Tourists get taste of local organic food, culture

Ajay Ramola

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Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 29

A group of tourists from various parts of the country got a taste of traditional culture and organic food of Uttarakhand at the Kaanda Jakh village tourism site, around 6 km to 7 km from Mussoorie, after trekking through an untouched trail abound with natural beauty.

The tourists were greeted with the beating of traditional drums and bagpipes by villagers at Kaanda Jaakh village. The tourists lived in luxury tents erected by the villagers and also savoured the traditional organic food, namely Mandwa (millet) roti with butter, chappatis filled with Kulath dal etc, prepared especially for the occasion.

Anil Kumar Gulati from Dehradun, Salona from Bengaluru, and Shanti Manocha from Faridabad say they have trekked several places but they have never been to such a place with serene beauty and untouched forest, free flowing waterfall, a temple and innocent villagers. The experience here is a memorable one and they will always remember innocence and hospitality of Kaanda Jakh villagers, he adds.

The villagers are making all efforts to convert their village into a major tourist destination so that it figures prominently on the international trekkers’ map. Kshetra Panchayat president Jaipal Kairwaan says talks are on with the Forest Department to convert the village into a major eco-tourism destination. Kaanda Jakh villagers have also entered into an agreement with the Jabar Khet Nature Park for better promotion of their village.