ANLetter Volume 2 Issue 1-Oct 1993-EQUATIONS

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For Private Circulation OnlyVolume2 Issuel, October 1993

Opening Up: ForWhom?

In this increasingly mobile worl4 raising questions on the purpose

-rd underlying assumptions of mobility is seen by many as an

exercise without reason. Liberalisation is heralded as the motive force

in the increased movement of capital, Bood+ information and

services. international and bilateril trade negotiations insist on

increased access to markets which are "protected". Protection is nowsynonymous with conservatism, non-opennese and immobility.

From the perspective of those who can afford to be "open" the above

is trnquestionable. But from that of those who can t, questions are

many. The right to question is their first loss. \lVith that their abilityto ask, and therefore the ability to participate.

This is the context in which peo,ple who are marginalised by theprocess of opming-up and liberalisation are raising their voices inprotest. A protest emerging from the hurt of being marginalised

from the consciousness of those vested with the responsibility ofproviding a space for creative interaction.

Tourism, purportedly a "liberating" force, is increasingly removing

its mask, and is showing more and more its intolerance to those whoits basis. It is fencing out people: their lan4 livelihood and

he contexts of their lives.

Special Tourism Areas (STAs), emb.odied in the National TourismAction Plan of.7992, are a step towards consolidating the process ofmarginalisation. Kutch in Gujarat, an 84 kilometre shetdr inMaharashtra, Bekal in Kerala, 13 sites in Tamil Nadu, the Puri-Konarak coastline in Orissa: these are some of the targets for STA

status.

STAs are conceived of as areas of exdusive tourism dwelopment.They will be administered by autonomous bodies which have the

tourism sector in the forefront of their plans. Ghettos of opulence

and decadence for the fortunate few, the STAs will cost the'silent'maprity their economic, socio-cultural and even political

sovereignty.

Clearly, the time has come to close ranks and reaffirm ourcommitment to reshaping existing structures as well newlyemerging ones. What is not so dear, though, is the "how", since itis determined by the way each of us understands the "why".

I invite you to join us in the quest to seek altemative ways ofparticipating, while allowing for a diversity of responses.

K T Suresh



of what we see in Goa and Kovalam. An initial government

investment of about Rs. 1000 crores is envisaged with furthersubstantial private investments in luxury hotels, swimming pools

and golf courses. The building of these massive facilities may fetch

the local people some employment. However, once the

infrastructure is complete, most of the remunerative openings

would go to outsiders. What would then follow is the culture of

prostitution, pimping and drug peddling.

Cultural ServitudeAccording to the officials, our "cultural backwardness" necessitates

such S-star facilities for the foreign tourist who is more advanced

than us ! No doubt, the cultural context of the West is very differentfrom that of ours, but the creation of exclusive tourist resorts willfurther distort our own cultural fabric. When people from the third

world travel to developed countries, they usually take pains to

adjust to the environment there. Why is it then that we feel

constrained to provide special facilities for their comfort when they

travel here? This only reflects the cultural domination we havesurrendered to, a situation more abiect than actual colonial

subjugation.

Only an overall development approach built on self-reliance can

even envisage tourism as a beneficial industry. The policypropensities of treating tourism as the main source of our foreign

exchange have to be completely revamped. A new approach totourism is possible only when we stand firmly on the foundationsof self-reliance and see tourism only as cultural exchange. I

Translated & excerpted from The Matltrubhumi Weekly, OnamSpecial, September 1 993.

Tourism

andNEP

he National Action Plan for Tourism, announced by the

Government of India in 1992 outlines a major plan to

establish Special Tourism Areas (STAs) in different regionswith nine travel circuits and six travel destinations identified fordevelopment. Several new facilities for foreign tourists are

envisaged with encouragement to private and foreign initiatives.Existing restrictions would also be relaxed to make travel trade free.

The government would invest in airports, airline services,communication networks, railways, banking services etc.

lnternational hoteliers would be given concessions to set up luxuryhotels and foreign airlines, travel agents and tour operators also

would be encouraged.

The Action Plan should be viewed in the context of the principles ofliberalisation and globalisation which presently guide the neweconomic poliry. Liberalisation refers to the creation of a liberal

environment where market will be the decisive force and

6overrunental restrictions will be less. The private sector willdominate; Disinvestment in public sector equities is one step in thatdirection.Through fiscal policymeasures the govemment is reducingpublic investment by withdrawing subsidies to essential items like

food, fertilizers, water, electricity etc. and cutting down expenditureon health, education, drinking water, employment generation andpoverty alleviation. Several tax concessions for big industrial houses

are on the anvil. The allocation and utilisation of investible financialresources are left to the market. It would reduce the reach of the

banking system in rural areas whle expanding them in the urbanareas. Loans to priority sectors including agriculfure would be cutfromthe 40% of thetotal bank lending today toonly 10%.

Liberalisation. is thus changing the structure of the economy byreducing the role of the state and making the economy rely more onmarket mechanism. Globalisalion refers to the integration of oureconomy with the world economy. By opening up our economy theentry of foreign goods, services and capital is facilitated

with littlerestriction. Industries have been given incentives for export

activities, though this would not improve remarkably owing to the

protectionist atmosphere in the capitalist West and the decade longrecession there. Following trade poliry reform, imports of foreigngoods and services, especially luxury items are going up.

The more far-reaching impact of globalisation is iikely to be on theservice sector. Foreign banks and insurance companies, inter-national telecommunication corporations, foreign airlines and

travel agents will have an upperhand. Developed capitalist nationsare at an advantage owing to the sheer size of their corporateorganisations, scale ofoperations and technological clout. Trade inservices has now been included in the scope of GATT negotiations.The Dunkel Draft has suggested measures to allow free flow ofservices like banking, insurance, telecommunications and tourismbetween nations. Once accepted these proposals will become man-datory for member nations of GATT and it will ensure the domina-tion of foreign capital in the service sector of developing countries.

Significantly, those services in which a country like India enjoys

distinct advantages - for instance labour services, professionalskills, consultanry services-

have been left out of the scope ofGATT negotiations on the pretext that they are all part ofimmigration laws.

There is a lot in common between the Dunkel Draft (especially tradein services) and the new economic policies in India. This is evidentfrom the new poliry guidelines and reforms in the trade, industrialand financial sectors. Even before signing the Dunkel Draft,Dunkelisation of the economy is on through globalisation.

The National Action Plan on tourism states that the aim of the newpolicy on tourism would be to "enaourage private investment, bothdomestic and foreign". Hotels set up in "rural areas, hill stations,pilgrim centres and specified tourist destinations", will be exempt

from expenditure tax and fifty per cent of income tax for ten years.The new industrial policy has already facilitated automaticapproval of foreign investment in equity upto fifty-one per cent inhotel industry. A committee has been set up to negotiate with partiesabroad to attract foreign investment especially in STAs. lnterestsubsidies will also be enhanced to set up hotels in special areas andspecif ied destinalions.

The role of the government, as the action plan asserts, shall be to'conceptualise and deal with policy issues mainly'. ln the currentcontext these 'policy issues'aim at devising more and more avenuesfor private initiative and attracting foreign investment in the

I

BYASDEB DASGUPTA

tourism sector.



Fiscal Incentives/Concessions Declared by theGovernment of India

A) Under 80 HHD of Income Tax Act, 1961. Income

attributable to foreign exchange earnings of the hotels

50% is exempted from Income Tax straightway and the

balance 50% is also exempt if reinvested in tourism

industry.B) Approved hotels functional after 31.3.1990 but before

7.4.7995 are eligible for Tax Holiday deductions under

80 IA.

Depreciation

-The hotel buildings are eligible for depreciation at the rate

of 20% with effect fuom 2.4.1987 (Assessment year

1988-89). Furniture and fittings used in hotels have been

allowed a higher rate of depreciation of 75"/o against the

general rate of 10%.

Interest Subsidy

- Hotel Projects 1-3 star categoryare eligible for an interest

subsidy of 3% on the entire loan amourt. Hotel projects

in specified areas and Heritage Hotels are eligible for 5Y"

.interestsubsidy. No interest subsidy is available for 4 and

5 Hotels and other hotels in the four mehopolitan cities

of Dellii, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

Liberalised Exchange Rate Management System (LERMS)

- Hotels, travel agents, tour operators and other

organisations connected with tourist trade are no covered

under'LERMS. Authorised dealers release foreignexchange for business visitt participation in Conferences,

Seminars, Training etc. Prior approval of Department ofTourism is not necessary.

- Facility to open and operate Exchange F-aciers Foreign

Currency (EEFC) Account extended to hotels, travelagents, tour operators, etc. Under the sdreme, L5% ofinward remittances in foreign exchange can be credited to

this account and utilised for specified purposes.

