GUWAHATI:
Kindulangso, a self-help group (SHG) founded by Aaranyak, was presented with an award for their exceptional commitment to biodiversity conservation and tourism at the 13th Foundation Day of the Tour Operator Association of Assam (TOAA), held at IORA, Kaziranga recently.
Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) chairman Rituparna Baruah presented the award to the members of SHG – Johnson Engleng, Bobita Hansepi and Jina Rongpipi – who were present in the ceremony on August 8.
Kindulangso was established in 2018, with like-minded individuals and families from the villages of Chandrasing Rongpi, Hemai Lekthe, and Phumen Engti of Karbi Anglong district’s Kohora River Basin (KRB) area near Kaziranga National Park.
In addition to developing homestays, the group has also been associated with the region’s forefront biodiversity conservation organisation, Aaranyak’s ‘Journey for Learning’ programme.
Based on the contribution to tourism, six individuals/groups were selected for the award, wherein the Kindulangso SHG received the award. Currently, they manage eight homestays in the area which can host 26 guests at a time.
Since its operation in 2018, Kindulangso has hosted approximately 148 guests from around the country. Their service and facilities have substantially boosted the ecotourism activities in the Karbi hills, whose exploration until recent years was limited; whereas, the nearby Kaziranga National Park receives a sizable tourist.
With the Kindulangso and other providers, visitors can now enjoy nature tourism and the ethnic culture of the indigenous Karbi community.
During the “Journey for Learning” programmes of Aaranyak, designed to cater to knowledge exchange for students, this SHG provides the participants with an experience of the traditional Karbi food and facilitates them with activities such as the Village and River Walks, Jhum cultivation and visits to the Jhum-fields, and agro-biodiversity of the area.
“We are delighted that the Kindulangso SHG has received the award and hope this serves as an inspiration and motivation for other local communities’ groups to take such kind of entrepreneurial work to promote the region’s rich biodiversity and culture and at the same time supplement their livelihood as well.
For the uninitiated, Aaranyak has been working cohesively with the Karbi community in the district, and this group was formed under the initiative of the community-based Natural Resource Management Programme of Aaranyak.