Destination Community Series: Travelling Through Rural India Exploring Madhya Pradesh, The Heart Of India: Culture, History, Nature And Its People

For my first trip to India, I went straight to its heart. Thanks to the hospitality of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB), I was invited to explore the variety of what this hidden state can offer.

When I call it the 'heart' of India, I should add the adjective 'green' to the picture, which made me smile and think about the 'Green Heart of Italy', Umbria. But the comparison ends here though because tiny Umbria, with its 8,456 sq. km, disappears against the 308,245 sq. km of this Indian state, which is also the second largest state in the country.

Among incredibly green scenery are 24 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 11 National Parks and 6 Tiger Reserves, where the country's biggest population of this fascinating mammal lives, hence the nickname the 'Tiger State of India'.

Although it might be internationally famous for its wildlife and biodiversity, my trip aimed to unveil the other beauties that the country has to offer: cultural traditions, music, arts and crafts and also gastronomy. I visited two of its current four UNESCO World Heritage sites, and I cannot wait to share with you what I discovered.

It started in Madhya Pradesh's vibrant and culturally rich capital, Bhopal, with its lakes and quiet surroundings, which deserves another chapter on its own.

I will take you on a road trip around the countryside of this underrated territory so that you can immerse yourself, as I did, in the peaceful environment of rural life - a bliss we must never lose. Last but not least, I will be accompanied by my favourite 'companion', the local communities.

KHARI

Khari is located roughly 33km from Bhopal. It is one of the villages that the MPTB is working with as a part of its Responsible Tourism Mission and eight new homestays have been built next to the owner's homes in the village.

Although they had already started receiving domestic tourists - and they told me they are enjoying that very much - I was their very first international guest, and someone later told me they were rather nervous.

On the first day of my visit, I had the opportunity to interact with several service and experience providers who proudly shared their skills and passion with me. 

Among them was the village pottery artist, Dolat Prajapati whose hands were moving smoothly on the clay, creating the perfect shapes of cups and vases in a matter of seconds.

There Resham Prajapati who was modelling the clay into daily utensils such as plates. As she rhythmically hit the still-malleable clay against the rock she held in front of her body, the plate was suddenly formed. She then smoothed the edges of the plate with a small sharp cutter just to give a more polished look to this future holder of meals.

Kamri Bai Gour, sitting comfortably on a banana leaf, was making a useful organic brush by intertwining strands of long grass.

In the open space, where they gathered on that sunny afternoon to share their knowledge, there was also a man holding a big basket of fresh crops. His posture was composed, and his look was serious. Om Prakash Maran Ji is a local farmer who has been dedicated to organic production since childhood. As soon as I asked him to share the details of the items in his basket, he broke his solemn silence. Within a couple of minutes he had shared profuse details of recipes and plant attributes and looked even more satisfied than I was in receiving that precious information.

Many other village members stopped their activities to open their houses to me and share their stories. One young man showed me the white cast of a pair of tigers' paws which he had collected on one of his walks to the forest to collect wild honey. He had received training as a part of the programme to reduce the human-wildlife conflict in the buffer zone. In Govind Gour's case, he not only learned a great deal about the forest and its rules and conservation needs but he also fell in love with one of its inhabitants: the feared tiger.

While I was watching the kids playing with my spinning top on the small table next to the tiger's paws, some photographs and some delicious wild honey, I had a thought. All those lovely people had something strongly in common; something that defined their features and their approach. It suddenly became very obvious to me how interconnected they were with the earth and the very soil we were standing upon.

LADPURA KHAS

One of the hundred villages chosen by the MPTB for the Rural Tourism Project, Ladpura Khas, has a successful tourism story. Located 7km from the UNESCO Heritage site, Orchha, in the Bundelkhand region, it is one of the cultural zones of the RT Mission, and in 2021 the village was recognised as one of the Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO).

There are currently six homestay accommodations in this community and I had the chance to visit them all and to stay in one of them.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

What impressed me, more than the peaceful and beautifully decorated houses, was the inner strength and the empowerment of the women I met there.

The warm and kind sisters-in-law, Rekha Kushwaha and Kamla Kushwaha, Uma, the farmer, Nirmala, the first e-rickshaw owner and driver of the state.

I took some beautiful pictures of her driving her vehicle and I tried to capture a glimpse of the pride and empowerment I witnessed when she introduced herself to the group of workshop participants. She was hiding behind her understandable embarrassment of suddenly becoming the centre of attention in the room. As soon as she started speaking, the initial shyness and reluctance to take the mic dissolved. When she gave up her resistance and accepted my invitation to share her story, her words - and the power with which they were delivered - gained her the ovation of the listeners. I took a ride on her e-rickshaw from one homestay to another in Ladpura, and I could not help feeling the joy in her words and the rise in her self-esteem, especially when we passed other villagers on the road.

(Read more about Women Empowerment in MP in my latest article for Equality in Tourism )

ART ON THE WALLS

The women's acquired ownership of their lives through tourism, which is heartwarming and beautiful to admire, is complemented by the talent of local artists in a region with a long and rich cultural tradition.

During my stay in Orchha, for the second programme of my Community Storytelling workshop for MPTP, I received lots of gifts of artworks that now shine on the walls of my house.

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