- The purpose for which EEFC account can be utilisedinclude travel abroad, expenses for foreign hospitality,

participation in trade fairs,/exhibitions abroad,

advertisement publicity, promotiory market studies,

publication of brochures, folders, etc. agency commission,

service chargeg fees payable to foreign technicians and

any other payments including imports subject toregulations.

5. Imports

- Capital goods, raw materials, components etc. can be

imported without any restriction except tothe extent such

imports are regulated by the Negative List of Imports.

- Import of special items required by hotels, restaurants,

travel agents and tour operators permitted against a

licence on the recommendation of Director General ofTourism. Recognised hotels, travel agents, tour operators

and restaurants are entitled to such import licences uptoavalue of 70"/o of the foreign exchange earned by them

during the preceding licensing year.

6. Concessional Custom Dutv

- Custom Duty on specified items has been reduced to the

level as applicable to project imports provided the goods

imported are required for substantial expansion of the

hotel. This includes equipment for kitchen, health club,

laundry, housekeeping, energy saving devices, etc.

-Equipment for Advenfure Sports can also be imported on

a concessional rate of duty.

- Priority consideration is also given to approved projects

in allotment of construction materials, like, cement, steel

and for telephone, tele4 LPG connections.ExportPromotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme

Import of capital equipment (including spares upto l}%)byHotels and Restaurants, Travel Agents and Tour operators,

for which payments are received in freely convertiblecurrency, is allowed at a concessional rate of custom duty of15% subject to an export obligation four times the CIF valueof the imports. Theobligation is tobe fulfilledwithin aperiodof 5 years.



TourisminKr;/chChnllenges andOpportunXies

lF"" purpose or rnls worKsnop $ ro

I outline a strategy for tourismL developmentin Kutch - a strategy

that can respect the fragile ecology of this

area while responding to the growingvisitor interest in its attractions. By a 'fragileecology', we mean a natural as well as a

cultural ecology. Both need protection andenhancement. The natural ecology is often

easier to understand, and difficult enoughsecure. The cultural ecology- is far more

.ompler; both in terms of the delicate

relationships which comprise it, as well as

in developing the protective responses

whidr it needs.

Tourism is an industry, and needs to be

understood in terms of the infrastructurewhich this 'smokeless industry'requires :

the quality of attractions that can sustaintourists demand, the efficienry of services(hansportation, accommodation, guides,food, shopping entertainment) that visitors

need and demand, the implications ofdeveloping sudr infrastructure and ofmaintaining it. The demand factor is

important to understand. 'Tourists' are notone homogenous group. Tourist traffic has

to be segmented by interest and budget (and

not merely by citizenship) if infrastructureis to respond to existing demand, or new

are to be created and sustained. Itrs here that choices exists, and need to be

exercised with sensitivity. Tourism may be

'smokeless' in the physical sense, but it has

pollution factors that are often difficult to

control. Unplanned and uncontrolled,tourism can quickly destroy the very factors

that attract travellers in the first place.

'Cultural Tourism' is the term now used todescribe the task before us.

Tourism itself is not a choice. Peo'ple willand do travel. The freedom to travel is basic

to our society. The choice is a qualitativeone: what kind of tourism? How muchtourism? Holiday travel is a major

'phenomenon for India's burgeoningmiddle class as well as for visitors fromoverseas.The industry is searching for 'new'

destinations. Kutch is one of them. flts crafts

alone have been so vigorously promoted -at every Festival of India abroad, at everyopportunity at home - that each sale of a

Kutchiproductis a resplendent invitation toa visit.) So, what kind of tourism will be

positive for the Kutch of tomorrow, and

how can it be planned and built?

Our exercise here could well begin bymaking an inventory of the tourist'product'

whidr Kutch represents. What (and where)are the attractions (phyrsical, natural, social)

that drawvisitors? What opportunities andwhat problems do each of these attractions

represent? What has been the tourismexperience so far, both positive andnegative? What directions or questions doespast erperience suggest in terms of futuredecisions? Can one attempt to prioritisethese attractions in terms of development?

What infrastructure/attitudes/slills / bud-gets do they need for development orprotection, or both? What hazards are beingexperienced,

orare feared?

What isthe

quality of socio-economic information nowavailable on tourism in Kutch - who earntwho is employed, who benefits, by howmuch? What investments havebeen made,by whom, and what investments are

needed?

If tourism is to be sensitive to Kutch, it mustfirst respect its people. Are they involved indecisions which will determine tourism'sfuhrre here? If so, can this involvement be

strengthened? If not, how can we ensurethat it takes place now? It is for thc citizens

of Kutch to understand this industrv. and todecide what it is about theirland which theywish to share and with whom (and theymay not wish to share). There are importantimplications here for citizens representation

and actiorL and for heritage institutions.

Inevitably, the concept of Tourism CarryingCapacity must be extended to Kutch. lt is a

concept coming into its own globally, butlargely neglected in India. The tourismcarrying capacity of a place is its ability toserve andhold a numberofvisitors for shortspans of timg without causing stresses onthe socio<ultural and physical environ-ment. The moment sudr stresses are

observed the carrying capacity of a place

can be said to have readred its limits. Whatis the evidence in Kutch? What capacitysfudies are needed here, before maiordecisions are taken?

This papo was ye*nted W Mr. A*olceChattaje, Executiae Ditector of the NationalInstitution of Design at awo*shop conwnd by

Mrs. Uroashi Dmi, Minister of State forTanisltt, Gujmat at Bhui in April,7993.

5

5trolling tor le i:ure"l"

I was strolling down the pathby the fields after my meals.

I met Anton who told mehe couldn't have any fish forhis mealsbecause it was too expensive.The five-star hotels,he said, were r€ady to paythe higher price for the fish.

Then I met Marh who wasstanding pensivelyby the well sucked dryby the five-star hotel.She was thinking, she said,of the long walkthe next morning for water.

Then I heard Meenacoughing badlyand her door was open;So I dnopped in. She had goneto fetch the doctor, she said,in the cold night for her hubby

having a running anus.

Water-bome disease,the doctor opined,Any dirty Water? careful about it.He was stem in his caution!The seu'age, Shankar said,was beirrg let outinto the Sal river, by a starred hotelI walked further downI wanted leisurgmy peace of mind after my meals.

But, then, ShantaOh, no!At her door, her husband wasbeatin g her mercilessly,

"They are taking our land",Shanta said, running to me,"for the golf courses",and Moti won't fight.

Moti wouldn't fight against thosetaking his land.He was taking out his frustrationon his wife.

Just see/ Shanta sighed,Moti is violent andthe golf course prcmotersare even mone violent,

Outcame Lilliput,their son of fourteen years;he was drunk at the bar

newly-setrrp ne(t door.Bars are required,Shanta said for tourismand to keep our people drunk.

Then fiveStar Hotelscan make merry, and tourismcan flourishwhile our people perish.Due to little foodand cirrhosis of liverand concr€te to breatheand exhautation fromextrawork,

Vt ASlilGOBtll(ARNE



€NC'!<OAC+-IM€NT

ONF,\I<^^L,\NDMhc,|il RaSaNT6r-r-FREDEHCKNORONTIA

outlying villages. This .only means that

unlike, say in Bombay, here land is still a

vital resource. Given the lack of appropriate

technology, villagers still need large areas ofland to take care of their basic needs - forpaddy fields, cattle grazing, coconut groves,

housing, providing firewood and other

Purposes.

Both tourism and the Govemment's plan ^to lure industries here have aggravated the

land crisis in this small State. Added to this

have been proposals which choose places

like Goa for being the site for a 'free port'-an idea which seems to be virtuallv dead

now.

,HOLIDAY HOMES'

Goa's beauty and its recent tourismsuccesses

-

which may phase out like any

fashion - have drawn much attention andbuilt up much media-hype around the

place. This has led many persons to dream

of 'holiday homes' in this so<alled

'paradise'.

The real estate business has thus been

booming, thanks to local level corruption,which both boosts the realtors' clout anC^itself depends on it. Land-conversions hav.been undertaken at a rampant pace,

particularly during the former Ravi Naikregime, further shrinking the agriculture

and green land available.

Some big builders, who have a

none-too-clean reputatiory have moved in

from cities like Bombay. Given the massive

speculative profits which one can skim off

the real estate business, and the fact that itis one of the better investment options after

the stocks scam hitshare prices, their impact

on the region and the pressure of their

money power is quite obvious.

Advertisements in local newspapers these

days give open hints to land owners that

they should 'act now' to perhaps neuhalise

it is a waming skull and crossbones sign.

