Twenty years from now you will be more disap-pointed bythethingsthat youdidn’t dothanbythe ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away fromthesafeharbor. Catch thetradewindsin yoursails. Explore. Dream. Discover—MarkTwain

THIS IS WHAT BRUCE LINDSEY, a busi-nessman based in the US, sought to do during his vacation in Varkala. A stay in a five-star hotel or a guided tour of this beautiful beach town of Kerala was not his cup of tea. Lindsey chose to soak in the essence of the place by staying with the locals and working with children intraditional anganwadis. Hehas given birth to a new concept of tourism in this small seaside town—which aims at bringing travellers closer to the real face ofVarkala. Volunteer tourism is not about glossy travelogues orguidedtours. It is more than sight seeing; it is about experiencingfirst-handtheways people live in the place you are visiting. Travel agencies across the country are waking up to thisnewideaof tourismandaretryingtobuild bridges between tourists and the local people by organising community welfare activities.

For instance, in Varkala, Travels Interserve has brought about a change in the condition of anganwadis through their project Lullaby-@ Varkala, under which children belowthe age of five years are imparted pre-school educa-tion.

This has been done so that the tourists visiting the town get a positive image of the place. The agency has also initiated a project named Be with Us, Sing with Us which allows travellers like Lindsey to spend time with chil-dren in theanganwadis.

“Revelatory” is how Lindsey describes his whole experience in Varkala. He spent a good part of February trying to bring a smile on the faces of these children—just by chatting away with them. Many others like Lindsey derive a deep satisfaction by giving something back to society and at the same time enjoying a vaca-tion.

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