This summer, city students are giving the city's bright lights a miss, as they head out to rural areas in an attempt to get back to nature.
Away from the noise and traffic of urban life, they are looking to experience village life by staying with villagers and helping them with their daily chores.
Back from a three-day trip to Purushwadi, a scenic village near Nashik, Gloria Salis, a student from Andheri, is glad that she went off the beaten path. "I wanted a taste of rural life and enjoyed the first-hand experience. It was refreshing to work with the villagers, as I helped them catch crabs. It was a great learning experience," she said.
Grassroutes, an organisation that promotes rural tourism, arranges trips to villages like Purushwadi and Kohane, and has activities such as farming, fishing and helping villagers as part of the itinerary. "The idea is to help the villagers make extra income through tourism. The tourists stay with a local villager and are looked after by them. The villagers benefit from this, as it becomes a supplementary income for them," said Inir Pinheiro, director, Grassroutes.
Vardha Kannan, a class XI student, along with her four friends, is planning a similar trip. "I have done all the regular things during my vacation. This time, I want to try something unconventional. A trip to a village to live the life of a farmer sounded more exciting than going river rafting at Hrishikesh," she said.
Apart from novelty of the tour, students don't have to burn a hole in their wallet. A four-day trip will cost a student Rs200 per day. "Since the villages are just four hours away, students travel by public transport. The cost is affordable and students are happy that their money goes directly to the villagers," added Pinheiro.
r_priya@dnaindia.net
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