Mande KUI DINA SANJANARI (Our kui world is so beautiful)



In this photoessay, Nabjit Nayak, a member of the Kui community, speaks to his insights on ecotourism.





Najbit Nayak







For the first time I heard the word ecotourism 5 years ago. Mandasaru Nature Valley, 10 km from my village, was made an ecotourism spot by the government. After this happened there, the people of those villages got employment. When people came, we also liked it, but people came there,started throwing food packages, throwing bottles, and we did not like that. But here people from outside have also opened hotels and they are selling fast food. This food is not nutritious and even the tourists would not like it. I was thinking that such a system should be developed so that tourists stay in the homes of the local people as paying guests. And also eat authentic food, see the lifestyle of local people and experience nature and also go for a tour.







My village, Raikia, is a small village in the Kandhamal district of Odisha. It is a panchayat where the population of the Kui community is more. Raikia's name was earlier Raikando, which was in the Kui language. Raikia got its name from a tree. There are two weekly local markets held on Mondays and Fridays, called Aata in Kui. People from nearby villages go for weekly shopping here.







This beautiful mountain is called Salpa Kuti and it is near my village. This marvelous photo is taken from the top of that mountain. There is greenery everywhere and it includes Salua gaccha, Salpa gaccha, Jangali phula, Jangali ghasa, Khajuri gaccha, Mahula gaccha, Desi amba gacha, haladi, mandia and dhana. The sky looks picturesque from here.







The people of my village come forward in the development of the village. There is a village gaon kalyan samiti in our village and Self Help Group women are part of it. A cleanliness program was going on in the village. This cleanliness program keeps happening in between. This picture shows 2 things which are democracy and women's participation in the development of the village.







The people of the village make cleaning materials from natural resources. This is an elderly person making a broomstick from coconut leaves. Here elderly people are more workaholics. They also sell this broomstick in nearby markets.







This is the old well of our village. The people of the villages are dependent on the water of this well. Sometimes animals also fall in it. The cow had fallen in the well, and the fire station staff is lending it. This is a scene which shows humanity.







It's rice and desi chicken. The food is served in a sal tree leaf. That day's food was very tasty. This is how people of our village eat food.







This is a newly famous spot around my village called G.Udayagiri. New destination for all age people. One needs to be here to experience and feel amazing landscape, fresh local food, and after all the ever smiling local people. Here you can choose to come any month.I last clicked this photo before coming home from that place.We could see the sunset that day, it was very beautiful.





I want people to know our villages. Our villages are also perfect for ecotourism. The people of the world also know the secret places here. I hope we start ecotourism in our village. It will become a way of employment for the local people and the whole world will experience our rich Kui culture.