Stranger at the door, homestay plan catches fancy

The forthcoming Mumbai Festival 2006 is going to offer foreign travellers to the city a unique experience. Under the homestay plan on offer, they will be able to stay with carefully selected families in the city to get an authentic taste of the culture and living here.

Foreigners would be able to select from a range of communities as their host- from East Indians and Pathare Prabhus of Khotachiwadi, Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus (CKPs) of Shivaji Park to the Koli fisher folk from Pali village in Bandra. The enterprising lot can in turn stay with each community.

And in the bargain, Mumbaikars will not only earn from the tourists, but can also avail bank loans to renovate their homes. As for the tourists, they can savour the true taste of the city - from staying with an Indian family, to shopping for fish and vegetables, to participating in family festivities.

The homestay concept is being promoted by the Tourism Co-operative, a brainchild of MLC Sudhir Sawant and his wife Rashmi Sawant. They have drawn up an ambitious plan to involve Mumbaikars to host foreign travellers visiting the city during the festival. The cooperative has implemented a similar homestay programme in the Sindhudurg district, focussing on rural Indian lifestyle.

Already, over 50 city families have applied to the Tourism Co-operative and the Sawants are confident that the number will touch 100 by the end of the month. After an orientation programme for the would-be participants, a team of architects would inspect the homes to suggest additions and alterations.

Rashmi Sawant said that they were trying to involve banks in the project so that loans could be made available for suggested alterations. The accommodations will then be graded from basic to luxury, according to the amenities available.

"The project will augment accommodation for visitors by inviting Mumbaikars to open up their homes to inbound tourists. This provides the homeowners an additional source of income and the tourists with an opportunity to experience Indian culture by sampling the unique characteristics of Indian hospitality," said Rashmi Sawant.

"Homes will be chosen in clusters so that the visitors get to sample a bit of every community's lifestyle and customs. People could stay for one night with each community if desired so," Sawant said.

Considering the overwhelming success of the 10-day long Mumbai Festival 2005, which presented various facets of the city through art, dance, music, food, sports and shopping, the coming festival will certainly achieve newer heights this time.