There was a certain festivity in the air. Everyone in the village were all dressed up and running up and about. And the buzz was addictive.
Welcome to Thandarai -The Herb Village unbeknownst to many. Turns out, It was time for their Annual Review Meet and that was what all the ruckus was about.
Situated in Kancheepuram district, just 10 kilometers away from Chengelpet on Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai, It’s a beautiful place filled with a lovely bunch of people giving u a warm welcome, admist all that excitement.
Beautiful Welcome sign
Above mentioned a few notable achievements of THANDARAI
To mention a few highlights about THANDARAI , it is a village specially designed for conservation of medicinal plants . There are various anthropological studies for which they are contacted. Many , many researchers approach them for various disease cure studies on the plants available in their village.
The Irula Tribe are actively involved with the village given their immense knowledge on the subject and actively supported by a dedicated group Irula tribe women’s welfare society (ITWWS) and Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC). With Rural and Eco Tourism also in mind , the Local Management Committee (LMC) and Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Tradition (FRLHT) and the Forest department have also pitched in. One more important name to add to this is the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). They have been instrumental in developing more ‘Herbal Villages‘ all across India.
Of course all this is just official information. You have to visit them to get that exhilarated feeling.They are like a full-blown, living,sustainable community, which every society only dreams of. And they have made a remarkable livelihood with the very things that they grow.
After a few initial hiccups , our time had come for the trip. In lieu with the Corporation School project we had undertaken, we had to know more about this mysterious herbal village situated far into the outskirts of Chennai.
The picture below is of their main administrative office. Already we were in love looking at the structure. Beautiful yet a tasteful treat to the eyes.
THE MAIN ADMIN BUILDING
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE BUILDING
The Herbal Center , which is one of their main undertaking, is such a great testament to their level of detail in planning and execution. They’re pretty well-organized in their work.
HERBAL CENTRE -Note the hibiscus drying out at front! 🙂
They manufacture their own herbal medicines from the plants and the saplings that they grow.
HERBAL MEDICINES STACKED UP
They even have an in-house doctor to oversee the process and to address the villagers medical issues.
The In-House Doctor . And don’t miss out on the “herbal products” section at the back.
They have a proper unit for all their separate procedures like the drying unit, the powdering unit, the packaging unit etc. It was all very impressive.
PACKING UNIT
DRYING UNIT
We encountered them all at THANDARAI , from Aloe vera to insulin plants to cure diabetes and the depth of insight these villagers have is just awe-inspiring.
The Center also has an impressive seed bank at display and needless to say, they have astounding varieties. Even we couldn’t stay out of the enchantment of it all, and eventually bought some hibiscus Tea 🙂
THE SEED BANK
And oh, what a beautiful walk way they had , with every tree having its own name boards. And the path just seemed never-ending. And the nursery was nothing but huge. Rows and rows of saplings in tiny bags were just kept for exhibit.
THE NURSERY
THE PATHWAY
THE NAME BOARDS ALONG THE WAY
And one more interesting aspect to this place for all you massage buffs , is that they have a massage center. It all fits in right?!! They have these special herbal concoctions. It’s specific and customized for every person according to their needs and physical conditions and then they let you soak in them for about an hour and a half and then bathe you with herbal water. Isn’t it just amazing? oh, yeah! they also manufacture special herbal water. 🙂
After the tour of the place , a hearty lunch and chit chatting with the people of the village, they were even sweet enough to let us sit through their annual meeting for a while. 🙂
So after an eventful day, completely knackered, and looking back we felt enlightened, for lack of a better word. We had found such selfless, hardworking people making this world a better place.
Rural tourism is on a rise and we need more such communities to come together. We keep harping about Chennai and its oh-so-old-traditions and cultures to live with! The day we realize that it’s not about being traditional and old school but about preserving the real values, cultures and trade. And that is when we truly become a city with modern ideals and thinking. And THANDARAI simply embraces them and in fact takes it up a notch.
SPACES 