Shama Pawar - Founder of The Kishkinda Trust 1997 and niece of former Union Minister Sharad Pawar, is, quite literally, a tiny bundle of unfathomable energy.
Originally a painter, Shama, who now calls Hampi her home, has dedicated her life to the socio-economic well-being of the people there. DC spoke to Shama about her journey as a conservationist and social leader through 2013 at Hampi and her plans for the year ahead.
Shama says 2013 brought with it a good deal of optimism. For the first time, the tourism ministry and the chief secretary have shown a real interest in involving the community as the main stakeholders in the tourism industry.
Hampi has come a long way. “In 1995, it wasn’t the sort of place travelers would seek,” says Shama. Today, the interest generated both from the locals and from tourists everywhere is enormous.
That there is more to Hampi than a bunch of monuments is evident. “As a conservationist, I feel some kind of justice has been done to this site, but still there is a long way to go,” she said.
The Kishkinda trust was begun with the intention of generating human capacity in tourism projects, creating awareness and portraying examples of how conservation and business incubation can help the local community.
The trust continues to work on promoting tourism without disturbing the site’s ambience, pristine landscape and serenity.
The trust hopes to become a trend-setting conservationist group
According to Shama, Hampi in 1995 was a very ‘difficult place.’ There was a lot of crime on the streets, for one.
Things are different now. Local communities have engaged themselves in tourism services, so they have found harmony in what they do and are proud of Hampi’s rich heritage. “Locals are confident that if they maintain the site well, they can cash in on it,” says Shama.
“Locals here are willing to participate and are so eager to involve themselves in this project. There will soon be enough business incubators here to promote conservation” she added.
Kishkinda Trust is all set for a new concept in 2014, in the hope hopes that they will get support from the concerned offices.
They want to take the restoration and incubation efforts to a whole new level.
The trust has identified 104 households in Anegundi that are willing to avail a loan and develop themselves as business incubators.
The model of restoring historic houses and converting them into tourism oriented business incubators are done with minimal interference with the natural landscape.
After the loan is repaid, the original owner becomes the sole custodian; he can either move in there or continue with the business.
She recognizes that there is more to Hampi than its monuments, its magnificent landscape deserves care and attention too. Or, as she likes to put it, infusing life into infrastructure.
