Rural India draws in tourists

By Ayanjit Sen
BBC correspondent in Haryana

Milking a cow is a new and unique experience for many tourists

If you want a holiday in India but are not attracted by the Taj Mahal or the beaches of Goa, you could always go and milk a cow.

The bucolic pleasures of village life are part of an ethnic holiday package being offered to increasing number of Indians settled abroad and foreigners visiting the northern Indian state of Haryana.

On offer are day and night packages in 13 farmhouses where tourists feed and milk cows, go for bullock cart rides, stay in an ethnic hut, roam orchards and even enjoy kite-flying.

Farmhouse owners act as hosts and guide to tourists, showcasing the local culture and their craft in the towns of Faridabad, Rohtak and Karnal.

Each farms seeks to market a distinct selling point. At the Surjivan farm tourists can help with organic farming or take a walk in the herbal park and orchards.

With farm tourism we hope to provide the tourists with an unique experience of village life State tourism secretary Bhaskar Chatterji

"I really enjoyed the ethnic kitchen where food was cooked slowly in earthen vessels and where women in traditional dress grinding flour on a chakki (flour grinder)," said Payal, a tourist.

The owner of Surjivan farm, Alka Srivastava, said tourists come to her farm to enjoy the unique charms of centuries-old folk life.

"Tourists also enjoy a break from mundane life of cities at cheap prices," she said.

Quaint huts

Surrounded by lush green slopes, the Golden Dunes Retreat, another such farmhouse, is a location for a lively getaway.

"Living in quaint mud huts, plucking fruits from trees, riding camels, jumping on hay, visiting the local blacksmith and attending a village council meeting - I enjoyed all these simplistic pleasures of rural life during my two-day stay here," said Nilanjana, a UK resident.

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Some of these farmhouses also organise courses for stress management for their guests.

Haryana state tourism secretary, Bhaskar Chatterji, told the BBC that farm tourism was launched after conducting a survey.

"With farm tourism we hope to provide the tourists with an unique experience of village life and enjoy local food, culture and heritage," said Mr Chatterji.

The authorities say the aim is to generate tourism for agriculture.

"For the farmers, it will be an opportunity to showcase their achievements and it is also going to have good effects on the rural economy of the state," said Mahesh Behl, deputy director of Haryana tourism.

For the authorities in Haryana, which is not blessed with great scenic beauty, offering farm holidays and village safaris, forms an integral part of their tourism marketing.