Social tourism: Now, Anna Hazare's village on the travel trail in Maharashtra

The ideal getaways for a vacation for most people are hill stations, beaches, urban destinations and even historical locations. But Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has come up with an ingenious idea for including locations of social change on the travel trail. According to a Times of India report, MTDC is  giving tourists a chance to travel to centres of social change associated with the lives of social reformers like Baba Amte and Anna Hazare. [caption id=“attachment_2104547” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Activist Anna Hazare in a file photo. Agencies[/caption] In an initiative of “social tourism”, MTDC will provide tourism benefits to disadvantaged people who cannot afford to travel. According to the report, the scheme will take people to destinations including Ralegan Siddhi, Hiware Bazar and Anandvan, among others. “We realized that Maharashtra has seen the rise of so many social crusaders who transformed their native or chosen places. Many people influenced by such reformers wish to meet them or see the places they have created. These tours address this niche sector of tourists,” TOI quoted a tourism official as saying. Anna Hazare serves as the Sarpanch of Ralegan Siddhi, a model village for environmental conservation. Most of the village is run on renewable sources of energy such as solar power, biogas and windmills. About 250-300 tourists have already taken the tours and met social crusader Anna Hazare and Baba Amte’s son Vikas. The tour lasts up to eight days. In April, Gujarat Tourism Corporation in collaboration with a private tourism company Akash Travels started a tour to PM Modi’s village Vadnagar for people to get a glimpse of his early life. The tour included a visit to the primary and secondary school the Prime Minister went to, the Hatkeshwar Temple where he reportedly spent time daily and the Sharmishtha Lake where the ‘adventure to catch a crocodile’ took place. Apart from being taken around the town the tour also included a meeting with the PM’s former classmates. So, what would you pick as your travel destination, PM Modi’s village or Anna Hazare’s home?