___________

Following are excerpts from a beautiful Forbes India piece by Mindtree CEO Subroto Bagchi.

… it is called Dangamal.

This is a tiny village bordering 672 sq. km. of luxuriant mangroves that are home to the giant Indian saltwater crocodiles. It is an unbelievably beautiful and relatively un-spoilt place. There is the usual forest rest house here, but for the real enthusiast, there is tented accommodation of commendable quality run by a first generation woman entrepreneur named Sanghamitra Jena. I am here to see her.

… After some years, when we came back to Bhubaneswar, I contacted the government-run tourist office to check if they ran courses for would-be tour guides. There was a three-month course coming up and I signed up after paying a fee of Rs. 200.

… But how did you end up becoming an entrepreneur?” I ask. “It was a story of adversity,” she says. “After many years in the same organisation, I had to leave because of disagreements with a new supervisor. For a moment, I was at the crossroads. To my surprise and delight, it led to a flood of offers from other tour operators who had known my work. Seeing that, I told myself that these people are reaching out to me because they have confidence that I could bring them business. So why wasn’t I doing it for myself?

“I had a saving of just Rs. 40,000. I bought a laptop and started sending mails to people I knew from a cyber-café. Eastern Treasure India Tours was born. Clients started coming, I took them on my off-the-beaten track tours to not just places in Orissa but also Pelling, Gangtok and Kaziranga. Word spread. Business grew. Then one day, I felt I should have a product that enables the nature-lover to enjoy a place like the mangroves of Dangamal by living in a completely rural setting. So, I came to this village and I leased a plot of land for five years. I started a high-quality, tented accommodation, complete with Western-style toilets and clean food in a completely rural surrounding. I built a make-do Web site so people could check out the options and pay online.”

… I am not in Mumbai or Bangalore. This is Orissa. This is not a land of enterprise. For girls, there is a cul-de-sac called marriage. Yet, here is Sanghamitra who has built a business in the middle of nowhere.
Before we leave for the creeks to see the giant crocs basking under the mangroves, I ask her the size of her business this year.

She is bashful for a moment. Then she replies, “I will touch a crore this year”.

Tathya.in also has a nice article on her at http://www.tathya.in/2009/story.asp?sno=3724.

Links:

• Website of the Eastern India Tours mentioned in the Forbes article: http://easternindiatours.com/index.html.
• Website mentioned in the tathya.in article: http://www.bhitarkanikatour.com/
• Website mentioned in http://www.bhitarkanikatour.com/: http://treasureindiatours.com/
  

The blog http://www.junglediaries.blogspot.com/ by young wild-life enthusiast Aditya Panda has several beautiful postings about his trips to various jungles and wild-life habitats. It covers many of the ones in Orissa. Excerpts will not do justice to his wonderful writing. So here are some links. Please pay a visit.

• Paradise Lost? A Similipal Story.
• Promise keepers: protectors of Antelopes in Ganjam need help.
• Satkosia’s tigers: A new ray of hope.
• Bhitarakanika.
• Mixed emotions in Chandaka.
• much more.

I finally decided to visit the Chandaka-Dampada Sanctuary which is adjacent to Bhubaneswar. We entered the sanctuary through the Godibari gate.

The above sign was visible from the road.

The above is the outer gate to the sanctuary.

The inner gate is beautifully made.

As soon as you enter the gate the above is the view of the forest with a dirt road bisecting it.

Looking back at the gate one can see the moat and the mechanism to prevent the elephants to get out. However, the elephants do get in and out of the sanctuary through other gaps in the boundary moat.

The dirt road has signs to a few destination points; the first one being the Kumar Khunti watch tower.

On the way we pass through an old structure that was part of the fort of the local king.

The above is the view from the top of a watch tower looking towards the dirt road that took us there.

In the other direction there is a lake.

About 100 yards from the watch tower there is a man made salt mound to attract the elephants.

The watch tower is a four story structure with two bed rooms in each of the second and third floors. Guests can stay there overnight. We peeked at the bath room. They looked clean. Near the watch tower there are huts where some staffs stay. The staff bring water to the watch tower rooms  and cook food for guests.

The above is a closer view of the salt mound.

Ambilo watchtower and Dampara gate are two other landmarks. Note the distance; 20 kms of forest road to the Ambilo watch tower. The whole sanctuary is 193 sq kms, almost as big as present day Bhubaneswar city limits.

With the dirt road giving us the view of only a very small part of the forest we did not see many animals. Above we saw  a few jungle fowls.

We also saw a few jungle peacocks.

This is the lake made due to the Deras dam.

Near the lake there were nicer guest houses. The elephants don’t come here. Hence they are not elephant proof.

