The Hindu Business Line : A soothing lullaby

Lullaby@Varkala is not charity. It's a social movement that tells a story," says K.C. Chandrahasan, who is the Managing Director of Kerala Travels Interserve Pvt Ltd, a Thiruvananthapuram-based travel services company. A story about how tourism, corporate support, individual commitment and a strong spirit of community can transform the lives of children, their families and the community at large.

Varkala, about 40 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, is known for its beautiful beaches and the relaxed pace of life that attracts tourists from across the world. Yet, people in the community felt that tourism was not benefiting them, says Chandrahasan.

A couple of years ago, Chandrahasan happened to visit an anganwadi in Varkala. Anganwadis are childcare centres for children from underprivileged families and are the focal point for services, at the community level, for children below six years of age, pregnant women and adolescent girls. Moved by the plight of the children there, he decided that something had to be done for them and also for the local community. "I felt that anything we do with the anganwadis and the community has to be related to the tourism industry," he adds.

And thus was born the Lullaby@Varkala.

The project

Supported by Kerala Travels, the project is run by ProChild, a voluntary organisation with representatives from various groups including Government departments, the local municipality, Kerala Travels and NGOs. In a little over a year, Lullaby@Varkala has brought 141 anganwadis and over 3,200 children within its fold. The children are given vegetables as part of their afternoon meal, and also a glass of milk thrice a week. In addition, they also got two sets of uniforms. The project has renovated several anganwadis and bought land for a couple of them.

Computers have been installed in nine centres and seven more will receive computers soon. Infosys Technologies has committed itself to donate five computers every three months, says Chandrahasan.

Community involvement

Community involvement in the form of consultations and awareness meetings was built into the project from the beginning. But in the past few months, the local community has started supporting the project with greater vigour. Encouraged by the work of "outsiders", the people of Varkala are also showing keen interest "to do something to help our community," says V. Santhakumari, an anganwadi worker, who manages the centre at Muthana. The uniforms are a big hit with both parents and children, she adds.

R.B. Binu, who runs an anganwadi at Airoor, says that the local community has started pitching in with contributions of vegetables, milk, curries and even electrical appliances like ceiling fans, arguing that if outsiders can help, so can they. Attendance at these centres has also gone up sharply over the past few months, especially after the uniforms were distributed and computers introduced, she adds.

The children in the anganwadis covered by the Lullaby@Varkala project are eager to learn, says Binu. In fact, ever since the project started, schools in the locality are showing greater interest to enrol students from these centres, add Srikumar and Seena, supervisors of the State Government's Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).

Chandrahasan says that the local community has realised the importance of these centres and has started raising questions about the allocation of funds to various anganwadis, adequate utilisation of funds and so on.

Support for the project also comes from the hotels in Varkala. Darmesh Cariappa, General Manager of the Taj Garden Retreat in Varkala, says the hotel supports the project totally and views it as a means of giving back to the community.

Unique tours and experiences

Meanwhile, Chandrahasan is working on the tourism facet of the project too. ProChild now offers `Be with us, Sing with us,' a one-day Lullaby@Varkala tour. The tour will introduce tourists to the locals, and create room for one-to-one experiences, he says.

Priced at Rs 1,000 per person, the tour includes a visit to an anganwadi under the supervision of ICDS officials. Tourists can interact with the children, teach them and even gift them pencils and toys. Several groups of tourists have already taken this tour, Chandrahasan adds.

While 50 per cent of the revenue generated will be routed to the anganwadis through ProChild, the rest will go to members of the local community such as guides, a local household where visitors will stop for lunch and local teashops, he explains. This will ensure that the benefits of tourism reach the local community. Similarly, monetary contributions from tourists will be accepted and passed on to ProChild for distribution to various anganwadis.

Other community-driven initiatives

Simultaneously, Lullaby@Varkala is also working on a community-led campaign to create a safe and hospitable town. "Very soon, Varkala will be known as a 100 per cent tourist-friendly host community," declares Chandrahasan.

Meanwhile, 90 families have been roped in for an organic farming venture as part of the Lullaby@Varkala project, and are being trained in various aspects of organic farming, says C. Jayakumar, Director of Thanal, an NGO. There has been a significant response to the organic farming initiative, he adds.

Similarly, 80 women are being trained in tailoring and embroidery, says Chandrahasan. Once trained, they will be employed to make Lullaby@Varkala souvenir bags for tourists and also stitch uniforms for the anganwadi children, he explains.

Over the next two years, 80 anganwadis will be renovated as part of Lullaby@Varkala, he says. Also on the cards is an initiative for the welfare of anganwadi workers.

According to Chandrahasan, this project can be replicated with ease across the country. Already, there is a lot of interest across the country, he says with a broad smile. A smile of satisfaction at a mission well begun.

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