This one case comes from Naqueri-Betul,where the Goa Government is thinking ofacquiring and

takingover a few thousand

square metres of land for a luxury hotel's

golf course project. But, such exhibition ofanBer is frequently seen across this small

State, as villagers detest the takeover oftheland they depend on, for a number ofprojects of dubious utility.

Golf course-related protests are only the

latest of a series of issues in Goa, over whichvillagers have protested - even if in an

expectedly not too articulate marurer -over the change in land control and

land-use which would adverselv affect

them.

Goa Chief Minister Dr Wilfred de Souza

recently raised questions about the

legitimacy of anti-golf course protests. He

said he did not find the objections raised bythe "environmentalists" on these issues

convincing. But the fact is that to dismissthemasbeing merely environmental ones is

to miss the point, in a bid to perhaps

deliberately duck the matters raised.

Before the issue of the golf course, there was

also the question of the impact of the plan togive a big boost to luxury tourism along the

Goan coastline.

ln 1987 and after, there were even protests

staged against the large-scale expansion for

luxury tourism in this State. Goa, apart fromattracting much attention as a tourist-paradise, also began to draw internationalprotests because of the opposition sparked

off by the tourism projects.

Besides this, two massive tourism projects

which weresought tobe putup in Canacona

Taluk were affected by protests by the

.....\:--t-

--l\.

----:-R--_--__s

RIVATE property. Tiespassers willbe prosecuted", says the untidilyscrawled signboard. Drawn below

people in Shendrem and Agonda villages.

In Agonda, though the project was initiatedin the early Eighties, it has still not been

completed, in large part due to the publicprotests.

OLDPROCEDURES

One factor which has aggravated the

antagonism felt towards major tourismprojects here has been the use of British

colonial- designed land acquisition laws bythe State Govemment to take over land forsuch luxury projects, as empowered by law.

Sometimes acquisition proceedings are not

resorted to, but the threat to use them is

wielded as a weapon to make the villagers

sell cheaply.

Even the recent major row over the Konkan

Railway route in Goa reflects, to some

extent, the fears as to the manner in whichland prices and land availability would be

affected in an already-overcrowded region

in central coastal Goa.

Not too long ago, in the late Eighties, the

multinational giant Du Pont was also hit bysimilar protests by villagers who were

against a plan to have a Nylon 6,6 plant intheirvillage, Keri in PondaTaluk.Oneof the

major issues was the way in which the landwas sought to be taken over for the project,

with the help of the govemment.

In a few taluks property ownership is veryskewed, and a few landholders control vast

areas. But in most of the densely- populatedregions of Goa, land holdings are tiny and

distributed among a large number ofpeople. So, the pinch is widely felt whenthere is any move to start big projects onlocal villagers' lands.

Another aspect which is little understoodoutside Goa is that this State is not a large

city, as is widely believed. It is made up of a

few towns (around or under one hundredthousand population each) and a number of

6



their tenants. Even agricultural lands are

offered to be bought off by realtors -obviously for anything but agriculturalactivity, though it is against the law to putup buildings for activities other than

farming on agricultural fields.

Many of the flats which come up in this

manner end up by being bought by NRIs

from Goa, or by people from other regions

who have fallen for Goa's 'paradise' image.

So, a number of such flats are later simplykept shut after purchase, even when the

housing problem in the State is acute for the

corunon man.

DeccanHerald 2 October 1993

TheQuepemCoastalVillagePeople'sWelfareActionCommittee 7. Some ten years ago, without any consultation with the

has been campaigning against the proposed golf courses in the

Goan villages of Betul, Canaguinim, Quitol and Naqueri. In July,a two hundred strong group of women along with members ofBailancho Manch and Jagrut Goenkaranchi Fouz (fGF) held a

protest 'morcha' in Margoa. The following is the abstract of a

memorandum dated fuly 21, 1993 submitted by the QCVPWACto Dr. Carmo Pegado, Tourism Minister of Goa. 8.

Honourable Minister.

We theresidentsof Betul, Canaguinim, Quitol and Naqueriplace

for your consideration the following:

1. Within the village Panchayat of Naqueri, Behrl there has

been a spurt of activity... several persons coming to the

village in cars and measuring lands without the permissionof the owners... (or the) villagers.

2. (We have been told) that the Government of Goa has

decided to acquire the lands belonging to the villagers...(and that) the villagers shall have no say whatsoever intothe Proceedings except to accept a Pittance as

compensation... (and that) the Goa Govemment... has

already approved in principle thatsetting upof a golf course

and a hotel within the limits of the village.

3. For, almost a decade the residents of these villages have been

requesting that a health centre be opened ... since there are

no doctors anywhere close by... this demand of the villagershas never materialized thanks to the wrong priorities of the

Government.

4. The residents of Canaguinim have been residing in the said

village for the last five hundred years and these villagersand their predecessors have brought under cultivation large

tracts of land with their sweat and toil.

people of the locality a large area (about L00 hectares) has

been acquired again without informing the villagers and at

present one finds the said area surounded by a highcompound wall and the sign board of the Oil and NaturalGas Company Commission -

(ONGC)

The residents of this locality also fail to understand way the

prime areas which have pristine beauty which is ourcultural heritage and which we have sustained should notbe reserved for us the residents of the localify and whysuch...areas should be converted for the entertainment andactivity of persons alien to the locality and to the detrimentof the villagers.

We were shocked to hear from the Members of the VillagePandrayat that the proposal for Hotel was not even hintedat to the members of the village Panchayat which is the localbody duly elected.

May we express our sincere apologies, if by any stretdr of

imagination you were led to believe that we havehlpothecated our rights to life and livelihood and our rightsto self determination when we voted in the elections.

We also lodge our protest against the move to force us to sellthe landed properties which are required for us for ourresidential purposes, for us to construct a school, for us tohave other amenities which are essential for the healthygrowth of the residents of these villages and of thesurrounding villages and consequently the growth of theState of Goa and consequently the growth of the IndianUnion.

It is therefore submitted that the people of the villages ofBetul, Naqueri, Quitol and Canaguinim do not desire tohave any golf course and hotel projects set up in theirvillages.

9.

10.

11.

J.

6.

When the residents... demanded a road some forty years The Citizensago, the Govemment of Goa has been lethargic... as a

consequence of which these residents have to travel on foot SignedW

a distance of about 4 kilomehes. 1. Mrs. Sushma Lone Betul (Sarpanch) Betul2. Mr. Shaikh Abdul Mutalib (Dy. Sarpanch) Betul

The Govemment of Goa has some time in the year 1988 3. Mr. Santosh Desai (Panch) Naquericonstructed a wind turbine...imported from Dangreon 4. Mr. Ermigilo Lobo (Panch) NaqueriWindkraft A/s Denmark and after having spent several 5. Mr. Antonio C. Simoes (Pandr) Naquerilakhs it has been kept unutilized. Neither has the 6. Mr. Charles D'Silva (Convenol, QCVPWAC)

Government explained what has gone wrong with the wind 7 . Mr. Santosh Desai (Secretary, Naqueri)turbine. 8. Miss. Sandra [,obo (Treasurer, Naqueri)

7



fter crossing swords over the Chilka Aquatic Farm, the

TATA's almost shelved the multi<rore Pralvn Project in

Chilka lake, the environmentalists and the Orissa

govemment s€em to be heading for yet an other showdown over

theJanata Dal govemment's ambitious plans to set up a beach resort

and a hotel complex between Puri and Konarak.

While the State Government has roped in the Hotel and Restaurant

Association of Orissa (HRAO), the environmentalists have sought

the help of parliamentarians of almost all political parties to fighttheir case at different levels. No wonder, the issue has snowballed

into a major controversy in the state today.

The revolt against the govemment's project is led by Mr Banka

Bihari Das, a former minister, social worker and mvironmentalistwho heads the Orissa Krishaka Mahasangha (OKtvt). It may be re'called that the Mahasangha played a major role in the local people's

agitation against the TATAproject at Chilka. Mr Das

announced that like the PrawnProject at Chilka, the beach

resort and hotel complex projectwill also be resisted tooth and

nail. His organisation hasalready launched a campaign to

awaken the local people aboutthe dangerous consequences

that they would face if the

govemment implements the

project.

Threat to the Forest

It all started in August when Biju

the Patnaik led government inthe state sought clearance from

the Union Forestand

Environment Ministry for the multi-crore project. According to

Mr Das the Forest and Tourism Department of Orissa have already

admitted that there are 5,17,778 trees ir the proposed site for the

complex.

