Greetings.  I am writing to introduce you to a noble effort in village ecotourism in rural India. It is called the Rural Organization for Social Elevation (R.O.S.E.) and was founded in 1981 by local residents concerned about the plight of the poor in the Kanda area of Uttarakhand, India.  In 1988 it began accepting international volunteers, eco tourists and students.  Since then it has accepted over 300 people from all over the world to work and live immersed in village life and the local culture  for anywhere from 1 week to six months.  It is a unique approach to tourism that supports and uplifts the local community .R.O.S.E. is currently trying to reach out like-minded individuals and organizations in order to form a network to share information and bring awareness to its existence. To find out more about R.O.S.E., the work it does, and the opportunities it provides for tourists please visit www.rosekanda.org &  www.bageshwar.nic.in/excursions.htm

This project has had a number of students over the years who have used this experience to study for their dissertations and even for their masters degrees (mainly from Canada). I was wondering if you could take the time to read about this project and check our awards in the hope that you might promote this to your student unions and even specific faculties that may find this a beneficial opportunity for learning. We have made some major improvements to the lives of people in this community but we can go further with the help of young fresh minds with experience in engineering, computing, ecology, agriculture and more. There are endless opportunities for students to get back down to grassroots and experience life with basic materials and make a direct impact with their knowledge through education.

Most studies by students in the past have been in reference to organic faming methods and the problem with soil erosion as nearly all the surrounding landscape has been developed into farming land for raising crops. Some have educated the locals on the benefits of biogas systems so that methane can be harvested from common waste. This allows the locals to use methane as a source of fuel rather than contributing to soil erosion by cutting down trees.

In order for us to continue going forward it is important for us to attract the correct minds, particularly innovators! Engineers may be able to teach local builders how to improve in their practices and also may have better ideas on alternative energy. We suffer from power cuts regularly and internet is limited to dial up, which is a new thing here also. Any way that we can take advantage of our environment without causing harm to the environment and the local community is a definite direction to go in. Unfortunately with limited knowledge of new technologies and poor access to the proper reading materials we cannot achieve this on our own!

Thank you for your kind attention and I hope you take the time to check out our website.  Please write if you have any questions or if you have any suggestions on other ways we could promote this project.

Yours Sincerely,
Jeevan Lal Verma

I spent about two weeks in Kanda and loved every minute of it. Mr Verma and his family are very friendly, I felt immediately at home after arrival. The food was locally grown and organic, cooked to perfect Kumaon taste by the lovely daughter in law and Mrs Verma. People in Kanda live a very self sufficient life style which I think will be the trend for the future. Mr Verma seemd to …be very eco minded and also a very keen gardener, which I found very impressive.

During my stay in Kanda, I was involved in teaching in the local school, painting the walls of a classroom for a nursery, helping out with cooking, breaking stones for brick making, playing with the dog and cat and making short trips to the nearby town Bageshwar. Everyday I experienced something new. Locally people are very friendly and welcoming that made me feel even more at home.

On Indepence day we watched the ceremony held by the nursary, kids performed singing, dancing and poetry reading and their talents were very very impressive.

I also had the opportunity to visit a family shrine and learn from the owner different religous and cultural facts.

Overall, the experience I had in Kanda can only be discrided as fantastic and unforgettable. Never before had I been so involved in a cutural so deeply and almost in every aspect of their life. Kanda is definitley the place to be if you want real experience of North India.

By Guimin Ma from England
Email: guiminma@gmail.com