IT WAS through a friend that I first got to know about ?voluntourism??a combination of volunteering and tourism. I decided to give it a try and booked two nights at Pashan Garh, the tourist facility at Panna National Park in Panna, Madhya Pradesh.
It was a cold morning when we set out to board the flight to Khajuraho, 40 minutes from Panna. Sahir, the driver who was sent to receive us, was not only well-versed with the terrain, but rattled off quite a few statistics as well: the tourist footfall to Panna and Khajuraho, the chances of tiger-spotting and the number of diamond mines in the area! Our room at Pashan Garh was lovely, with glass windows and doors on all sides, but sans any television or Wi-Fi. The only noise one could hear was that of the langurs and parrots.
Post-lunch, we visited the nearby village of Amjhiria to interact with the locals. We were taken to a home that has signed up for a smokeless chulha. Pashan Garh is one of the four tourist lodges in Madhya Pradesh run by Taj Safaris, which works on the principles of ?sustainability, eco-tourism and giving back to the society?. It is under Taj Safari?s CSR project that villagers are offered smokeless chulhas to tackle pollution-related health ailments. We were asked to participate in installing a smokeless chulha in one of the houses. In addition to that, we also ended up sprucing their traditional kitchen?starting with coating the walls with fresh paint and decorating them with traditional motifs.
The next morning was all about adrenaline rush and wild encounters?the jeep safari. But before that, we spoke to the children of the neighbouring villages about the importance of conservation. During the course of our conversation, the children revealed that even though they live right next to the Panna National Park, they have never been inside it as they can?t afford it. We decided to take them along. On the safari, we were told how each element of the jungle contributes and affects the well-being of the entire ecosystem. All the diagrams of food chains we learnt at school came rushing back to mind. We managed to spot sambars, deers, nilgais and?what is regarded ?second-best? if you can?t spot a tiger?a leopard.
We were back at the lodge by noon and post-lunch were ready for another session of philanthropy: volunteering at Asha Bhavan, a home for differently-abled girls in Panna. Here, the day-to-day chores, such as cooking, cleaning, gardening and laundry, are done by the girls. Our activity for the day was to help them clean the compound and tend to the vegetable garden. Two hours of volunteering later, we got our reward?a bag full of raw vegetables.
From there, we proceeded to visit the 10th- and 11th-century Khajuraho temples, an awe-inspiring world-famous heritage site. On our way back, we made a quick stopover at Rahne Falls, a stunning site owing to granite rock formations thousands of years ago in various hues.
Next morning, it was time to pack up. Since the lodge is situated bang in the middle of the jungle, we were told there is a probability of spotting small wild animals if one undertakes an early-morning stroll. We ended up spotting deers, nilgais and a few birds as well. We even spotted tiger droppings and pugmarks?just a kilometre from where we were staying.
We returned with a bag full of muffins and juices, and a heart full of lovely memories.