The Palakkad district is uniquely located at the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, gaining the coinage “the Gateway of Kerala”. Beautiful locations, fertile lands, hills, rivers and mountain streams mark the place. Many believe that Palakkad is derived from “pala”, an indigenous tree which once dominated the landscape of the district. Owing to its rich landscape, Palakkad has been featured in several films. The Palakkad district is home to the village of Kollengode, a crucial town and home to many notable archaeological sites. It stores an excellent potential for large-scale tourism.
Recently, Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, tweeted a list of ten beautiful villages people should visit. This led to an unregulated influx of people in the village of Kollengode. The brief tweet cost much to the village as it led to overtourism at the site.
We talked to Kavya H Das, a resident of the Palakkad district, about the chaotic tourism situation at Kollengode. Das has an MSc in Zoology and sees herself as an avid birdwatcher. She is an active member of the Natural History Society of Palakkad (NHSP), which ardently works towards the sustainable upkeep of the place through activities like cleaning, spreading awareness, surveys, and preservation.
Asked about the situation after Anand Mahindra’s tweet and the irresponsible tourism it led to in Palakkad, Das said, “More and more people are now willing to travel long distances to witness the beauty of nature. But in this run, we often tend to forget about the respect that nature deserves from us. Usually, once a tourist spot gets a spotlight, it will be flooded with tourists for the coming months. The most heart-wrenching fact is that the place will never be the same as before. There would be waste, plastic, too much of a crowd, noise pollution, and so many other factors that degrade the value and quality of the place.”
A previously unexplored and untouched village, Kollengode has faced all these issues in the past few months. Das added, "Locals have been complaining about how tourism has affected their lives negatively. Their day-to-day lives, including basic transportation from home to work spaces, have also been disrupted due to the inflow of tourists."
Das related this sudden influx of irresponsible tourists and pollution at Kollengode to the case of Kumbalangi, where bioluminescence was found in the backwaters and the island was left jam-packed with tourists ending in obscene degradation of the ecosphere.
To keep such calamitous affairs in check and tourism at a regulated speed, Das suggested, “Mindful travelling has to be practised by every tourist and visitor to help keep the beauty of nature intact. Understanding the importance of mother earth, leaving nothing but footprints behind, and not affecting the inhabitants' daily lives are a few basic points that every traveller shall keep in mind.”