The project report states that2,227 acres of land will be acquired forthe implementation of the first phase of the project. The second

phase, when it comes up, may destroy the entire reserve forest inthe area (Konarak-Balukhand Sanctuary) and affect the ecological

balance. The OKM has released the names of L6 companies whohave applied for land to build hotels and beach resorts in the

proposed complex.

Mr Das expressed surprise that big hotel groups had applied for100-300 acres when most such big hotels could be built over five

acres of land. Meanwhile the HRAO has alleged that Mr Das was

acting on behalf of "vested interests" who were opposed to the

development of tourism in the state. The HRAO further says that

the expansion of tourism should not be opposed as it was the onlysector which would give employment to thousands of unemployed

youth besides generating foreign exchange. The prgect envisages

the construction of 2000 hotel rooms and is projected to provide

employment to 50,000 people.

Government's Case

When the matter became very controversial the state tourismminister Mr A U Singhdeo, issued a statement saying that unless

plans for beach tourism were implemented, the objective of

increasing theflowof foreign tourists to the statreinthecomingyears

would be frustrated. He fails to understand w$ such a hue and

cry has been raised when his government is taking steps to adhere

to the guidelines prescribed by the Union Environment and Forest

Ministry.

The minister disclosed that the Puri-Konarak coast line has been

identified by the Union Govemment's Tourism Department as a

Special Tourism Area. He called for a halt to the opposition to theproject on the grounds that Orissa had still no tourism project ofthis scale whidr were alreadv there in the other states of Goa,

Thmilnadu and Kerala.

The Campaign

Political observers feel that, like the agitation against the TATA

groject at Chilka, the stir against

fhe present project is likely to be

intensified as the agitators have

already managed to get much

needed support ofparliamentarians. Thirteen

members of Parliament ofdifferent political parties have^urged the Prime Minister, P \Narasimha Rao to reject the state

govemment's proposal.

Excuptedftom ST Beuria's " Sttong

Oppo si tion t o B each Resw t P roj ect ",

Deccan Herald,T October 199i.

Contact: Mr Banka Behari Das,

President Orissa Krushak

Mnhasangha, 74, Ashok Nagar,

Bhubanawar-9, Orissa.

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c)N AWA}I^/ARI)

|itJa+{w^y,,. T|;leEAST UI45A RC)AI)

The April issue of the ANletter carried an inhoductory note on the

construction of a major coastal highway from Madras to Cuddaloreas part of the East Coast Road from Madras to Kanyakumari. We atEQUATIONS have been keenly following the progress of the

campaign against this monumental transgression of human andecological well being that is euphemistically called the East CoastRoad.

A well documented critique of the East Coast Road (ECR) has been

brought out by the Pondicherry chapter of INTACH. It highlights-the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts that the

road is going to have on the area and the people. tn addition it offers

a sound and practicable alternative route that will riot only be

organisers felt that the play was well received by the people andthat such a form of communication was graphic and potent. SomE

songs relating to the impacts of the road were also composed inTamil and sung after the play. Very recently a cycle yatra fromMahabalipuram to Pondicherry was also organised to spread theawareness message of what the ECR implies to the area.

The issue is also being fought legally by member NGOs sudr as

INTACH, CAG and by concemed individuals from Auroville. Astay on the cutting of hees has

been obtained from the Madras HighCourt. An application has been filed in the court to extend the stayto cover the construction of the actual road. The Government in tumhas filed a petition to vacate the stay on the cutting of hees.

Land acquisition is being carried out in a high-handed manner. TheGovemmenthas introduced a provision by which it no longer feelsthe need to follow the required procedures in order to acquire landfor a public project. Monitory compensation to the displaced peopleis rarely if ever paid. In fact one of the reasons for the choice of a

coastal route for a major highway was that land acquisition thenwould be cheapcr.

The Campaign does not say no to a coastal road. The existing road

needs to be repaired and maintained. What it is opposed is a

massive highway that will drastically alter land use patterns andvillale lives, will displace thousands ofpeople, dramatically increase the

pressure on the fragile coastal

igns

cheaper to build ancl maintain, and be fraught with less adverse

consequences but will also service a greater number of people.

Of the current stretch of the ECR from Madras to Cuddalore that

has been approved by the Government, work is in process on twostretches of 15 kilometers each. The estimated coet of construction

stands in the proximity of a phenomenal 50 lakhs/km. The

-construction of the road brazenly flouts legal as well as

environmental guidelines whilebeing callous about the livelihood

of the people. Thousands of trees have already been cut along the

route with little sustained effort at planting and taking care of the

trees planted as replacements. To compound the problem an

abysmally low survival rate ensures that few saplings survive thedifficult coastal climate.

A coordinated campaign against the ECR was initiated early thisyear. An Action Committee on the ECR was formed with over 20

NGOs, many of whomare based close to theroad, and some affected

individuals. Thecampaign on the ECR has been taken up on several

fronts. There is an attempt to generate a wide base of local awareness

amongst the people who are going to be affected by the ECR. To

reach out to and be understood by the local people powerfulcommunicative means such the street plays, culturals, discussionsand cycle yatras are employed.

A couple of months back a play based on the negative impacts of

the ECR and on the way the Governrnent is handling the project wasprepared by some youths from Pudupattinum. The actors and the

li.ti';.,oa

ecosystems and natural resources, impinge on and harm manysensitive ecological zones and encourage an unbridledindustrialisation of the area and a spurt of resort based mass

tourism. Moreover the ECR is being built in the absence of a

masterplan for an integrated and sustainable coastal zone

development. The urbanisation and industrialisation that such a

highway can encourage will permanently upset the ecological

balance of the area.

Thequestion is can a harmonybe worked outbetween developrnent

and genuine needs of the people that the developmental plans are

supposed tobenefit. rRASAVAFIqT'

HEBBALU

ZOOTheCoimbatore Human Rigtfts Forumhas raised objections againstthe proposal to establish a zoological park at Anaikatti inCoimbatore district by a private organisation called CoimbatoreZoological Park Society. Three hundred acres of forest land whichis the basis of subsistence for the Adivasis (indigenous peoples) ofthe area and 100 acres legally held by the Adivasis is sought to be

acquired for the park. The Adivasi hamlets of Thoovaipathy(population: 300), Aranattukkadu (population: 200) and Goodanur(population: 300) come within the area to be acquired.

The Human Rights Forum also alleges that at Thoovaipathy 40.96

t0

_'v.t



acres of the Adivasi's land has been fraudulently obtained by the

Park Society and two houses of the Adivasis were demolished by

musclemen employed by the Society. Complaints to authorities

have been futile.

The real motive behind this 'conservation' venfure is promoting

tourism and making profits for the Park Society, the Human Rights

Forum points out. A brodrure put out by the Park Society states that

"...the Coimbatore Zoological Park and Conservation Centre '..is a

Tourist Centre, a recreational outlet for Coimbatore residents and

visitors; tours to see highly endangered primates in the wild... will

be one of the extras the zoo offers visitors; opportunities forindividual and corporate sponsorship are being made available..."

The Human Rights Forum believes that the park is only a business

venfure.

Another matter of concern is the apparent attempts of the Park

Society to manipulate the official machinery and regulations to their

benefit. The Human Rights Forum suspects that the exPerts

committee set up by the Central Ministry of Environment and

Forests to determine the viability of the zoological park had

members who had special interests in the venture. This suspicion

is based on the fact that some members of the experts committee

were also members of another private organisaion called ZOO (Zoo

Outreadr Organisation) based in Coimbatore. G Rangaswamy,

Secretary of the Coimbatore Zoological Park is the President ofZOO. The Human Rights Forumalso suspects that many members

of the managing committee of Z@ could have been the members

This wrong promotion of tourism in other parts of India gives a

misleading image of Goan women in the minds of other Indians. Italso leads to tourist misbehaving in Goa. I

GoaWo*.enPtotestAgail.ts+ Bc',r^s

Women in Goa, the state traditionally known for its hospitality and

"feni" (country liquor), have mounted a campaign against alcohol

and proliferation of bars.

Several women's groups have come together to combat the menace

of alcohol consumption whidr has become part of lifestyle of a

section of the population.

Goa boasts of over 6,000 licenced bars - there are many unlicenced

ones too - catering to a population of 1.17 million. The ratios of

bars to population is probably one of the highest in the country.

Bailancho Saad, Nari Annyaya Nirmulan Samiti and Peaceful

Society (women's wing) are involved in this campaign against

alcoholism. Ms Albertina Almeida ofBailaicho Saad said that the

movement has alreadv r

of the expert committee also and the Forum has requested the

Ministry to reject the recommendations of the committee on thisbasis if the suspicions are found true. r

For more information, ask EQIIATIONS fot:Tourism Alternatfua Exchange,Issue j, Mmch 1993.

