Typically, we urban folks never consider going to a village and living with them (unless it is planned by a group). But if it is something that we truly want to do then it can be done. And I have seen many travellers, even foreigners doing this in a nice, spiritual way. So when I received this Q from one of the readers, I thought I will blog a bit on this.
Q: ….go on a solo cross country trip to a)see how people in villages live and b)cover some of old temples across south India.
During the trip, at least for part of the trip, I wanted to stay with the locals. I want to see how people live..is it even feasible?
Yes, living with locals is for sure feasible. There are a few different ways to do this.
Living in Indian Rural Villages
With a group
There are some groups doing fairly authentic trips into villages. They liason with the village locals and work out a good experience for us urbans. The stay is with locals, and exploration trips around the villages is conducted with the group and locals mixed.
One such is group is Grassroutes near Mumbai that does some good trips. One of my travel friends went with them, and she said it was pretty good. I am sure there are more such groups in other parts of the country.
With such a group, the urban won’t feel too out of their comfort zone and yet get an authentic experience.
Do ensure that you check the group to be authentic. Nothing worse than travel groups who show you a rural experience but mess up the place or do it in an unsustainable way.
Volunteer
Another way to experience local village life is by volunteering in any relevant NGO. This allows you to stay with locals but also actually work with them. And you would contribute very meaningfully in their lives. There are many schools and other types of NGOs running around the country and many of them would be accessible if you requested them. And were willing to devote a few committed months of your life.
Isha Foundation for example has Action for Rural Rejuvenation. Not sure if one can stay with locals there but I guess there would be opportunity to work closely in the Tamil Nadu rural scene. (Most links on the ARR website aren’t working currently, but hopefully they would fix it :p). There are many such NGOs and also pioneering individuals making good effort. Write to them and request the opportunity. Could be a wonderful experience.
Free-Wheel your way into People’s Lives (Solo Women Too)
This is the best option of all, as per me. Free-wheel your way into rural India. And see how life takes you. From a lot of adventurers who chose to do this, I have seen that they meet lovely people, get invited into homes and have a good time. Note, there have also been some sad incidents, so don’t do this flippantly. But solo women can also do this.
Recently, a dutch couple cycle toured through South India. I was amazed with the local life they lived. They were hosted by people all the time. I was amazed.
View this post on Instagram
Even I haven’t travelled like this. So locally. It was only this year that I stayed for the first time in a rural village. Haha. I haven’t touched rural level of exploration yet. Except, seeing it at the side from my bicycle seat 🙂
Choice of Transport
Free-wheeling doesn’t necessarily mean cycling like this dutch couple. It can also mean walking across the country. Or taking public buses and then walking/cycling in parts or hitch-hiking…
A lot of people have done this but you need to search a bit deeper on Google to find their stories. A few have made newspaper headlines but many others haven’t.
Choice of Route
Safety: You also need to choose your route. Be a little mindful of any area that faces a security threat like unstable border regions or for example, Kanyakumari which at one point faced LTE threat. When I was solo in Kanyakumari, many hotels refused to give me accommodation cause maybe I was an illegal operative. Haha. I think my yoga mat roll also scared them.
Also do some research for anything else like xenophobia, dacoity or banditry.
For more tips on how to choose a route, refer to this post on choosing a cycle route. Even if you aren’t cycling, the factors to think about remain the same.
If you are considering doing something like this, ping me. I could share insights. Moreover, I would really like to know your plans and how it goes.
Home & Farm Stays
These would be an interesting way of experiencing a rustic and rural life. Some are quite authentic and genuine. Like this coffee estate I stayed at in Coorg. But many others charge a lot of money, as if we are visiting them as investors into their venture 😀 Some might have too many facilities, that also wouldn’t work.
Anyway, depending on your preference, you can choose this too.
So that’s all the ideas I have.
Do you have any other ideas on how travellers can explore rural India? Share away!
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