.

The forest department selected Babu, a resident of the nearby Kallar village, as the guide for the ‘Trek Tamil Nadu,’ an initiative launched by the Tamil Nadu government to promote responsible tourism and trekking. Managed by the Tamil Nadu Wilderness Experience Corporation (TNWEC), the initiative allows enthusiasts to register for their favourite treks across the state.

Babu is among the total 230 guides, of which 70 percent are from the local tribal communities, says Chandrakanth R, Trek Tamil Nadu’s project coordinator. There are 25 women guides in this group.

Chandrakanth says the guides were selected after a five-month-long training of 573 participants on hospitality and the initiative. “There was no filtering (of candidates) based on educational qualification or age. The only thing we wanted to make sure of was that they are interested in doing the work.”

A group of trekkers with their guides | By Special Arrangement

He says the guides are employed in maintenance, cleaning as well as documenting the flora and fauna of the assigned trek for the forest department when there are no trekking activities.

Vismiju Viswanathan, head of the Wilderness Corporation, tells ThePrint that the guides undergo training once every week on biodiversity and on first aid and rescue as the corporation is simultaneously planning to include more components, including the availability of an ambulance in the foothill for trekkers in case of emergencies.

“The guides are telling the story of the forest that they live close to, which is enabling cultural exchange. And now, we are giving the land to them for protecting it,” Vismiju says, adding that ‘properly curated walks’ boost the forest conservation efforts with increased participation from the local communities.

Taking it forward

Nearly 45 km away from Baraliyar, Punithraj M. is happy to receive a steady income for the first time. After finishing his 12th standard from a government higher secondary school located 20 km away from his house in 2018, the youth was helping his father farm flat beans that were often ravaged by wildfire and animals.

Hailing from the Irula community, the 22-year-old is one of the six persons selected from his village as the guide of Sembukarai-Perumalamudi trek in Coimbatore.

“I have been walking through this forest since I was a kid, so it doesn’t feel like much work. I know the land,” Punithraj says, adding that he used to accompany devotees from the nearby villages as a child to the Perumal temple up the hill, the same trail as the trek.

The youth says he feels happy to share the knowledge he has about the flora and fauna with outsiders. He says he registered for the job after the local forest guard informed the villagers about the opportunity to work as guides for the forest department.

The 9km trek to Perumal Mudi peak takes nearly 5 hours through evergreen forest and rocks and is included in the ‘moderate’ category. The other categories are ‘easy’ and ‘tough’, a classification done based on the difficulty and time requirement for completing the treks. There are 40 such treks at present.

According to the Wilderness Corporation, the initiative saw the registration of 703 participants as of 26 November. Trekking is usually done on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in all seasons, except peak summer due to the danger of wildfires.

Vismiju says the participants are given booklets explaining the story of the treks and souvenirs and light refreshments, including snacks and water. The cost of registration is between Rs 500 and Rs 5,500 per person depending on the trek.

The Wilderness Corporation head adds that his office plans to reduce the cost for kids to ensure more participation.

“The department will be collaborating with educational institutions. We are also receiving enquiries from social media influencers and other tourism agencies for collaboration,” Vismiju says, adding that a decision will be taken soon.

(Edited by Tony Rai)