"5.xist"Touriswt Slid.Withdrawy"rThe Ministry of Tourism in New Delhi has withdrawn a slide in an

audio-visual show meant for tourism promotion abroad in the

face of protest about its "sexist" tone. The withdrawal was conveyed

to the Regional Director of Tourismby the Union Ministry.

Bailancho Saad had protested agianst the use of this sexist

audio.visual presentation in India at the International Tourism Fair

held in March this year. This incriminating slide was spotted byvigilant joumalist from Switzerland Ms Christine Pluess. Ms

Sabina Martins of Bailancho Saad said that several magazines

abroad have depicted Goa as a place where you can have "fun and

pleasure" for the asking. The State Tourism Department has alsobeen accused of promoting Goa as a "pleasure spot".

Ms Bharathi Bhandekar of the Peaceful Society said that their maindemand was a moritorium on further licence being issued to any

form of liquor outlets. She also demanded strict implementation oflaws relating to liquor outlets since these laws are being flouted bythe licencing authority themselves.

Isolated struggle against alcoholism have been fought in several -villages. This is the first time, however, that a concerted drive ilbeing launchedbywomen's groups to fighton a commonplatform.They admit that their campaign against alcohol was spurred bysimilar movements in Andhra, Haryana and Kamataka.

One of the struggles whidr the campaign has taken up is the fightagainst the setting up of bar in a small village of Tivrem in Ponda

Taluka, South Goa. According to Ms Mamata Gaonkar, a member

of theZuarwaddoNagarik Samiti, the villageisafflictedwith alarge

number of alcohol addicts and the opening of one more bar wouldonly add to this. She explains "we need a flour mill and not a bar".

Shebelieves that the indifference of the government to this menace

was because alcohol is a significant source of revenue and the bars

were necessary for tourist traffic, according to local officials.

Women's groups point out that bars are seen, or so made out to be

a necessity for promoting tourism. I

Excerptedfrom: Ashley D'MeIIo's article by the sami title,Times of lndin,L lune L993.

eceived a positive response from various rural based women.

10



G,vnpoig^ Agoinstthe

R.yr",old= Tobocco' Caontel Tto phy' i n 5 ob oh(//talaysio)

of Sabah, famed for its rich flora and fauna. Pariticipants will also

be exposed to the fascinating culture and customs of its peoples."

The idea of the Camel hophy is German and it is managed by the

sister company Star Cooperation with the help of a public relations

aSency.

In Germany Reynolds Tobacco and Star are based in Cologne. Phone

in Germany: 0221 / t6M455

In U.K. all enquiries should be directed to the coordinator fardinePR Ltd., Brassey House, New Zealand Avenue, Walton-on- Thames,

Surry KTt2 1Qd, Tel. 44(0) 932 253 535 (which doesn't work fromGermany).

it is to promote the travel items of their "Camel Shop" (clothes, bags,watches etc.) The Reymolds Tobacco advertisement campaign, whileglorifying macho males and tough terrains, commodifiesindigenous culture. The Papua New Guinea rally advertised thus:"A challenge to all adomtures Black jungles, crocodiles,hardly any roads,

warlilce natioes-

a real challnrge-

1.000 miles through the stone age."

journalists who accompanied the rally in 1990 in Siberia (Russia)

pampered with expensive gifts and persuaded to give an'nthusiastic

coverage. Only a few reported/filmed the localreactions to the rally Protesters (with women in the forefront) whotried to stop the rally which they called "immoral" and blocked theroads carrying banners like "No advertising for Camel cigarettes","Protect our holy lake: Baikal" (the rally even wanted to cross a riverduring the fish spawning season). To avoid further protests, theRussian media played down the incident.

News about the Camel Rally drew attention only in 1991 in theIndian Himalaya rally. Due to a sustained campaign in Germanywith the help of Indian journalists (and publications elsewhere) therally got shifted to Tanzania although the aim was to stop it onceand for all. Since then it has been impossible to get information apartfrom a postbox address (Camel trophy, Postfach 6000, D{100Darmstadt). In Tanzania there are no contacts. In Sabah, the route isnot known either. Only the dates are announced: May 5th to 16th1993 Start and finish in Kota Kinabalu. The Camel Trophy is alsolisted in the "Calander of Events 1993" in Malaysia, which states

"This intemational went will take participants to the tropical forests

Pv^olest in PhuketFor three days in December 1.992, villagers from phuket's (Thailand)Bang Thao Beach blocked the access road to the Laguna BeachResort, owned by the Singaporean Thai Wah Group, in order toprotest against the resort owner's continuous attempts to close thepublic roads passing through the property and to deny local people

access to the public beach. In a promotion campaign to restore itsimage, the Thai Wah Group draws attention to the fact that in 1992,its Laguna Phuket Resort

- comprising three five-star hotels and agolf resort won the International Hotel Association(lHA)/American Express Environment Award for successfullytransforming an old tin-miire into Asia's first integrated resort.

However, it is alleged that corrupt provincial officials have issuedunlawful land documents for over 3000 of public land at Bang ThaoBeach to the Thai Wah Group. Local environmentalists also chargethat the resort complex has aggravated water shortage problems innearby farming areas and damaged the cohstal vegetation andmarine eco-system. The Banyan Golf resort, which is beingexpanded isset tocause additional ecologicalproblems suchas

todicontamination of soil, underground water and the sea.

11



On 8th-Ivlay 1993, theopeningof the Sheraton Grand Hotel, the latest

addition to the Laguna Phuket resort comPlex spurred new conflict.

Thai Wah in cooperation with the Phuket Chamber of Commerce

staged a "We love Phuket Charity Concert" on May 7th to gain

popularity. The Group for the Protection of Phuket People's Rights

laundred a protest against the campaign questioning the legality of

Thai Wah's land ownership.

As a response, police commandos were called in to keep peace inPhuket and the Charity Concert went on amidst tight security and

reports of harassment among local residenb putting uP Posters.Instead of investigating the lawfuLness of Thai Wah's land

documents, the govemment demonstrated its massive state Powertoprotect the interets of the foreign investors showingthat freedom

of expression and people's participation in the development process

are still not guaranteed in this country. Such action only deepens

existing conflicts and prevents development which benefits the

majority of the people and the environment. And this at a time when

thenew political leaders conscious about Thailand's image abroad

promised to develop a truly democratic society after last year'sMaymassacre,

Letters may be sent to the Govemor of Phuket, the Tourism

Authority of Thailand and newspapers to condemn theuseof policeforces against peaceful protesters in Phuket and to ask for the

following:

Unrestricted access of locals to the land, claimed as Thai Wah's

property, until legal authorities have clarified on the land

ownership issue;

An open and public environmental and social review/auditofThai Wah's Laguna Phuket resort cornplex and the

improvement of la+rrs to make Environmental Impact

Assessments @IA) mandatory for all new resort and golfcourse prcjects;

Withdrawal of the IHA/Amex Environmmt Award to Thai

Wah for the company's unethical practices and

environmentally damaging activities. IThai Netuto* on Touristtt (TMI).

(Addresses; Mr. Yuwat Vuthimethi, Governor of Phuket, Sala Klang

Changwat Phuket, Amphoe Muang Phuket 300fi), Thailand;

Tourism Authority of Thailand (fAT), Ratdtadamoen AvenugBangkok 10100 ,Fu<:66-2-2245221. THE NATION daily newspaper,

44 Moo 1Q Bangna- Tfat Rd., km 4.t Bangkok 702ffi, Fax (6('.2)

3772077).

Golf i,.'AeN'?Vijay Chawla leans back in his luxurious leather chair, crosses his legs overhis desk and comments, "I am an NRI (Non-Resident lndian) attracted bythe liberalisation of the Indian economy, and for a long time I have had ideas

about investing in my country. Initially I wanted toPut uP aHealth Farmbut eventually decided on a world-class golf resort, the first of its kind inAsia."

Chawla has no qualms about flaunting his wealth, as is evidmt from hisluxurious apartment in Bangalorc, or the fact that he is here to serve the "richand famous". He believes that the rich deserve to be pampered with a

prcductof quality and "it is about time they got it athome". And what exactly

is his quality prcduct?

Coming up about3O minutes drivefrom Bangalore is the Shangri-la Resorts

over250 acres of pastural,/agricultural land (Chawla claims that it was never

cultivated) ata

whoppingcost of

$22million (Rs. 66 crotes). The prciect is

to be designed by f ack Nicklaus Il, (of Nicklaus Desigrr, a division of Golden

Bear Intemational Inc.) on a million dolhr contract which would require himto supervise the prcieci to comPletion in the next two years.

