Added: Feb 8, 2012

From: tv9kannadanews

Duration: 10:48

TV9 Segment : Picturesque Hamlet of Anegundi Rocks : "Super Stone" - Full...., THE picturesque hamlet of Anegundi, perched on the banks of the Tungabhadra, has many claims to fame. It is steeped in mythology and history. Anegundi is the legendary kingdom or Kishkinda of the monkey prince Sugriva. It is also the cradle of the Krishnadevaraya dynasty of the glorious Vijaynagar Empire and falls in the core zone of the World Heritage Site of Hampi. What's more, Anegundi is a pioneer in the Endogenous Tourism Projects programme. Started 2004 in 36 destinations across India, the programme is being carried out by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Union Ministry of Tourism. Recently, Anegundi added one more feather to its cap. With the help of The Kishkinda Trust (TKT), the implementing agency of Endogenous Tourism in Anegundi, the village has become a role model in heritage conservation and sustainable rural tourism. Under the Rural Tourism Project, programmes are designed to ensure that local people benefit economically and culturally by conserving their heritage. The project promotes and preserves the physical and cultural characteristics of Anegundi village. Local people work for the programme as employees and stakeholders through self-employment schemes. "Preserving vernacular heritage is of paramount importance to us," says Shama Pawar, founder trustee of TKT. "The Rural Tourism hardware scheme provided us with a wonderful opportunity to integrate conservation and empowerment." Old houses lying unused have been renovated and are now earning people an income. "Since Anegundi had several ruined houses waiting to be renovated, we thought of many options to restore and utilise them in a way that would help the tourism initiative become a reality for the village community and an exposure for the visitor," says Shama. "Old unused houses have been restored and converted into business incubators without marring their original beauty.These are maintained and managed by local people on a profit-sharing basis. This has brought joy and pride to the community and an engaging exposure to the visitor." These traditional houses have been transformed into guest houses and rented to tourists, thereby opening up employment opportunities for locals. In keeping with the tenets of vernacular architecture, only local materials were used.The UNESCO Guest House which houses a reading room, was the first historic vernacular building to be rehabilitated. This was carried out by TKT in collaboration with TEMA of Sweden and UNESCO. The building will be handed over to the owner, an artisan, once the lease period expires in 2009. Subsequently, other dilapidated houses have been restored and renovated into guest houses like Peshkar, Champa, Naidila and Ooramma.The crafts shop has a wide range of handicrafts and rural art products like bags made of banana stem and river grass. The vibrant banana-fibre cottage industry here took off after the Women's Self Help Groups (SHGs) participated in several exhibitions across the country. "To enhance the capacity of local artisans we conducted different workshops and seminars to provide value addition to their existing skills. Some of the women were trained in the preparation of traditional cuisine and housekeeping," says Shama. The driving force behind most of these unique programmes for the economic empowerment of villagers is Shama Pawar. The main activities and achievements of TKT are riverside landscaping, beautification of four streets and the village centre, a sculptural garden, development of parks and fencing and improvement of roads within panchayat limits. Streets have solar lights and signages installed in prominent spots indicate the facilities available in the village. Another highlight is an inscription in the village centre in front of Gagan Mahal, a 16th century structure which details the history and mythology of Anegundi. An interesting aspect of the rural tourism project is the display and distribution of books to schools. Storytelling sessions, regular film shows and Panchatantra videos are also organized. TKT's Rashmi Manthan programme was initiated to impart education in the performing arts. The improvement of village infrastructure through a Solid Waste Management (SWM) programme has been initiated with the aim of promoting clean and hygienic conditions. TKT has evolved a strong, scientific approach to SWM practice and given it a new perspective. A place has been demarcated to dump the total waste generated. The villagers have been trained in appropriate waste segregation, disposal of plastics, reuse and recycling of plastic and vermi-composting. To provide clean and safe drinking water to the community, existing water tanks were redesigned to cater to a larger number of people at any given time. Additional taps have been installed and hygienic surroundings created with proper drainage facilities.

Channel: News

Rating: ( ratings)    Views: 61    Comments: 0