Kerala's Kollengode, admired by Anand Mahindra, offers 'Kudilidam' farm retreat for tourists

Once upon a time, a yoga zen guru asked his disciple, “Can you hear the sound of the hills?” The student was baffled and asked, “Sound of the hills! Is it possible for the hills to make sound?” “Yes,” the guru replied. “You will be able to become an ascetic only when you can hear the sound of the hills.” 

When you gaze at the lofty hills of the Nelliyampathy range that surround the lush green paddy fields, you could get a feeling that the hills are conversing with you in their sweet voice in Palakkad’s scenic village of Kollengode. Zakir Hussain is rolling out a red carpet for a vibrant rendezvous with the hills, the valley's paddy fields, and the palmyra palms. You can sit in the cute little thatched huts on the periphery of the expansive paddy fields where peace and quietude come without any invitation. And Zakir Hussain’s ‘Kudilidam’ has nothing to offer but tranquility and serenity. 

“The most interesting fact is that youngsters and teenagers come in droves, devoid of mobile phones and headsets, and get soaked in the pristine charm of the hills and paddy fields. It’s worth noting that the youngsters are not drowned in the vortex of partying and merrymaking here. You can find young people sitting in the shade of the huts and reading books till evening. As a matter of fact, it’s high time to change our outlook on tourism. We have to delve deep into the potential of farm tourism in villages,” says Hussain after keeping aside a Khalil Gibran book he was reading. 

‘Kudilidam’ – A nature’s bounty 
The Palakkad village of Kollengode, adjacent to Tamil Nadu's Pollachi, became ‘viral’ suddenly two years ago. A bunch of youngsters hunting for India’s most beautiful villages through their Instagram handle ‘Colours of Bharat’ came calling at Hussain’s breathtaking paddy fields in the mesmerizing valley of the Nelliyampathy hills. At that time, Nelliyampathy was awash in alluring verdure, and the 17 cascades in the region had crystal-clear water fed by copious monsoon rains. And when the dark clouds cleared, the blue sky, the towering palmyra palms and the paddy fields glistening with golden paddy spikes were a treat for the eyes, and the youngsters captured nature’s metamorphosis with a twinkle in their eyes.

Unsurprisingly, they placed Kollengode in third position on the list of 100 beautiful villages in India. Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra shared the list of 10 of the most beautiful villages in India, including Kollengode on his social media page, with the message, “This beauty around us just left me speechless…My bucket list for travel in India now overflows. After that post, the fortunes of this quaint village changed dramatically, and there was a steady flow of tourists to Kollengode and Hussain’s paddy fields. 

But the sudden influx of travellers resulted in many inflicting damage to the delicate fields. Sadly, food and plastic waste were strewn around the agricultural farm. In a bid to maintain the tourism potential of Kollengode and encourage an eco-friendly tourism model, and after taking into consideration the directions of the district administration, the visitors are now allowed to enter the fields in a restricted manner by chargia nominal entry feeees, says Hussain.  Now, he is earning more from tourism than selling paddy. 

Read and grow 
Even though Hussain, who was born into a business family, knew that business was not his cup of tea, he was abroad for a long period of time looking after the family business. After returning to his home town, he got himself busy with social work through Sastra Sahitya Parishad and paddy farming in his 12 acres of inherited land. And he was also into reading. As a matter of fact, a hut was built near the paddy field for Hussain to be lost in reading. 

Sitting at Kollengode, which is not far from O V Vijayan’s Khasak, Hussain enthusiastically walked through the enthralling characters sketched by writers such as O V Vijayan, Madhavikutty and Khalil Gibran. As Hussain was busy with reading, farming and social service, people associated with the parishad proposed an idea to develop the paddy fields for farm tourism and cultural gatherings. It was his friends who gave the appellation ‘Kudilidam’. When his family members, friends and parishad colleagues joined hands, ‘Kudilidam’ became a platform for cultural interactions and grew beyond the scope of farm tourism. The panchayat, Krishi Bhavan and then Palakkad Collector Dr S Chitra backed Hussain to the hilt. 

More huts were put up as the tourist footfall increased manifold, and more varieties of paddy were cultivated. Earlier, only ‘uma’ and ‘jyoti’ varieties of paddy were farmed, but now Maharashtra’s traditional violet-leaved paddy variety ‘nasarbath’, and ‘karuppu kavuni ’and‘ karuppu njavara are also cultivated. To make the visit interesting and give a traditional touch to the whole setting, a water wheel, ‘thekku kotta’ (a container used to draw water) and small boats were put in place. 

As Hussain had incurred huge losses by treading the organic farming route, he had shifted to the scientific techniques of paddy farming. Minimum fertilizers are needed if agriculture is done scientifically, notes Hussain. Eco-friendly pest control is followed, whereby pests are controlled through natural predators or parasites. Harvesting is done twice a year; earlier, the entire harvested paddy was given to Supplyco, but now half the quantity is processed into rice and sold to visitors. As the next sowing season starts only in June, after the harvest in March, Hussain is planning to grow sunflowers in the fields. 

Tourism and paddy fields 
Hussain says the paddy fields across the state can double up as tourist hubs without disturbing the ecological balance. Many people want to get a breath of fresh air and be amidst the beauty of nature. It may be noted that ‘Kudilidam’ doesn’t provide food or beverages. But the raw charm of nature is in abundance, and thousands of people come to the farm on Saturdays and Sundays. Without building sprawling cottages and serving a seven-course meal, money can be minted through tourism, thereby providing more income to farmers. The farmers of each region should think about how to blend their produce with tourism for their benefit. 
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