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Sustainable Tourism

12
Jun
Sustainability- grow your own food

Sustainability begins at home: Hobby Gardening

Environment Day had everyone abuzz with what we could do to play our part in conserving the environment. #PlantATree was the most trending hashtag as everyone got on the bandwagon to save Earth. I am all for it of course and nothing soothes me as much as green in nature, but the full impact of our role in protecting the environment hit me only when I visited BASIS.

Sustainability is Mr. Mathew's way of life

Sustainability is Mr. Mathew’s way of life

Mr. Mathew Moozhiyil, the passionate founder of BASIS, is always knee deep in something green. A visit to their resort will show you the mind-boggling ways he devises to help Nature recover. The lush green properties stand testimony to the wonders that one man’s determination can achieve. The myriads of plants, the many ways to conserve water, the creative ways to upcycle – every turn in BASIS is a lesson in sustainability.

He is extremely passionate about each one of us doing our part in reviving our environment. We thought we would pay tribute to his passion through this series of blogs entitled “Sustainability Begins at Home.”

Sustainability

“In ecology, sustainability (from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes,” says Wiki.

To contribute to the “endurance” of Earth is a noble cause indeed and this series of blogs will help you implement it practically – in your own home.

Hobby Gardening

As an introduction to the series, I’d like to talk about Hobby Gardening. Gardening as a hobby- that’s what it is in a gist. To many of us, gardening sounds like a chore. “Leave it to the elderly” seems to be the general mindset when it comes to young corporates hurrying to get from A to B and back.  That’s the misconception though.

Gardening is actually something we need. Think about it: carving out a small portion of our day to reconnect with nature, spending a few minutes of silence with our hands in the dirt, watching a bud blossom because of the effort we put in, plucking out a few home-grown veggies to make a healthy meal. Worth it? I would say so!

Hard work?

Not really. You don’t have to get acres and acres of land or get down to landscaping the garden of your dreams. Start small, start with what you’ve got and before you know it, it will become the activity you look forward to and your go-to when you’re stressed.

This is what we will be discussing in this series. Terrace Gardening, Vertical Gardens, Aquaponics, Bottle Gardening, Indoor gardening and a lot more!

So this Environment Day, if you’ve planted a tree – way to go! But we are inviting you to do much more. We are helping you take up saving the environment as a way of daily life. Bring Sustainability to your home.

First Step

Get a pot home. No get a few! Go to your local directory and look up a nursery near you. And stay tuned. We will be talking a lot more on how you can get your very own garden started!

We are open to your ideas and questions too. Leave us a comment here if you want us to talk about something specifically or feature your idea or your garden on our blog.

17
Dec
BASIS Beachside at Kerala India

Holiday with a Cause

I was more than ready for a holiday; but I didn’t exactly have a definite place in mind. I had been hearing a lot about Responsible Tourism and Eco holidays lately and was definitely intrigued. So after a bit of web searching and asking around, I found something that fit the bill to a tee – the BASIS resort, and boy was it all that I had asked for.

The chain of resorts is part of the BASIS program; BASIS is an acronym for Bio Agriculture & Social Improvement Schemes. I had read up their website, and was fascinated by the amazing things being done there. Sustainability, hobby agriculture, waste water management, tailoring and art schools for local women and children; I wanted to be a part of it, if only for a short while.

And to be honest, I wanted to check out for myself if the “real Indian experience” slogan on the website was really true. What with all the gimmicks of mass tourism, this might have been just another tailor made Indian experience. With the intent to find out, and of course hoping to enjoy myself, I booked my stay in the resort as part of a group tour, packed my bags and got going.

Aboard again!

Air Asia should give me frequent flier miles really! But yes they do offer the cheapest flights in India. So I took a flight from Bangalore to Kochi and a short flight later, there I was in God’s Own Country. The resort director, Theresa had told me that they would arrange a pick up if I would like. You could opt for that or ask them to book a bike for you, which we did – a 500 cc Royal Enfield Classic! It was a pleasant 2 hour journey, and I couldn’t get enough of the lush greenery and the well maintained roads.

Bikeride Kumily India Kerala BASIS

Cruising along

Home Base – Sreekandamangalam

 

BASIS Resort in Kerala

Sreekandamangalam

BASIS is a group of three resorts, one in Sreekandamangalam, the second in Kumily, and the beach resort in Thaikkal. First stop was Sreekandamangalam, and it was much better than I had imagined it to be. I was greeted by the hostess Leelamony, and instantly became part of her family.

BASIS Leelamony with Sowmya

Leelamony is convinced I am family. I’m in wholehearted agreement!

Every nook and cranny of the resort was a lesson in sustainability; the aesthetically designed and naturally ventilated rooms that were a cool haven from the hot weather outside, the waste water treatment, the homegrown veggies in every meal, the genuine non commercialized efforts to help improve the local society, down to the bottled plants that were a lesson in upcycling. I am going to be writing a LOT more about those things you can be sure.

traditional indian food kerala meals

21 dishes in this traditional Kerala meal!!! Fresh, homegrown and cooked with love

The ayurveda massages were absolutely unique. The massage studio was a well ventilated room right next to a stream. It was raining outside when I had my first session; listening to the pitter patter of rain on the terracotta roof, caressed by the cool breeze redolent with exotic flowers, and under the expert ministrations of Mallika, the masseuse – blissful would be an understatement!