The view of the Deras lake is beautiful. But it was getting dark. So I could not take very many pictures.

As it was getting dark and we did not have plans to make an overnight stay, we could not visit the Ambilo tower. We got out through the Kantabada gate which is near the Dearas dam.

The following map is from http://www.wildlifeorissa.in/map.html.

Following is an excerpt from a report in Travel Biz Monitor.

“We have adopted this system from places like London and Berlin. Instead of a conducted tour within and outside the city, we will introduce tailor-made sight-seeing options.” The state plans to operate five coaches at a time, covering a minimum of 12-13 destinations. There will be a minimum of 10-15 minutes between each coach’s departure, in order to provide the traveller with ultimate flexibility. One day’s ticket will be issued for travellers who want to enjoy the destinations of their preference.

Conducted city tours were an important revenue-generator for Orissa Tourism. However, they have been converted into the coach service to cater to a growing demand for tailor-made packages, around the globe. “As we have started catering to a large number of international tourists, we had to resort to made-to-order services,” adds Rath.

With an aim to garner additional global business, Orissa Tourism also plans to appoint STPOs across the world, to promote Orissa as an international tourist destination. Rath claims that Orissa Tourism already employs a large number of travel agents and tour operators to sell Orissa packages. However, it is now looking to appoint non-resident Oriyas to promote the state’s tourism.

The STPO scheme will be launched on an experimental basis to garner additional employment opportunities. “We believe that the Oriya community spread all over the world will be instrumental in adding that personal touch to our state’s tourism. Although, the STPOs will not be on a payroll basis, commission against the volume of business generated will be attractive,” says Rath.

Without reading the caption, try to guess where this picturesque setting is? It is not in Koraput, Similipal or Satkosia!

It is in Deras, Chandaka.

We earlier wrote about this in http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/?p=92  and http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/?p=69. Following is from a news report in New Indian Express.

As part of its major activity on the silver jubilee year, Chandaka Dampara Sancturay authorities have geared up on the eco-tourism front with more community involvement plans.

The sanctuary has seven tourist routes through which the nature lovers can have a glimpse of some of the 600 plant species, conduct floristic studies and watch the animals including elephants and leopards. The tourist routes of 20 and 30 km length are permitted with vehicles and guides so that the visitors can discover the charm of the wild world.

The routes touch places like Godibari, Kumarkhunti, Kheluachua, Mahuriabadi, Pitagadia, Deras, Ambilo, Saurabila, Mantu hilltop, Chandinimundia, Kuasara and Bhimakhal. But plans are on to develop five ‘nature trails’ in the sanctuary involving Deras bamboo hut-Chandinimundia and back, Deras- Gadhari-Jhumka and back, Jumka- Kheluachua-Dantaria foothills and back, Jhumka-Gadhari and Deras along the reservoir and Chulimundia-Bhimakhal-Kuasara and back, says DFO Akshaya Pattanaik. The trekking inside the sanctuary, including eco-walk, cycling and nature education trips for schoolchildren, would be taken up commercially this year. Also the WWF-India will help in getting literature on select species of flora and fauna of the sanctuary which would be supplied to the children free of cost, he added.

Watch towers with two suits each would be arranged at Kumarkhunti and Ambilo for the trekkers who want to stay put in the sanctuary to enjoy nature from close quarters. The watch towers at Kochilaberena, Mantu hilltop and Pitagadia are also being spruced up for the purpose, the DFO said.

All the eco-development activities are being executed with the active support of ‘‘Bhagabatipur- Manee Sahi Eco-Development Committee’’ at Deras. The ecodevelopment committee is also involved in keeping the environment of the sanctuary clean, especially at tourist spots and it would also get a share of the money earned through these eco-development activities so that the members can continue their good work, Pattnaik adds.

Besides, there are three revamped picnic points near Deras forest rest house which can be used for recreation, amusement and relaxation along with the nature education and to ease off stress in the lap of nature.

The planned Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Choudwar metroplex will have a ring road with NH-5 consisting one part of it with the other part to be constructed. The other part will start from south of Khurda and go through Haladia, Athagarh and Nergundi (a bit south of Tangi). A detailed map of this new road is here. Inside this proposed metroplex will be the Chadaka-Dampara sanctuary. Below I give maps of Bhubaneswar area and Mumbai area to show the relative size of the Chandaka-Dampara sanctuary and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park that is part of the Mumbai metroplex. Both maps have the same resolution. Recently, there is plan to popularize the Chandaka-Dampara sanctuary among the local people. Following is an excerpt from a report in the New Indian Express.

