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One of the best responsible eco-tourism pags I've seen in years. Mount Abu has its own guardians and saviors. Mount Abu - the adobe of Gods tries to bring forth some relevant issues concerning travel and tourism and at the same time also allows its fans to cherish the many wonders of this tiny hill station. It truly lives the moto of responsible tourism and should be supported by all quarters of society and government agencies in its unselfish and public interest efforts towards bringing the much needed change.

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Mount Abu ignored, once again!!

In all tourism exhibitions across the globe, Rajasthan Tourism has had one distinct feature - Ignore Mount Abu. And that what it has done once again during the "Rajasthan Calling" campaign to be held across India in 22 cities. Along with the colorful embroidery and intricate handicrafts, Rajasthan also offers misty mornings and soothing waterfalls. But who will let the tourist department know? Or is it that they have some policy made which keeps Abu away from all the glory of the State?

Read more..
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No development. No Eco tourism.

"If this is to be a tourist hotspot, which it already is, it needs more infrastructural attention. Even eco-tourism requires a policy framework; it is a mistake to think that developmental neglect will spontaneously produce a pristine environment. A handsoff policy of development is not and should not be treated as a default mode for eco-tourism. Sustainable waste management, for instance, must be a central concern. Where, on an island, can thousands of plastic mineral water bottles be disposed of? Initiatives to address these concerns, channelled through the local panchayats, have yielded little so far." NG Jayal, JNU

Well said professor!! I hope someone listens and further understands the gravity of situation. Similar efforts are needed for Mount Abu too. After the notification declaring this tiny spot on the vast Aravalli range as a Eco Sensitive Zone, it becomes absolutely imperative to put money and time properly.

Read more here http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cyclone-thane-havelock-andaman-islands-eco-tourism/1/167851.html

Tale of two beauties

A tale of two towns, one in Italy and other in India. Both had a cruel end. For the sake of prosperity and in the name of sustainable development these towns today live amongst the dead, beneath water.

Graun village, Italy

The lake is called Lake Reschen and it is the largest lake in the province of South Tyrol, Italy. In 1940, the village of Graun was not able to stop a proposed artificial lake from being built in order to support a hydroelectric dam.

Due to the war, the dam wasn't finished until 1950. When it was finished, they had created a lake that was 72 ft deep and unified two other natural lakes in the area. The consequence was that 163 homes, and 523 hectares of cultivated land were lost! The most fascinating part about this is that you can still see the highest point of the town (a church tower) in the middle of the lake. You can even walk to it during the winter!

Tehri village, India

With water level of Bhagirathi reservoir rising menacingly, one can now only see the historic Clock Tower, built in 1887 in memory of Queen Victoria as well as few remnants of Old Durbar, the seat of the Tehri kingdom. These are the only few remains of what have been left in the town. Old Tehri is indeed history now.

A big lake is forming around the ruins as bewildered residents of Old Tehri gather at surrounding hills to pay last tributes to their town. “We can only mourn for our dying town,” said a despairing Shashi Chamoli, a mother of three, whose house has already sunk into the deep waters of Bhagirathi. And others, who had been settled in and around Dehra Dun, are pouring out their grief by taking out candle-light marches.

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WTF!!

So now a crowded capital city gets an Eco-City tag even before the city has done anything regarding saving the environment!!

http://www.medindia.net/news/Shimla-Selected-by-UNIDO-as-Eco-City-of-India-93284-1.htm


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Kawal to be developed as eco-tourism centre. But are we able to maintain the existing ones?

A new wildlife sanctuary is always a good news to my ears. It raises my hopes to see Mount Abu having its own Wildlife Sanctuary utilised to its real potential. How many Sloth Bear sanctuaries does one come across in this country??

Here, we have an ever growing population of Sloth bears which has increased 10 times in last decade but still is neglected. The increase in number of bears and decrease in the area of their habitat pushes them into the municipal limits which results into unwanted man - wild encounters. Though luckily there havn't been any untoeard incidence till date, but aren't we sitting on it and waiting for a sure disaster?

The Forest department and the Tourism department of the State can plan eco-tourism activities within the sanctuary area in a phased manner with minimum concrete use. Using bamboo and wood and also making solar energy useful here will add to the objective of preserving nature.

Presently, Mount Abu has several eco-tourism sites where one can only see concrete and dried up surroundings due to lack of proper access to natural water supply. Eco-tourism cannot be made a successful induatry by making plans and showing stuff on paper and files. One needs to get real and plan it in a way that you add more activities without changing the existing natural flora. Its time to have more Private-Public partnerships in projects related to developing sites. And there is no scarcity of experience or intelligence on the subject in this country. Only thing missing is the will to put an effort which gives time bound results.

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Navin, the master actor

Acting comes naturally to some and others spend a fortune to learn the tricks. Here is an example of the former. Mr Navin Rana, a born dramatist, works as a chauffeur at Hotel Maganjis, Mount Abu.

Only seeing is believing for his true talent comes in private. With high dreams and distant hope in his heart he always manages to keep a smile on his face.

Hiking at 74

Mr American Tourist (the names' Ryan) didn't need much introduction once he started talking. Slow in pace but quick in understanding, somehow he managed to get along quite smoothly. When I asked what he used to do back home he said he was an Astrophysicists. So I changed the topic before demonstrating my complete ignorance about the subject.
Born and brought up in Chicago he tend to hide his urban life behind his relaxed posture and the jungle attire with a jungle cap bearing Ranthambore Sanctuary on it. At 74 he still managed to climb till the base camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal. I wonder what brought him to this tiny town on a tiny mountain. Then again, love has no boundaries. And his love for hiking must have dragged him here too.