The project will include "luxury time-share aPartments (affiliations withResort Condominiums Internatbnal, USA and Ketbring U.K. anticipabd),

spacinus residmtial villas (a medranism to self-finance the project along

with club mernberships), club house with sports complet fu[y equipPed

health spa ("also authentic Ayunreda with westem comforts"), a 100'room

luxury hotel, and a futuristic convention centre'.

Chawla has it all figured out. His customers: Corporate€t(ecutives, film stars,

politicians, foreiggr tourists and non- resident Indians ("dernands an aire ofexclusivity"). His project financing: loans'from the Tourism Finance

Colporati6n of India, monies raised by selling villas and dub menrbership.His vision: making Shangri-la a 'Jewel in the crcwn of the queen of cities(BangalorQ" and bring prosperity to the thrce villages surrounding it Healso has some very fantastic ideas such as utilising the nearby Air Force Base

to airlift golfers with IAF choppers from the Bangalore airporl

Chawla has been happy about the fact that the Govemmmt has been verysupportive and enabled smooth conversion of land. Though he held on tohis ophion that theland acquired for theproiectwas never undercultivation(conversion of agricultural land and village commons to non-agriculturalpurpos€s is illegal) field investigations proved otherwise.

In what can be seen as a classic repetition of the modus operandi of golf resortdevelopment in Japarl Malaysia or lhailand, clandestine deals involvingpoliticians, bureaucrats and land grabbers (real estate developers) havecome into play hele impacting directly on the sustenance base of the villages.

The whole proiect is to come up on illegally converted village commons(which the Government had tenured to landless/poor farmers for.-cultivation) under the patronage of a local liquor/construction indust4baron who also is bound to have a mairr share of the Shangri-la constructioncontract Most villagers have absolutely no idea of what will come up ontheir land and are reigned to the possibility of relocating en masse.

The Karnataka Govemment Drought Monitoring Cells recent status r€porton Groundwater exploitation asserts that "groundwabr utilisation inDevanahalli taluk (where the project site is) has exceeded the limit ofreplenishable recharge and that immediate steps be taken to stop drilling ofwells either by private individuals or institutional finance till such time thewater levels are restored". This is a fact that has been simply glossed over.

Recently the proi€ct was inaugurated at The Oberoi, Bangalorc byMr. Ramakrishna Hegde, ex-Planning Commission Chief and former ChiefMinister of Karnataka, a man who has been accused of direct involvement

in several illegal land deals and who is now trying to reemerge in theNational political scene.

In the prcmotional brochure of Shangri-la, Mark Hesemanrt generalmanager of Nicklaus Design claims that "lndia has been identified bydevelopers as an idml market for golf course resorts and privatecommunities. By securing (Nicklaus) golf courses and top resort facilities,developers are able to capitalize on the lucrative travel and real estate

markeb." Not too surprisingly, The Oberoi, Bangalore was again the vmuefor the culnination of a series of seminars on golf course dwelopment inIndia.

Oryanised by Addgrowt[ a consortium of American and Malaysiancompanies, the serninar was conducted by Ronald Fream and his GolfplanDesign Gmup. Addgrowth has sinceset up its office in Bangalore and willr€prcsent serreral multinational companies including Weyerhauser (US

forestry giant, supposedly the second largest landowner after the Federal

Government, to market wood mulch for controlling soil erosion due to golfcourses), Parkway Research Corporation (US pesticide company), FarmersMarketing Corporation (US seed company to market hrrf grasses), etc,

There are plans in the immediate future to develop two other golf resors inor around Bangalore, as also intentions of upgrading existing golf courses

intro resorts. Nicklaus has now signed (?) two other contracts, one with LeehKerrpinski for their golf course in Goa, and the other for the ITC group hDelhi Ronald Fream has already begun with the faies Golf Resorts in Jaipurand several such projects are being planned all over India. Earlier this yearthe Indo-Australian Golf Expo alsg organised several golf-oriantedsenrinars.

Golf resort devebpment as an industry is set upon making a big mtry intoIndia. This defrritely calls for a great deal of networking and informationsharing amongst groups affiliaed with GAGM,/the Global Anti GolfMoverrmt, or those who share their concerns, I

tEoF.sAtDAl{HA12



cMT

ometime ago we were visitingindigenous native grouPs

throughout the Pacific as active

participants in the burgeoning"Appropriate Technology Movement". This

movement, in line with E. F. Sdrumacher's

Small b Bemtttful, w orks to develop low-cost

tedrnologies, to help grass-roots

entrepreneurs start locally owned business.

While visiting one of the better known A.T.

Centers in Papua NewGuinea we were toldthat the native director had had to retum to

his remote village because a number of his

relatives had mysteriously died.

The story that was revealed later was that

the relatives had been killed by the local

medicine man at the behest of the villageelders because they had violated the

indigenous culture. They had become

successful entrepreneurs; one making

wicker fumiture for exporf another

gathering valuable chemicals

from the rainforests; anotherwas

dtyt.g tropical fruits for sale{ocally. All were using low cost,

small-scale tedrnologies' ingrass-roots businesses. Tech-

nologies passed in to them fromtheA.T. network.

The problem was that the culturewas based on community andcooperation; the "appropriate"

technologies were fosteringmaterialism, competition andindividualism. The successful

entrepreneurs had put self aheadof societv.

for use for the commorr good.

Another concept we found misunderstood

by even the most socially responsible

tourists was that of "ownership". In Papua

New Guinea land ownership seemed to be

unknown, rather many different people

might have rights on the same land. O4e

group had the right to harvest a particular

mango tree, another to hunt fruit bats,

another to cross the land for ceremonials.No one claimed ownership. Australian

Aborigines' went one step further and held

that theywere the "ownees" of the land; that

is, that the territory owned them and they

hld to live by the rules and forces of the

place they lived.

Ownership was even further removed inthe culture of Tahiti. Before the coming ofthe "discoverers" ownership was unknown.

All items and favours were free for the

re-examining our own cultural

shortcomings and helping to promote the

paradigmshiftwe need if we are to move to

the next phase of human develppment.

One exception is Frendr philosopherDominique Temple who has studied the

economic systems of many indigenouspeoples. He has noted in particular that onlythe EuroAmerican culfure is hooked on

"exchange", 'barter", and "trade". Otherculfures have been based on some form of"gifting" or "reciprocity", which is the

practice of giving rather than accumulating.

In fact one's material possessions onlyprove that one has done less for the

community than s,/he were able. Rather,

one competes for the prestige of havinggiven the most to society. Rather thanindividualism, materialism, accumulation,

consumerism, and competition, the

reciprocity culture is based on giving,cooperation, humanrelationships and reverence forthe Earth.

If we are to gain the most fromour tourism we should recognise

that nearly every word in ourvocabulary is a blinder andhurdle to our ftrll appreciation ofthe people we visit. "Owner-

ship", "wealth", "development","democracy", "rights", "pro-

perty" and other ideas that wetake for granted, bias and limitour ability to participate in

dialogue with others.

Our own culture is in houble. Manyprogressive thinkert social activists, and

Gaian philosophers are searching for waysto make our world a better place to live. We

are hindered in our search for solutions bvthe same blinders that hinder us frommaking the most out of our foreign travels.Perhaps by being more socially responsible

travellers we can also better participate inorrr own culfural transition. I

Mnrgaret, and BilI EIIis, (an anthropologist and

physicist/futuist) , are the founders ofTRANET(PO Box 567,Rangeley Me04970 USA;(207)864-2252), a transnatianal nefwork of social

actiuists from around the world.

We leamed a lot from that experience. Notonly did we learn that even our most

sensitive efforts in "development" are often

misguided, but that many of the highestideals for our own culture, many of the

-'oncepts we talk about for the "new

paradigm ', have long been existent in ThirdWorld cultures.

In the highlands of Papua New Guinea the

roads were maintained by the 'Villagemen's house", who did all the workbut the

moneypaid by the govemmentwmt to the

elders for community projects. The same

sense of community and cooperation were

evidenced in a dance group at a posh hotelin Tonga. Everyone in the village dressed innative costume and performed for the

tourists, but the pay went to the villageelders again. And in Fiji we participated ina sea cucumber harvest in which nearlyevery village member took part, but noindividual benefited, proceeds from the

export tolapan came back to thecommunity

M/qRG/IRETMCMAIOII ELUS At{DWlLLlAM N. Etlls

taking, whoever needed a tool or a service

rfterely took it. The first Europeans wholanded could comprehend neither the

lavishness with whidr they were treated,

nor the "thievery" by which the natives

carried off any tool or trinket to which theytook fancy.

