Villagers turn WGH hamlet into ‘tourist destination’

TURA: Aminda Rangsa village in West Garo Hills has, of late, been attracting tourists by the dozens due to the unique initiative taken by the villagers to promote and market the village as a “tourism destination”.
The village is located about 25 kms from Tura and is a perfect getaway with beautiful landscapes, rugged terrains and dense forests. The village has only 39 households with a total population of around 200 people.
The village was awarded the Nirmal Gram Puraskar in 2011 which motivated the people to come together and follow in the footsteps of Mawlynnong village in East Khasi Hills, the cleanest village in Asia.
All throughout the village, handmade dustbins can be seen to ensure cleanliness and the villagers plan to go even further by setting up a Garo Heritage Museum.
“Since receiving the Nirmal Gram Puraskar, there has been no support from the government’s side. It will be tough but we are planning to set up   a Garo Heritage Museum as an attraction for visitors to the village,” said Wanson Marak, a member of the Village Development Committee.
Artist Handum Marak whose unique wood and stone carving creations are on display at the village says that people come to the village to buy his wood and stone crafts. At the park, which was constructed with generous donations from different agencies and villagers, Handum has etched his creativity on uprooted trees.
Marak has also been entrusted with building a traditional Garo house at Ballonggre village near Tura by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma himself.
“I wanted to contribute for my village with my creative expression, so I decided to do wood carving in the park so that people can come and see the creations. I feel that people will be attracted to our village, which will help us in different ways,” said Handum.
Last year, the village bagged an award for their conservation effort from Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Promotion Programme (IBDLP), a flagship programme of the State government.