‘I knew I wanted to do something here in my village’

“From my student days in Jodhpur city, I have felt a pull towards tourism. I would interact with tourists even back then, recommend local spots for them to go to and sometimes even accompany them like I did when I travelled to Delhi and then onwards to Himachal Pradesh with a French tourist.

But I knew that I wanted to do something here in my village. I knew nothing about rural tourism or responsible travel back then. All I knew was that I wanted to bring tourists here to experience a ‘living desert’ because the popular misconception is that a desert is just barren land where nothing grows or survives.

When I began setting Hacra up, there were no roads nor electricity here – let alone internet connectivity. I used to make trips to Jodhpur and spend some time at Internet cafes to reach out and respond to any queries about us. Later, I bought a second-hand laptop and set up a solar based internet router so I wouldn’t have to keep travelling to Jodhpur city.

It was a struggle getting guests initially. But I’ve been persistent and I’ve learnt by doing. I also built a team so that I had some support and could offer others from the village to also earn some additional income during the season. 

Today there are four guides, eight camel breeders/herders, and a group of women who assist with housekeeping and kitchen-work that comprise of the team at Hacra. These mud house rooms (dhanis) have been collaboratively constructed with the help of others from the village community.

Today we acknowledge our role and responsibility in informing the tourist beforehand what to expect from a stay at a living desert. We realise now the importance of stating to them what the local context is and what they would also be required to comply with when they are here – such as the culture, their clothing, the food, the overall ambience. We are a lot more assertive and comfortable with declining a guest’s request if it isn’t in alignment with our ethics.”

Read more about Hacra Dhani here

Meet Gajje of Hacra Dhani