The Persian stone tablet inscription at the famous Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar ascribed to Sui, Amir Kusrow Dehlavi (1253-1325) very beautifully summarizes the beauty of Kashmir and it goes like this, “If there is paradise upon earth, it is this, it is this, it is this”. (Persian: Agar Firdous baroye zameen ast, hami asto, hami asto, hami ast). Whilst on my visit to Shikar Oudi, looking beyond the myriad of a canvas, I thought to myself, I have come to paradise. The thoughts of Kusrow, would reverberate, if he or his soul ever got an opportunity to visit Shikar Oudi.
The environs, the people, the food, the culture, the stars in the night, the rustic nature of the village, the long snaking roads, the cool breeze, the hospitality (of Mr. Mayur and family) and the chirping of birds, the sudden sounds of animals; the very fact, that if you were looking into a small space in Oudi, you feel and imagine a million eyes looking at you awe-struck, was coherent enough for me to feel, this is God’s heaven. After Mrs. Bhavna Rohet told me the history of the place, I could feel the essence of the place and how the family has helped by various afforestation measures to bring in greenery, thereby the flora and fauna that is come to the place in larger numbers. Don’t, consider Shikar Oudi as an offbeat destination; but it is a destination that is self-sustaining and opens its arms to the visitors to savor the past and the present.
Let us look at the Oudi in the lens of a good destination development Model!
Freeda
Tourism, today, is about quality, about sustainability and about enterprise. The nuances of tourism and its surrogates viz., Eco tourism, Medical tourism, Pilgrim tourism, have evolved over a period. Visitors of today, seek the best and receive the best from the service providers.
Built 200 years ago the Shikar Oudi served as a pavilion from which the ladies of the nobility (Zenana) watched the shikar, or royal hunt. This by itself has brought about a unique selling proposition, a USP that truly becomes a cash cow now and in the future.
Considered a ‘hidden treasure’ by those who have visited the destination; Shikar Oudi provides an opportunity to be one with nature and explore the hidden nuances of a forest area that has been re-generated over decades. The generations of the 20th and 21st century have ensured a movement towards protection, conservation and preservation of nature, which hitherto was non-existent. In the case of Shikar Oudi, Mr. Mayur and family have embarked upon a framework that has helped to bring about a change in the constitution of the area, that was considered by many as barren. A clear proof that, with qualitative interventions and support from the community, one can reach out and help in sustaining a new way of life to an area, that otherwise was bereft of any eulogy. To verify the creation of Shikar Oudi as a destination par excellence, one needs to understand the statement from a verified traveler who has visited the place. Which provides an opportunity for one to understand and proceed to Shikar Oudi to be part of the ‘Moment of Truth.’
A perfect Hideaway:
Shikar Oudi is a magical place to stay and is hard to remember that one is only 1.5 hours from Udaipur Airport. It is an old hunting lodge which has been recently converted and now contains two beautiful suites with exceptional facilities and amazing views over the lake. One is surrounded by a wonderful landscape teaming with Wildlife, which has made Oudi its home. Leopards, Pythons, Neelgai (blue bull), mongoose, peacocks and other birdlife show themselves up as the day passes. The Hosts, our hosts, the owners have provided for all attentiveness of the property, besides, wonderful knowledge of the locales that abound. All in all, it’s a perfect setting……………………….
Shikar Oudi, thanks to the interventions provided by Mr. Mayur and family, has evolved over a period, and slowly but surely comes out of the pages of history as a destination of heritage, culture, environment, wildlife and off course adventure for the uninitiated.
To strengthen Shikar Oudi as a preferred destination, a definitive plan and a framework should be considered that will help one to evolve a destination of choice for the visitor. The framework must blend itself into the requirements of the community, who are an integral part of the milieu and would be considered an asset over the next few quarters, which will ensure a sustainable tourism product in general and an eco-tourism destination in particular.
The way forward:
Adopting frameworks for destination development supports in the cause of incorporating all parameters that are required to create a world class tourist spot. A spot that will create a repeat value for the visitors, and a word of mouth, which is mandatory for any stand-alone tourist destination. Hence, the research team adopted a framework that has worked well for about two decades across the world. Integrating Communities into the Tourism Planning Process, Tourism Management by Simmons (2000) has created many an opportunity for the tourism and eco-tourism administrator to adopt the finer aspects of evolving a destination and ensuring its sustainability.
