Want to travel to Orissa

Clare Turland

I’d like to visit Orissa. I am specifically interested in the tribal areas. I’d like to spend time with some of the different communities. Since some of them are considered primitive is this safe?
I have considered going through a local agent but from all reports they aren’t that knowledgeable, let alone respected by the tribal community. Which also leads to the question – should I even be considering visiting in light of this kind of hostility? Maybe they just want to be left alone to live their lives undisturbed as they have for centuries.
Anyone care to share their experiences and/or thoughts?

wonderwomanusa

My own inclination is to leave the tribals alone.

I've been in the position where tours of strangers came to observe my lifestyle and didn't enjoy it at all. And the tribal people's way of living is being eroded by commercial ventures infringing upon their land and the goverment wanting them to live in concrete buildings instead of their traditional dwellings.

travelbabu

Huy,

well i suggest the following tribal tour of orissa for ur stay and exploring the tribal life of orissa - Orissa Tribal Tour

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Travel Babu
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vonkla

When we want to visit Orisa we contacted several local travel agents and wrote that we wanted someting else then just the weekly markets. We selected http://www.indiatribaltours.com/index.htm and had a wonderfull trip with a very good guide.
We visited some popular markets but stayed also in a tent in a small hamlet. For more detailled information see the link below.

What ever we do the life of these people will change. We felt somewhat uncomfortable when we, with a bunch of other tourist were looking, to the tribal people on their way to the market. But where very much at ease in the smaller markets and villages.

Jan

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See our travel journal Mumbai-Dehli in three months

zwala

I thought like wonderwoman til last year when a friend of a friend put me in touch with Grass Routes. We spent a week camping, cooking and walking alongside different tribal communities and not once did I feel like an intruder. This was undoubtedly thanks to our guide Pulak who had travelled extensively throughout the region and developed good relationships with the tribal communities we visited. I felt this was an important foundation and as such we were related to by the locals as Pulak’s friends.
From our experiences the tribal community in Orissa is facing a lot of challenges as huge steel companies move in to claim tribal land. The easy assurances and hug sums of money that are tempting the tribals are sure fire ways to erode their ancient culture & traditions. I think it as POSCO or TATA steel that intended to buy the hill where a primitive tribal community reside. There was resistance within the community but with little resources I’m not sure how far they will succeed.
I’m glad I visited Orissa when I did and the way I did it. With Pulak as our translator we were able to communicate with the people we met and engage in some of their daily activities. We learnt simple things like how to forage for food in the jungle, how to carry baskets on our head, how to paint using natural pigments etc... But in some small way I felt we ‘bonded’ with the people we met and this was as reassuring for me as it was for the people we encountered. Unlike vonkla we didn’t experience a moment of discomfort. I will always remember with some amusement the faces of the tourists we saw at one of the weekly markets; think the last thing they expected to see emerge from the jungle alongside other tribal women was a bunch of travellers balancing baskets precariously on their heads! Lol!
Clare I suggest you get in touch with Grass Routes (http://www.grassroutesjourneys.com). And let us know how it goes!
Happy Travels.