Mulberry to mudde: Ramanagara opens tourism lane for self-help groups

For Leelavathi and her friends from the Basaveshwara Swamy Self-Help Group in Bandiganahalli, Kanakapura, weekends usually mean chores.

The weekend on May 21, however, saw them do something out of the ordinary.

They took a group of German tourists on an experiential tour of sericulture. From mulberry cultivation to weaving a silk saree, the women took the tourists to their village and other places in Ramanagara.

The sericulture tour, organised by the Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society, was the first in a series of many more that the government has planned by roping in women groups.

"With experiential tourism being the buzz word, we want to bring self-help groups (SHGs) into the tourism industry to not only expand local tourism but also use this as an opportunity to empower rural women," Skill Development Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said.

The women were elated to be part of the initiative as they got to meet a new set of people whom they would have otherwise not met, Leelavathi said. "We showed them how mulberry is cultivated, cocoons are reared and selected for making silk. We took them to handlooms to show how sarees are weaved," she said.

As part of the tour, the women also showed the tourists local herbs used as medicine and also explained to them how mulberry is used for other value-added products such as jam. To indulge them in the local culture, the women cooked a meal of ragi rotti and ragi mudde. "We also taught them some basic Kannada," Leelavathi recounted.

Seven women were selected and trained by the sericulture department. While some of them acted as guides, the others cooked for the tourists.

Manjushree N, State Mission Director, National Rural Livelihood Mission, said the women were trained not just in the science of sericulture but also in soft skills to be able to interact well with the tourists.

The government has tied up with Kerala-based tourism startup Kabani to curate such tours across the state.

While the initiative has now begun with Ramanagara, the government is also working on similar tours in Uttara Kannada (focusing on Siddi culture), Udupi (local art) and Channapatna (toy-making).

Revenue from these tours will go to the SHGs. "We believe this will be a good opportunity for rural women to generate livelihood," Manjushree said.

The SHGs are also being given an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh for the purpose.