Inlapan we ran into another uniqueculturalpractice ata |apanese home. Each guestwasexpected to be sure that her/his neighbors'glasses and plates were kept full. We have

practiced this in our own American homeon occasion only to find that sudr practices

are so foreign to our belief in the primary of"self-interest" that the practice of"mutual-interest" leaves us hungry.

Culturally sensitive havel has become a

keystone of'the better world movement.But, we don't yet see that culfuralexperiences have impacted on the

movements for social transformation to the

extent they might. Professional

anthropologists or activists do not even

recognize the tool thattravel can be in

13



itual is an event upon which its

participants depmd; theatre is an

event which depends on its

participants, The process is not cut-anddry.But evidence of the hansformational steps

by which theatre emerges fro.m ritual -bywhich an efficacious event in which the

participants depend on the performance is

transformed into an entertainment in whidtthe entertainers depend on an audience

-is not locked in ancient or medievaldocuments. The transformation of ritualinto theatre is occurring today.

Asaro is a village about seventy miles east

of Kurumugl (Australia). There the famous

dance of the Mudmen is performed as a

tourist entertainment three times a week. Itwas not always so. The villagers originallyperformed only when they felt threatened

by attack. Before dawn village men went to

a local creek, rubbed their bodies with whitemud (the colour of death) and constructed

grotesque masks of wood frames coveredby mud and vegetation. Emerging from the

creek at dawn, possessed by the spirits of the

dead, the dancers moved in an eerie, slow,

croudring step. Sometimes they wmt to the

village of their enemies and frightenedthem, thus preventing attacki sometimesthey danced in their own village. The

dances took less than ten minutes;preparations took most of the previousnight. The dance of the Mudmen was

performed occasionally, when needed.

After pacification by Australian authoritiesthere was less need for the Mudmen.However, in the mid-sixties a photographerfrom the National Geographic Mngazinepaidthe villagers to stage the dance for him.These photos became world famous - and

it was not long before tourists demanded tosee the Mudmen. (Even the name

'Mudmen' is an invention for tourists)Tourists pay up to $20 each to see the shortdances; of this sum the Asaroans get 10 per

cent. Because the 10-minute dance is not a

long enough show by Westem standards,

the dancing has been augmented by a

display of bow-and-arrow marksmanship,

a photo session and a 'market'.

Thepeople of Asaro don't know what theirdance is any more. Surely it's not to frighten

enemies - it attracts tourists. It has no

relationship to the spirits of the dead whoappear only before dawn, and the tourists

come a little after midday. The social fabric

of Asaro has been torn to shreds. Despite the

exploitation of the village by the tourist

agencies, the meagre sums paid the

Asaroans are needed desperately during a

period when the barter economy has fallen

apart. Future changes in the dance willmake it longer, more visually complicated,

possibly adding musical accompanimen!

the craft skills of the villagers will improve,

or they will import stuff to sell; their

percentage of the take will rise. In short, the

dance will approach those Western

standards of entertainment represented bythe tastes of the audience, and the bmefitswill rise accordingly. Presently, the

Asaroans perform a traditional ritualemptied of its efficacy but not yet regarded

as a theatrical entertainment.

Joan Maclntosh and I arrived before the

tourists and stayed after they left. The

villagers lmked at us curiously - we were

taking pictures of the tourists as well as ofthe dancers. At Kenetisarobe, we met

Asuswe Yamuruhu, the headman. Hewanted tourists to come and watch a show

whidr, he assured us, was much better thanthe Mudmen. We agreed on a price - $4 a

person-andatime.

The next aftemoon we arrived with twofriends, paid our $16, and saw a dance

consisting of very slow steps, as if the

dancers were moving through deep mud,their finge$ splayed and their faces masked

or tied into grotesque shapes (probably animitation of yaws, a disfiguring disease

corunon in the area). The Grassmen ofKenetisarobe were very like the Mudmen ofAsaro.

Asuwe staged them for us - he knew thatAsaro was making money from its dance,

and the Kenetisarobe show was modelled

on the Asaro formula: slow dance,

grotesque masks, plenty of opportunity forphotographs and a follow-up after the

dance. What the people of Asaro did with a

minimum of self-awareness, Asuwe didwith a keen sense of theatre business.

Examples of the same pattrem abound. InBali touristversions of Barong and Ketdrakarc everywhere - alorg the Denpasar toUbud road sigru advertising these

performances are as frequent as moviemarquees in America. Signs, in English,

often read: "Traditional Ketchak-Holy

Monkey Dance Theatre -Tonight at 8", or"Barong

-EadrWednesday at 8 on the

Temple Steps". The Balinese, withcharacteristic sophistication, make separate

tourist shows and k*p authentic

performances secret. Tourists want to driveto their entertainments; they want a

dependable schedule; and they want a wayto leave conveniently if they choose to go

early. I saw two such performances in Bali.

The daytime ceremonies definitely had the

feel of an entertainment: outsiders came in,shops were open and doing brisk busine*s,the dances were carefully choreographed to

the gamelon music. At night the operation

was different each aspect of the ceremony

was privatized and done notwith an eye toits prettinessbut to its correctness; tirne gaps

between elements were longer and moreirregular with many discussions conceming

how to do certain things.

Surely the tourist trade has influencedso-called 'genuine' performances in Baliand elsewhere. I have no contempt for these

changes. Changes in conventions, theme,methods and styles occur because of-opporfunism, audience pressures,

profussionalism (itself often a new concept)

and new technology.

Theatre people imitate popular importedmodes, and the locals respond to thedemands of rich visitors - or local

audiences demand changes because they'veabsorbed the tastes of alien cultures. From

one point of view these changes are

corruptions- a clamour is raised to

establish cultural zoos in which the originalversionsof age-old rituals canbe preserved.

But even traditional performances varygreatly from generation to generation - an

oral tradition is flexible, able to abso'rb manypersonal variations within set parameters.

And the cultural-zoo approach is itself the

most pemicious aspect of tourism. I hate the

genocide that has eradicated such cultures

as that of the Aushalian Aborigines. But t-see nothing wrong with what's happening

in Bali and New Guinea, where two systems

of theatre exist. The relationship betweenthese is not a simple division between

tourist and authentic. More studies areneeded on the exchangebetweenwhat's left

of traditional performances

and emerging tourist shows.

And at what moment does a

tourist show become itself an

authentic theatrical art? I

Reproduced in edited form from" Perfwmatioe Circumstwrces -

from the Avant Garde to RMiliIa",Richard Schechner, Swgull Books

7983.

FROMRIruALTOffiTheatre comes into existence uhm a sqarationoccuts between audience anil paformerc

14



avanadurga is a tinY settlement in

Magadi Taluk about 50 kilometers

South-west of Bangalore cify'

Situated at an elevation of 1?26 meters it is

a pilgrimage spot in a Reserve Forest

bearing the same name. The vegetation inSavanadurga is dry deciduous and scrub

forest, and the region is considered to be a

conservation zone for medicinal plants.

Two monolithic granite hills rise steeply

over Savanadurga on which portions ofage-old fort walls can be seen winding up.

Savanadurga was once the second capital ofthe Kempegowdas, until it was conquered

by the legendary king of Mysore, TipuSultan who in turn lost it to combined

armies of Lord Cornwallis.

There are some ancient temples around the

place, one of which is still being visited bydevotees. This temple dedicated to Sfui

Veerabhadra, has now been dismantled by

a Bangalore registered organisation in orderand strengthen it'. Interestingly,

.le Archaeological Survey of India,

Bangalore branch, was blissfully unaware

of these modemising plans of the

organisation. The Forest Department has

also bulldozed an ancient temple dedicated

to Shri Kashi Vishwanath in an amusement

park it has built to attract tourists.

The present Savanadurga settlement has

developed around the relatively recent

temple of Shri Laxmi Narasimha. The

temple lies at the foot of the hills and is apilgrimage destination for devotees from as

far off as Bangalore. An average week sees

500 people coming to the temple, mainly as

day visitors. During the temple festivals

thousandsof people throng theplace, many

oFthem to stay for a day or two. A number

of choultries close to the temple afford basic

accommodation to these.

.ivo dargas are being built in Savanadurga.

The Muslim festival of Urs that is celebrated

here for two days in a year draws manythousands of devotees.

The Savanadurga settlement consists of 20

families of varied castes and professions.

Many of these families depend on the

visitors for a living. Agriculture also

sustains a few families. In season, that is

during the first few months of the year, the

Forest Department employs the people

from the surrounding villages to collect

minor forest produce.