According to divisional forest officer (DFO) and wildlife warden Akshaya Kumar Pattnaik, there are plans to popularise the various spots of the sanctuary among the nature lovers as many in the Twin City are still not aware.

The nice bamboo hut and watch tower near Deras Dam with one and two suites available respectively overlook the channels and drainage system of the water source which provides lifeline to the Mendhasal agriculture farm.

The Kumar Khunti and Ambilo watch towers also have got accommodation facility.

“Plans are on to have small wooden restsheds to accommodate the nature lovers who will come on bicycle rides and can stay overnight as practised in in the West and some well managed reserves in several parts of the country,” Pattnaik reveals.

A visitor can also have the panoramic view of Mahanadi from Mantu Hill Top and enjoy the small fall near Godabhanga Tangara in the rainy season. The caves below the fall are home to hyaenas, he adds.

Apart from wildlife, the ancient forts at Bualigarh and Chudanga can be explored which have great archaeological value, the DFO says adding an interpretation centre is on cards with a fodder demonstration centre, small herbal garden, souvenir stall and snacks parlour at Godibari entrance of the sanctuary.

Though more than 10,000 visitors visit in a year, the DFO feels the number should go up considering the charm of the jungles, especially when one can enjoy the coastal sal range from Kochila Berena watch tower.

Mumbai

Following are some links that I collected in my site “Fun/Culture/Shopping/Tourism in Orissa”.

