PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Matholi Village under Chinyalisaur block of Uttarkashi district is setting an example of women empowerment with the local women having transformed their village into a new and thriving tourist destination. To help their district break away from the stereotypes of Harsil Valley or Mori-Sankri highlighted as the prominent tourist places, the hard-working women of Matholi village have presented a new tourist hotspot. Their warm hospitality and managerial skills are coming into play with the homestays and village tours thriving to the economic transformation of the once nondescript mountainous hamlet nowhere in the district’s tourist map.
The villagers, when asked how this metamorphosis had happened, said that the credit must go to a youngster from the village Pradeep Panwar who had been compelled to return to his native village in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown. “This proved a godsend for our village,” a villager said. Given his prior experience in the tourism sector, he transmuted a nearby cowshed (locally known as ‘chhani’ into a homestay, opening it to tourists. Simultaneously, he trained local women in hospitality, cooking, trekking and conducting village tours. He successfully branded his village to the tourists as one that embodied the message of women empowerment.
Further, through events like ‘Ghasyari Competition,’ Panwar introduced the tourists to some unique aspects of the village life which have been widely appreciated for its novelty.
Supporting the collective view that one humble villager’s big dream had inspired the transformational story, a local woman Anita Panwar said that they have all converted their own chhanis into homestays. “My homestay is now registered with the tourism department and it allows me to accept online bookings. It started on March 8, 2022 and since then, approximately 1,000 tourists have visited, providing employment to around 20 women periodically,” she recounted proudly.
Recognition came fast. The chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lauded the transformational initiative, calling Matholi village a glowing model for both rural tourism and women empowerment. “If any family from the village wishes to start a homestay, they will receive assistance with the registration process and access to all tourism department schemes. Other villages should take inspiration from Matholi and march on,” he had said.
Currently, there are 5,331 homestays registered with the tourism department in Uttarakhand, most of which are run by women in the rural areas.