At the entrance of Savanadurga the Forest

Department has built an amusement park

called Kempegowda Vanadhama to attracttourists to Savanadurga which is already

Developmenta I Woe?

quite famous for its temple. The park has aIarge open wire mesh enclosure with three

deers, a ftrlly caged enclosure for peacocks,

and a fencedoff, unshaded areawith a tiny,

shallow granite bottom puddle forcrocodiles. There are plans to start a boating

facility in a pond that is fed by a few forests

streams. There is also a children's playground with equipment like see-saws and a

merry-gq.round that is already installed.

The Forest Department also proposes to

build a few cottages around the ruins of the

te.gple of Shri Kashi Vishwanath to serve as

guest houses for the tourists.

Savanadurga's attractions to tourists are its

archeological structures, its temples and its

forests. Apparently no attempts are being

made by the Archeological Survey of India

and the Forest Department to conserye

these monuments. The latter has in effect

dismantled temples, while theformer feigns

ignorance of these developments. More-

over, human presence in the forests is

becoming more and more evident. The

park, the temple and the entire stretch ofroad leading to the settlement afford direct

entry into the Reserve Forest ofSavanadurga. A large number of people

simply wander in and leave behind all sorts

of rubbish; plastic bags, wrappers of all

kinds, discarded tin cans and beer bottles

are a common sight here. Such thoughtless

callousness not only makes the place less

attractive for a second visit but also poses a

serious threats to wildlife.

At present the touristic inflow peaks twice

a year. The problem would take alarmingproportions if this peaking increases infrequency, if the average number of visitors

rises discernibly, if these people stay overfor a longer period of time or if settling here

catches the imagination of visitors. All orany of these factors could put increasing

pressure on the forest resources.

Vehicular access into the Savanadurga

Reserve Forest and to the temple is onlythrough Nayakanpalaya gate, whichremains open in the day only. Thisarrangement does help in checking

unlawful activities in the forest to an extent.

However, illegal felling of trees does occur

with depressing regularity. Granitequarrying was a chronic problem until

15

recently, even within the boundaries of theReserve Forest.

An encouragement of mass tourism in the

middle of a reserve forest could well spell

doom for yet another shetch of protected

area. Any tourism plan here should firstcarry out a feasibility study in whichimportant questions such as the socio-

economic, cultural and environmentalcarrying capacities of the region shall be

studied. The initiation of any hasty or

unplanned developmental projects that

does not fit into a broader regional

development masterplan and that doesconsider the judicious use of the local

natural resources are bound to have

damaging effects on the cultural and

economic lives of the people as well as on

the ecology of the area. t

Excerptedfrom a report by Basauaraj Hebballi

requested for by SAMUAD, Bangalore.

Saua lad u.rga -Yet Another



TURKEY- HOL|DAY RESORT OR TOFTURE CHAMBER

In order to further tourism, the Tirrkish state

undertakes a lot of preliminary work. Itbuilds roads, establishes grids and mainssystems and disposes of reflrse and sewage.

Foreign investors can import goods free ofdu$. They are allowed tax concession,

additional credit, favourable subventionand free transfer of profi t. The intemationalMonetary Fund (IM$, according to theauthor Res StreJrle, takes the part of theconcierge in this "grand hotel" of worldeq)nomy, whereas the General Agreementon Tariffs and Tiade (GAm) function as

porter, the World Bank as cashier and NATOas caretaker. The restrucfuring of thee@nomy has already been initiated andairrp at deregulation and export. Instead ofdiversifying the home market and makingit more dynamic, it gets limited. As a resultlarge parts of the population become

impoverished, migration from the land andrepression increase. In her chapter SnsanBns uncovers Swiss "neutrality" and"humanity". "In this country, we ought tobuild hospitals and schools, not thesegoddamned fivestar hotels," said theengineer on $e building site of a holidayresort owned by the Swiss firmHapimag onthe Aegean coast. Many unfinishedbuildings already disfigure the coast,because of over capacity and there is nomoney to pull thebungalows down. Thiskind of "development" still goes on,

sometimes passed of as "soft tourism".luergen Hammelehle criticises theenvironmental rhetoric. Michael Ruhlanil

demonstrates how nature is elploited.

Yet, in some places, tourism offers anincome and some kind of security tomultinationals, who are less exposed to the

controls by the state authorities in holiday

resorts. "The tortoises are fine, the GreenParty takes care of them," mockedsomebody, "but what about the workers?"(A rare species of tortoises caused greatdiscussions in Turkey. Environmentalistsfought for their protection and againsthotels.)

Ceylan OezerengirL a joumalist living inIstanbul, wrote about trade unions andworking conditions of hotel ernployees.Cihan Altay, a social education workerIiving in efle in Switzerland, described theyears he had been

waiting as an applicantfor political asylum. The author NilafBelrmn, who lives also in Basel, and wl-recenly was refused a grant by the city.uliterary commissiory reflects on hisexperiences in Switzerland: "We got used to'foreigners out!'" he writes. "The reports onattacks agairst homes for refugees aregetting more. Silence, toq has its voice.Remaining silent means to agree." I

I.'ELIMAEDER

Can be ordered at:

Arbeitskreis Tourismus und EntwicklungMissionssto 2lCH-4003, Basel, Switzerland

"Feel like a king in Turkey", that is howImholz Reisen, a Swiss travel agency,

promotes joumeys, which Gaby Fierz andAnne.Lise Hilty have described as

"holidays under military guard". Th"yvisited the booming tourist country insununer 1991 and reported about theirsurvey in the book "Tu*ey

-holidayresort

or torhfie clmmb*". The co-editot MmionMordey andseven other airthors contributedfurther chapters about the situation ofrefugees leaving Turkey has to do with thestream of tourists heading for Turkey.

Tour operators tempt more and moretourists with dleap offers to visit Turkey. 5.4million did so in 199O of which74,000wereSwiss. "Sea is sea and sun is sun", seems tobe their creed. Wthin a decade the numberof 'visitors have quadrupled. During thesame period the real wages of the localshave been halved. This is no coincidenceand happens all over the world. Tourists,who do notmindbarbed wire around theirhotels and the fact, that.they spend moremoney in one night than the employees eam

in one month, take advantage of .thissituation and still feel that ttrey bring moneyto the country after all.

Indian Peoplc'sThibunal

Indian People's Tlibunal (IPT) on Environ-ment and Human Rights was formallyannounced on June 5, 1993, WorldEnvironment Day, at the Wvlcshap on

Enaircnment and the law nt Bangalore whidrwas attended by more than 400 people fromaround lrdia. It was clear from theunanimity of views that the IPT shouldfocus on survival and ideological issues

being thrown up by peoples' groupsthroughout the country. Several peoples'groups have already confirmed participa-tion and support, but the process willprobably require more regional meetings,before the IPT can be formally registered.Till then it will work as a collective.

Objectioes:

1. TO HIGHLIGI{T THE IMPEMiNVESOF EQUITY AND HUMAN DIGMTYIN THE SEARCH FC'R TRUEDEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDE ANAUIERNATME VISION FOR TFIE

BENEFIT OF OUR JUDICIARI byinterpreting existing legislation anddocuments

sudras

the Constitution ofIndia in a manner that protectsindividual and collective environmentaland social rights, particularly those ofadivasis and dalits

- rather than theconvenience of the establishment.

2. TO HIGHLIGHT TFIE ENVIRON-MENIAL AND HUMAN RIGHTSABUSES b'eing perpetrated oncommunities and individuals bv theruling elite in p*ruat

""of

uruustainable'development' objectives.

3. TO ENCOURAGE VICTIM COMMU-NITIES TO FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTSby empowering them with informa-tion.... putting them in touch with legal

. counsel.... and presenting them with tc-cases against which they can evaluar-their own varied circumstances.

4. TO SENSITISE PUBLIC OPIMONthrough the media to the fact that issues

of environment and human rights areinextricably linked.

5. TO HIGHLIGT{T THE CONNECTIONSBETWEEN UNSUSTAINABLE CON-SUMPTION PATTERNS AND DEGRA-DATION; so as to awaken the public tothefact that thespiritandletter of thelaware often violated by vested interests toadrieve their financial and consumeristambitions. Needless to add, the IPTwillalso serve to network groups around the

Publi-shed by Egltglfg purism Optioru (EQUATIONS), 168, 8th Main Road Behind Indiranagar Club, Bangatore 560 01p. INDIAPhone: 08G5582313, Fax: 6G5582527 (Attn. 020), Telex: 084F8600 CscI IN (Att. 007), Cable: EeUATIONS BANGALORE

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ANLetter Volume 2 Issue 1-Oct 1993-EQUATIONS

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Transcript of ANLetter Volume 2 Issue 1-Oct 1993-EQUATIONS