Lullaby@Varkala from KTIL

If you want to enjoy sun, sea, sand and cliffs with countless coconut palms in the backdrop, then Varkala is certainly the destination for you. Varkala, the famous beach tourism destination in Kerala, also the land of Sree Narayana Guru and the land of holy waters of Papanasam is the chosen area for this unique venture that seeks to utilise the wealth of tourism for the health of children. According to a myth, sage Narada was approached by a group of mendicants who confessed to having sinned. Narada threw his valkkalam (cloth made of the bark of a tree) into the air, and the place where it landed was subsequently named Varkala. The mendicants were directed by Narada to offer their prayers in the newly created place by the seashore. The place where they prayed for redemption came to be known as the Papanasham Beach (Papanasham means redemption from sins). The 2000-year-old Sree Janardhana Swamy temple and the Nature Care Centre are the two main attractions here.

For most of us, tourism is just an elitist activity that does not involve or benefit the community living in a tourist hot spot. Does tourism have a social responsibility? Can tourism be utilised as a vehicle for greater social awareness among the people?

Lullaby@Varkala is a pioneering project that will facilitate interaction between tourists and locals and by channeling the wealth of tourism for the uplifting of children, women and economically weaker sections of society. Lullaby seeks to create a symbiotic relationship between tourism and the populace. Kerala Travels Interserve (KTIL) who were involved in many innovative tourism projects like Thekkady Tiger Trail, World of Wings etc conceived Lullaby@Varkala. KTIL has been in the forefront of attempting and realizing many imaginative travel and tourism products focused in Kerala state since 1961. Lullaby@Varkala being implemented in association with ICDS Varkala, Prochild (NGO-based in Varkala constituted for implementing the project) above all, with the people of Varkala.

The project is first of its kind in India and is a unique model for socially relevant tourism initiatives. The project is based on the belief that the local people determine the ambience of a tourist place and the experience it provides. Usually tourism models are driven from the top with the capital, land, property etc. The common man comes only at the very end of this chain. Lullaby@Varkala is driven the other way around. The common man is the first factor and the most important one. KTIL had given the commitment to find out the resources towards the project which will transform the children to becoming the role model for India and also integrate the community at large of Varkala with the great tourism potential of the place. This in its evolution would transform Varkala into a very tourist friendly host community where the benefits of tourism activities will flow to the common man.