Sualkuchi and Tourism

It is a matter of great significance for Assam that the Ministry of Tourism has recognized Sualkuchi as one of the best tourism villages of India in the ‘crafts’ category. With this recognition, Sualkuchi, whose renowned silk-weaving tradition had often led to mentioning it as ‘Manchester of the East’, can now expect to get more visitors. This in turn will help the weavers and traders of Sualkuchi increase their sale of paat, muga, and eri fabrics, which again will help the state generate more revenue. Hardly 30 km from Guwahati, Sualkuchi had emerged as a weavers’ village several hundred years ago, with some historians attributing its establishment to the 11th century Kamarupa king Dharmapal, while some others give the credit to Momai Tamuli Barbarua, a high officer in the Ahom administration, for converting it to a kind of modern-day Export Promotion Zone. Some also claim that the weaving tradition of Sualkuchi is as old as the Mauryan Empire of central India. It is pertinent to note that the Ministry of Tourism organizes the ‘Best Tourism Villages’ competition to acknowledge a village that best exemplifies a tourism destination that preserves cultural and natural assets, promotes community-based values and lifestyles, and has a clear commitment to sustainability in all its aspects—economic, social, and environmental. But, while Sualkuchi has been conferred such prestigious recognition, it is probably also important to look at whether the silk village can really fulfil the needs of a tourist. A reality check probably will reveal that there is no dedicated tourist bus facility from Guwahati to Sualkuchi on a regular basis, and visitors, particularly from outside the state, will have to either hire a taxi or catch a normal trekker service. It is in everybody’s knowledge that taxi drivers in Assam—including those taking tourists to Kaziranga, Manas, or Majuli—are yet to be tourist-friendly in the true sense of the term. There does not seem to be a proper tourist information centre in place at Sualkuchi, thus putting visitors in great difficulty as to how to go about the place and what exactly is there to see. Shopkeepers and emporia-owners too require to be put through a tourism orientation programme, so that they can be friendlier, more informative, and create a feel-good environment for the visitor. Last, but not least, Sualkuchi lacks good restaurants and eating places. Once upon a time, there were a couple of traditional restaurants where visitors were served various local items, including pigeon meat cooked with banana flowers, and khaar. At present, the few so-called restaurants are not worth visiting, especially because while they do not present a clean and hygienic environment, none of them have washrooms worth their name. Now that the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has conferred such prestigious recognition on Sualkuchi, the state tourism department must take up these and related issues on a warfooting, especially because the proper tourism season in Assam has just started with the opening of the National Parks.