What is Desia?

Desia stands for low land tribes and their natives. Since there are various tribal communities at the Koraput valley, it’s an effort to unite under the name DESIA, which means typical tribal folks of the region. Their music, language, food all can be termed as typical Desia music or Desia language or Desia food etc. In other words it is their common identity. Desia Eco Tourism Centre is also designed with local materials and we have tried to include Desia motives.

What is your drive behind doing such a challenging project?

As a special interest tour operator I love to explore off beat destinations and show the rich cultural heritage of our country to culture lovers & adventure travelers who seek unique and authentic experiences. The tribal area in Odisha offers all these ingredients and we started visiting the place quite often. From the experience of responsible travel I wanted to bring the benefit of tourism to the local grassroots community in the valley.

What is your personal interest in social entrepreneurship and responsible travel?

It is my strong belief and passion to work with people at grassroots level which is sole factor for making Desia. It not only gives me immense pleasure but is also a great learning experience about other culture. To be different, to meet challenges, to innovate  are some of the inborn qualities which I am known for. Most of it came from meeting interesting travellers from various part of the world as well as me always being on move. I am driven by travel and wanted to make tourism a tool to empower the tribal people of Koraput valley.

What do you aim to achieve with this lounge?

This art lounge will be an amazing meeting place where the guests can relax, read a book, listen to tribal music or even try their hand at local craft. It will have display racks, photo gallery, books corner etc. It will add more values to the place and property in general.