 

Ayuveda Massage at BASIS India

Mallika and a very relaxed guest

 

I was a bit surprised that there was no intercom, but the hospitality was so impeccable that I never felt the lack of it.

BASIS Mountain

 

BASIS Mountain Stay in Kumily

Kumily resort with the Ayurveda nursery

The “BASIS Mountain” resort in Kumily was another treat. As promised in the itinerary, we were driven there quite comfortably, through winding roads and breathtaking scenery. There was where I met the host Matthew Moozhiyil. Such a larger than life personality I have never seen! He just envelops you in his energy; every time you speak with him, you are left zinging with the vibrancy and dynamism of someone completely dedicated to living life to the full. Giving back to nature what rightfully belongs to her is his role and mission in life and BASIS is his stage. You will be hearing much more about him too.

Dr. Mathew & Leelamony Moozhiyil

Mathew and Leelamony Moozhiyil

If Sreekandamangalam was a lesson in preservation of Nature, Kumily is a celebration of her triumphal progress. The beautiful landscaping, the wide open architectural design, the creative use of Nature’s best resources, the ayurveda nursery, and the constant development, all come together to create the pulse of the resort. You cannot help but be drawn into its energy.

Waterfalls in Kumily Kerala India

Nature Unleashed

Teaplantation at Kumily Kerala India

Tea estates dot the landscape on the way to Kumily

 

Beach

The beach resort, oh the beach resort! Nature unleashed in all her glory; unbroken stretches of golden sand with no food stalls to mar her beauty, no steamer boats to break the rise and fall of her waves, no other sounds to disrupt her symphony, and no room for worries that can disrupt her harmony. I cannot begin to describe the absolute tranquility that is in offer at this place. Untouched by mass tourism, this beach resort is the real deal.

BASIS Beachside at Kerala India

Paradise

The Indian experience

I was intent on writing about how today’s tourism paints a very tailor made picture of what India really is; The stereotypical India is a view of the slums, or a bunch of exotic snake charmers and gypsies doling out folk songs, so I was prepared for the drama. No such thing here, fortunately. What guests saw was the real India, the India of progress, the India that proudly showed off the unparalleled beauty of its unique flora and fauna. Guests aren’t shown poor helpless country folk who beg for alms; what they see are the timid but strong men and women of the country who are working hard towards bettering their situation and who are proud of their achievements.

Johnnys English Academy Kerala India

Mathew’s protégé – From Sreekandamangalam to Germany and back

Verdict

Preserving the true essence of what is in man and nature, while giving both the freedom to grow and evolve is what BASIS stands for; and being part of it, even for a while was a privilege! I really enjoyed my stay and would highly recommend it.

Serene Nature BASIS Kerala India

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.

09
Dec

BASIS – Ecotourism Destination

The BASIS program is much more than a resort holiday in India. One of the first tenets of ecotourism is ‘take only photographs; leave only footprints.’  The BASIS program goes one step further; the founders Mathew and Leelamony Moozhiyil firmly believe, and have been live examples, that every visitor adds value. The story of BASIS is an intriguing study in the mutual interspersing of cultures and the benefit that it brings to both.

As a guest, you will see firsthand the many, many ways that BASIS lives up to the principle behind Responsible Tourism. They are completely focussed on Sustainability and every move in BASIS follows that underlying theme.

The food for instance; every meal is made from the best of local produce. The food is prepared in the traditional way, making the best of natural flavours. For those who are wary of the heat of Indian curries, you will get to experience a whole new dimension of Indian cooking that will completely change your mind.

traditional indian food kerala meals

Home-grown, organic, delicious meals

Sustainability is the mantra in BASIS. You can check out all their Sustainability efforts on their web page: There’s the waste water treatment, the tailoring unit to train local men and women and equip them with life skills, the food crop cultivation, the ayurveda plants Nursery in Kumily… the list goes on. But it is the little things around the place that show that sustainability is not just an effort here but a way of life.

Taking a walk around the Sreekandamangalam estate is a discovery tour in itself. There are around 1500 different plants in the property and the methods of cultivation are so uniquely natural. The vegetables that go into making meals are completely organic. You will see no clouds of pesticide hovering over the plants. Matthew explains that nature doesn’t need a boost from man; neem leaves act as pesticides, the filtered waste from the water treatment plant acts as fertilizer. It’s completely natural.

waterfront kerala india eco tourism

Waterfront outside the massage studio

As a guest, there are myriad things that you will learn. Bottle agriculture for instance. On one wall is a line of used bottles that are placed in a zigzag and irrigated by a system of drip agriculture from the waste water plant. This is upcycling in action; used bottles aren’t just recycled but used for a more versatile purpose just as they are.

Seaside Kerala India Ecotourism BASIS

Unbroken, unmarred Nature

The beach front in Kumily is splendid in its all natural glory. There is nothing to break its beauty. You won’t have visitors littering things around, or hawkers trying to pull you to beach shacks. The beach is pristine and beautiful; nature exists in perfect harmony here.

Kerala Banana at BASIS, tailoring at BASIS

Lives touched by BASIS

Another thing that you can’t fail to notice is the way people’s lives have been transformed by the work that the Moozhiyils have done. You really must talk to people in Sreekadamangalam and Kumily; they all have stories to tell and all of them have a thread woven into BASIS.

If it is an ecotourism destination that you are looking for, BASIS is the place to go. For more details, check out the website: www.basis-holidays.com