• Puri is the 2nd most popular destination among Indian tourists
• Orissa Ecotourism: DEERS Bhubaneswar
• Shopping, Malls:
  • Big Bazaar, Forum Mall, Opposite Ram Mandir, Bhubaneswar. (Includes a food Bazaar)
  • Big Bazaar, Patia, Bhubaneswar?
  • Big Bazaar in Cuttack?
  • Maruti Corner (has a Food Bazaar), Patia (near KIIT), Bhubaneswar.
  • K-Lounge (killer jeans, etc.), Bhubaneswar Ref: [1]
  • Mall mania grips Bhubaneswar: Times of India, 29th March 2006.
  • More on Malls in Bhubaneswar: TOI, Sept 23, 2006
• Happenning place:
  • Sandys square, Bhubaneswar : Habib’s Fair and Beauty unisex saloon, Cafe Coffee Day chain, Smokin’ Joe’s pizza, Niknish Gift Shop, and Sparks pub (with a dance-floor, jugglers, heavy lights and full-time DJs)
  • Other party places
• Nightspots:
  • Disco at Plaza Club, Swosti Plaza, Bhubaneswar.
• Golf in Bhubaneswar
• Sports entertainment:
  • Rourkela Steelers (tier II PHL team): [1]
• Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) (editor’s comment: lots of interesting tours. [1])
• State tourism department ( Orissa tourism destinations: Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Berhampur, etc.)
• Orissa Tourism site
• Destination Orissa
• National parks, Ecotourism, and Wild life in Orissa: elephants, tigers, sea turtles, birds at Chilika lake, crocodiles, mangroves:
  • Chandaka Elephant Reserve: [map], [1]
  • Nandan Kanan Zoo: [Ref:Nandan Kanan National Park?], [An article in Orissa review June 05]
  • Chilika Lake: tourism, bird sanctuary, dolphin sanctuary (announced)
  • Bhitarakanika National Park; more
  • Gahirmatha Turtle Sanctuary. [1]; [2]; [3]; [4]; [5].
  • Similpal National Park; more
• Cultural Festivals: [1], [Swosti Group's list], [Festivals galore]
  • Parab, Koraput ([1]
  • Konark Festival, Konark: December 1-5 (since 1990) ([1], [2], [3], [4] )
  • Buddha Mahotsava, Dhauli Hills: Dec 9-11.
  • Dhanu Jatra, Baragarh: 7 to 11 days preceding Pausa Purnima in December-January ([1], [2], [3])
  • Srikshetra Utsav, Puri: December 14-25
  • Ekamra Utsav, Bhubaneswar (in Ekamra Haat): January 6-15
  • Mukteswar Nrutya Utsava, Mukteswar Temple, Bhubaneswar: January 12-
  • Kalinga National Martial Festival on Dhauli hills (near Bhubaneswar): Late January
  • Kharavela festival, Bhuvaneswar: Early February
  • Rajarani Music festival: Feb 26-28.
  • Jagannath Ratha Yatra: July
  • Golden beach festival, Chandipur-on-sea, Balasore: November 11-13. ([1] )
  • Sangam: an annual dance festival on Teacher’s day (Sept 5). ([1] )
• Beaches: [List 1]; [List 2];
  • Chandipur beach; Balaramgadi beach; Kasaphal beach.
  • Gopalpur.
  • Puri.
  • Balighai, Puri.
  • Ramchandi. (near Konark)
  • Talasari. (near Digha in West Bengal). (Editor’s comment on 7/26/05: Orissa should make a *good* road to this beach accessible from NH 60 — between Kharagpur and Balasore, through Orissa. This will provide an alternate route to Digha, the only decent beach in West Bengal. Also this beach area should be developed into a nice upscale beach resort.)
• Museums and Galleries:
  • Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Bhubaneswar ( See bottom part of page 4; National museum and other 2 regional museums)
  • Orissa state museum, Bhubaneswar (history and evolution of the museum)
  • Regional Science Center, Bhubaneswar (major science museums in India )
  • Orissa Modern Art Gallery, A-17/8 Surya Nagar, Bhubaneswar. ([1])
  • The Handicrafts Museum, Secretariat Road, Bhubaneswar
  • Museum of tribal arts, Bhubaneswar: [1]
  • Archaelogical museum, Konark
  • Balasore Branch Museum
  • Baripada Museum
  • Belkhandi Museum PO Kalra Munda, District Kalahandi Belkhandi Orissa India
  • Berhampur Branch Museum
  • Dhenkanal Science Center
  • Tribal museum, Koraput
• Lakes, Boating, Water sports, Hot springs: Besides the beaches, Orissa has several lakes and reservoirs, some developed and others virgin.
  Editor’s comment on July 26′ 2005: Orissa should go in a big way in developing these water bodies for tourism purposes, especially the ones which are close to well-connected cities and towns like Sambalpur and Rourkela. Orissa should borrow ideas from the Aswan reservoir in Egypt, Lake Powell in Arizona/Utah border of the USA, Lake Meade in Nevada USA, etc. Not many people in India (and for that matter Orissa), know about the various water bodies mentioned below (except Chilika lake). Orissa should develop appropriate infrastructure, and promote Rourkela and Sambalpur in regards to Mandira reservoir and Hirakud reservoir respectively.
  • Google earth images: Balimela, Kolab, Balimela-Jalaput-Kolab, Satiguda, Satiguda-Balimela-Jalaput-Kolab, Indravati, Hirakud, Rengali, Mandira, Chilika, Bhitarakanika, Chandipur, Chilika-Puri-Konark-BBSR, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Mahanadi, Hirakud and Rengali in reference to BBSR and CTC.
  • Chilika Lake (somewhat developed, approachabe on NH5 from Bhubaneswar and Berhempur, allso approachable from Puri through Baliharchandi and Satapada.)
  • Hirakud reservoir: very close to Sambalpur, man-made but huge reservoir built-up due to the Hirakud dam. (Ref: [1], [2], [3:wild-life], [4:power] )
  • Balimela reservoir: made for the Balimela power station, 25 km from Malkangiri, 15 km from Chitrakonda, not well developed, near Jeypore.
  • Satiguda Dam: 8 kms from Malkangiri
  • Jalaput (Jolaput, Julaput) reservoir: about 80 km from Koraput on Koraput Vizag line, not well developed, near Jeypore. (a description is at this site.)
  • Mandira reservoir: very close to Rourkela, made by the Mandira dam.
  • The reservoir due to Rengali dam: 65 km upstream of Talcher. (looks big in google earth image.)
  • Kolab reservoir: made for Kolab power station, 5 kms from Jeypore. (a picture is in this site.)
  • Indravati: made for Indravati power station.
  • Machkund (Duduma) reservoir: made for the Machkund HE project.
  • The planned national waterway in Orissa.
  • A listing of lakes in Orissa at Indiatourism.com
  • A listing of lakes, reservoirs, and hot springs in Orissa
• Temples of Orissa
  • History; chronology; etc.
  • A list
  • Puri: Jagannath Temple.
  • Konark; Konark temple; a UNESCO world heritage site.
    • Efforts towards additional world heritage site designations: [1].
  • Temples in Bhubaneswar: Lingaraj temple; Rajarani Temple; Mukteswar Temple.
  • Maa Tarini Temple, Ghatagaon, Keonjhar.
  • TaraTarini Temple, Berhempur
  • Biraja temple, Jajpur
• References: [1].
• Tourism infrastructure efforts: [The Statesman-June2-05:Buddhist circuit etc.]; [Cruise ship]; [Puri SEZ]; [Int'l seminar on Buddhism]; [Sipasarubali, Puri], [Sipasarubali investors], [Progress report: Nov 21 2005]
• Orissa tourism policy: [1],
• Culture tours: orissaculture.com home; culture tours; Orissa / India tribal tour 1; Orissa / India tribal tour 2; Orissa tribal tour 3; Orissa tribal tour 4;