The fore most question that comes into the mind of a planner is, what type of tourist/visitor will visit Shikar Oudi?
It is clear by its very intent, the planners have created a proprietorship on the front of environment, ecology and wildlife, and a complete focus on eco-tourism and juxtaposed the same with heritage of their ancestors who had been part of the place Rawla Bathera as administrators representing the local royalty. This by itself creates a product that will invite and entice one and all, a product that will attract in the jargon or a tourism professional to the destination that has been envisaged.
Thence, what does the visitor need? Call it adventure, to get a feel of nature, to be part of the Birding eco-system, to see the elusive Wildlife, to angle for Mahseer, to see the beautiful sun rise, to be part of the grind and dust of the community, to understand a sedentary way of the village folks, who are all willing to share their culture and ethos. Shikar Oudi has it all.
To have a rush of adrenalin, the wildlife and the walks will ensure a feeling of oneness with nature. A bicycle trip through the village, will get to one feel the ache in the bone, but will realize how essential that activity would be for one’s life.
There will be some, who will see the beautiful sky in the night and get to ‘star gazing’ amidst the quite of nature, and get to feel, ‘that something (animal) is lurking in the vicinity.’ This itself brings about a change in the narrative, a narrative, that will help on to eulogize to the world once, one comes out with an experience.
This brings the planner to the consonance, as to what type of visitors would like to come to Shikar Oudi? It is clear that, those with a bent of mind of adventure, understanding sustainability, willing to see Wildlife in its pristine; will be the users of a product that Shikar Oudi has to offer.
The Destination:
‘call it exquisite’, Shikar Oudi has it all within itself. The peacocks flying around, a variety of birds in the place; clearly gives Shikar Oudi, the sobriquet of ‘a Birds paradise’. The calls and sounds of the birds itself will ensure a new way of thinking for the uninitiated and for the professional to document the variety of birds; thereby making way for visitors to stay in the destination for a long period of time.
Organizing a ‘Bird Festival’ where Birders will come with their 600 millimeters will be a huge success. Considering that Bird Festivals can be organized for about 50 to 60 visitors are one go (one the property is functional), this becomes a product by itself.
A publication with details of birds in the area, will create ensure Shikar Oudi becomes an Ornithologists Paradise.
Nature walks is one aspect that is liked by every visitor. Provide an opportunity to walk through an identified stretch at a given point of time in the day; with creation of infrastructure like a Machan, a trail that will help one get wary, of the North, South, East and West directions; leading one to believe, how small we are in mother nature, brings about the nuance of an esoteric destination; which is supporting a maximum learning by doing, by walking the walk; which goes a long way in creating a destination with a difference.
Interpretation Center:
An interpretation center which will assuage the History, Heritage, Culture of Rawla Bathera will go a long way to ensure qualitative understanding of the destination, by the myriad of tourists and travelers who will come to the destination, over a period. Tracing the History of the place will create a feeling of nostalgia for the promoters and to the visitors as they will be part and parcel of an era gone by. Recording the glory of the place, and how the Jagirdars who used to hunt, have become Conservationists today, will send a positive and an optimistic word to one and all.
The Community:
Following many a study it has been concluded that “the structure of the community and the divisions within the community are factors that affect the development, management and perceptions of tourism” and off course the tourism product.
The multifaceted nature of a community undoubtedly makes a comprehensive analysis or classification difficult. Yet, at the same time, most contemporary studies pertaining to community attitudes and reactions to tourism have led to the conclusion that, in the process of promoting participatory planning, a community should not be treated as a homogenous group. The Community at Rawla Bathera too brings about a sense of being participative, if involved. However, to what extent the entrepreneurs would like to involve and invoke the community; or are they best left to a photo opportunity; or be part of the tourism product, through the ‘arts’, the ‘dance’, the ‘cuisine’, through the ‘sedentary way of life’, itself will augur well for the tourism system; that always has a sense of evolution, and an experience that will be different for every visitor.
