Engineer that changed a tribe | Fusion - WeRIndia

In Odisha, there is a beautiful valley by the name of Koraput.

It is a place where many tribal people live. However, opportunities and connectivity are low here.

One man took it upon himself to change the livelihoods of these people. He is Yugabrata Kar.

With his ecotourism initiative, Desia, the face of the local tribes in the valley has changed for the better.

 

Kar, who is an avid traveler visited these villages long ago. He noticed how the technology explosion has resulted in destruction of local culture.

Furthermore, he saw that the methods used by local tribesmen were outdated and hence their livelihoods were tough.

He wanted to change both of these problems.

Kar was trained in rural tourism and has experience as a tour operator.

Using his expertise, he set up an ecotourism facility at Lamtaput in Koraput Valley.

The reason for setting up an ecotourism facility is to conserve the environment and local culture as well provide employment and livelihood to people there.

He called this project Desia. He started it by saving his own money and then taking a loan.

It was hard to get the trust of the locals at first.

Kar organized participatory camps to encourage the tribes.

Ten local tribe youth were given training in hospitality and tourism.

He even established pre-schools to educate children.

With the help of experts, women were given training in making handicrafts and traditional jewellery.

These were made to be sold tourists.

 

Desia slowly expanded and today it spreads over four acres.

It is a great tourism spot to experience the local culture.

The ecotourism facility has modern amenities and comfortable rooms in the style of loca culture.

This encouraged many tourists.

As a result, the livelihoods of people here improved quickly. Tourists can do various activities here like trekking, hiking etc.

They can also learn about local craftsmanship.

Image Reference: ThebetterIndia