Jagdalpur, February 27, 2026: Cooperation and dialogue are fundamental to the development of any region, and this spirit has been demonstrated beyond expectations in Dhudmaras village in Bastar.
Today on the last day of her visit, Ms. Kirsi Hyvärinen, a United Nations Mentor and Founder of Hiva Coaching and Consulting, shared valuable time with the villagers of Dhudmaras, experiencing the best of life experiences.
Speaking of learning from the villagers’ lives, she particularly praised the plastic-free lifestyle, which has become a major inspiration for the entire world.
It is a remarkable achievement for Dhudmaras that this village has joined a network of 20 selected villages around the world, which are now connecting with each other and drawing inspiration for better work.
Kirsi emphasized that Dhudmaras meets all the global tourism standards that embody the concept of rural development.
During this dialogue, the villagers also shared the changes that have taken place within themselves, explaining that before understanding the nuances of tourism, they used to unknowingly harm plants and wild animals, but now the situation has completely changed.
Today, every resident here is not only aware of their environment, but also dedicated to its conservation. This change is not only ideological but also economic. Where previously villagers had to migrate to earn a living, now the arrival of tourists has significantly improved their economic situation. A direct example of this is seen in the village’s changing lifestyle; where once villagers did not even own bicycles, today they have their own motorcycles.
Seeing Dhudmaras’s success, people from other villages are also coming here to learn.
While charting the future, Kirsi suggested focusing on reforestation. She said that villagers can now keep track of various bird species and document the positive changes taking place in the village.
She clarified that the development of Dhudmaras is entirely in the hands of the residents, and therefore, the villagers must shoulder the responsibility for everything from planning to implementation.
Kirsi advised that plans should be implemented and present the true image of Dhudmaras to the world. Stories of the region’s civilisation, culture, and traditions should be created and shared with the public, and most importantly, local people should share information about the region with tourists.
Finally, he offered an important message: just as a tree grows from its roots, the villagers are the roots of Dhudmaras.
Referring to the trailer of the film “Gringo Trail” and global experiences, he emphasised the need to utilise the global network to expand tourism activities. She said that we need tourists who respect this place and its people as much as they respect this land. It now depends on the collective resolve of the villagers to make Dhudmaras the best tourist village in the world while maintaining its originality.
On this occasion, Director of Kanger Valley National Park Naveen Kumar along with Balodabazar’s Forest Divisional Officer Ganveer Dhammasheel were specially present.
Along with this, Manjiri Kamalapurkar, representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Shubhada Chaturvedi, representative of Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, along with other officers and employees and a large number of villagers were present.
