Little Local

01/10/2021

Did you know that Ladakh is home to the world’s sweetest apricots?
It’s not very well-known but apricots have been grown in Ladakh for centuries, and were widely traded along the Silk Route in exchange for wheat, barley and wool. Some parts of Ladakh like Sham Valley, Nubra Valley and Kargil are particularly abundant in apricot farms.

But unlike in the past, when apricots yielded good returns for the locals, today farmers struggle to market their produce successfully.
Farmers have limited resources and are not able to access markets all year-round because of extreme weather conditions. And many times they end up selling at low cost to traders, or losing some of their produce because of old harvesting and drying methods.

In 2016, Tata Trusts and Himmotthan Society decided to try and solve this problem. They started training farmers on better methods for harvesting and drying, and also helped in setting up a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) which means an organization that is 100% owned and run by farmers!
The FPO currently has 200 farmers, and works as a collective for farmers to sell together in larger quantities, get better pricing and most importantly sell directly to urban consumers like you! 🌟

We’ve spent much of this year working with them, helping them create their own brand identity, and it is a project that has brought us so much joy and happiness!
And we are SO excited today, to be able to share this project with you! 😍

Presenting Julley Ladakh, the first brand of Premium Dried Apricots from Sham Valley Apricot Producer Cooperative Limited. 100% all natural, with zero chemicals/ preservatives, and directly from the farmers who grow them! 🧡

It’s the perfect little snack, goes well with breakfast and is a good any-time-go-to fix for your sweet craving. Also ideal for festival snacking and wedding season

AND – they are now live on our website!
What are you waiting for? > WWW.LITTLELOCAL.IN

18/08/2020

Love love love how this labour of love has come together so beautifully! ❤️
Filmed and conceptualised by , stunning graphics by , this is a mini-docu series featuring our work in Ladakh with on and more!
Sharing some stunning frames and visuals in our stories, episodes to follow soon! Stay tuned! 😍

17/10/2019

Yayy! Our with made it to the long list for IRTA 2020 - Best Social Impact Project!
Fingers crossed for the next round! 🤞🙏😊

with
・・・
A big thank you to everyone who took the time out to apply for ! We were thrilled to see all the good work you’re doing! So here it is... the much awaited LONGLIST for !
Those who didn’t make it to the LONGLIST this year, please know that you probably missed it by a whisker! Do come back next year and tell us about the wonderful things you’re continuing to do. All the best!

27/07/2019

It’s a good day to read the papers 🙂
Thanks Hindustan Times Cafe for featuring us!

27/07/2019

How Kargil won itself back

In today's Mint Lounge
This is the Kargil you need to know more about

Twenty years after the 1999 war, locals and the administration are working to change the war narrative that has long stuck to this district in western Ladakh.Lounge travels to four community-run museums set up to preserve Kargil’s rich cultural heritage

22/06/2019

ZBAYUL - THE INVISIBLE VILLAGE
Project Zbayul is a sustainable livelihood initiative by and .local in partnership with the community of Henasku village in Kargil-Ladakh.
This summer we collaborated with where 35 students of architecture and design worked with the community and helped curate and set up a community-owned museum that focuses on the life, history and culture of Henasku and its people.
If you ever happen to be in Ladakh, you know where to make a stop :) come visit the museum and live in traditional village homestays and experience the warmth and hospitality of the local people and learn about a time long gone!
Located on the main Kargil-Leh highway, it’s a convenient half day visit from Leh/ Kargil but best experienced as at least a couple of days of stay in the village :)
Our integrated village development model aims to strengthen the community by developing homestays, conserving heritage and culture, marketing handicraft and supporting skilling.
Image
Words
@ Kargil Ladakh

26/04/2019

‘We build too many walls and not enough bridges.’ - Joseph Fort Newton

25/04/2019

Cold air. Dark night. Warm fire. And a sky full of stars.
Sometimes this is all we need!
Join us as we go camping into the mighty Great Himalayan National Park next month. We will be living and trekking with the local youth of Shangarh village in Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh. They have formed a Village Forest Development Society to protect and conserve their natural heritage, and improve local livelihood.
Come if you love the mountains and wonder how you can do something to protect them! :)
Local partners Sunshine Himalayan Adventures
Dates - May 20 to 25, 2019
Cost - Rs 25,000
Sign up link in bio!
For more details see link in bio! :)
ReRoute. Introducing a series of carefully curated, community-first travel experiences across India. Explore remote places with local communities. And directly support local livelihood. Brought to you by Outlook Responsible Tourism Initiative and Little Local.

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16/04/2019

*Second Summer Trip Announcement*
Where The Roads End!
Do you love the mountains and wonder how you can do something to protect them? Come with us as we spend a week in a remote Himachali village in near wilderness. We will live and trek with trained local youth, and understand how the community is working together to conserve their natural heritage and improve livelihood! Highlights include staying with a local family, trekking and camping under the stars for 2 nights during the week and experiencing first-hand how conservation and livelihood can happen together.
Our partners are Sunshine Himalayan Adventures - and - they have been working in the region for the last 20+ years!
Dates - May 19 to 25, 2019
Cost - Rs 25,000
Sign up link in bio!
For more details, write to us at [email protected] !
ReRoute. Introducing a series of carefully curated, community-first travel experiences across India. Explore remote places with local communities. And directly support local livelihood. Brought to you by Outlook Responsible Tourism Initiative and Little Local.


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14/04/2019

We are in the papers! :D
Thank you Asian Age for featuring us on your responsible travel cover story today!
And thanks for featuring our partners and travellers too!
Ankit Sood Akanksha Pundir Sushma Hegde Sapna Poti Shikha Balakrishnan

https://www.asianage.com/amp/age-on-sunday/140419/towards-conscious-tourism.html

07/04/2019

As a small social travel enterprise, we’ve always looked to India as one of the leading voices in the complex space of responsible travel. They’ve done a whole lot for the eco-system with their initiative and their annual summit has always been a space to share ideas, seek guidance, be inspired, meet old partners and even make new ones!
Today it brings us most happiness to announce we’re collaborating with them to bring to you a series of highly curated, highly bespoke travel workshops! Our most special partners and most special experiences amplified with the Outlook brand and community!
ReRoute - The Way You Travel.
Introducing a series of carefully curated, communities-first travel experiences across India. Explore remote places with local communities. And directly support local livelihood. Brought to you by Outlook Responsible Tourism Initiative and Little Local.
Our first workshop is in Sarmoli, Uttarakhand and just been announced. Next one’s in Himachal and will be announced tomorrow 🙂
Please see our posts for details, do spread the word and most of all - Come along and ReRoute The Way You Travel :)

28/03/2019

It’s nearly weekend and we are thinking of apong - the local rice beer we had in Assam last week!
We were lucky to see it being made, and luckier to sample some :)
Our hosts said it’s local custom to offer apong to all guests, and a sign of mutual respect and friendship to have a drink together. We were of course only too happy to oblige :)
Boiled rice and burnt rice husk are mixed together with local herbs and left to ferment for 15 odd days. What you get at the end is a really nice light sweet-ish drink that tastes more like wine, and less like beer! Some versions can be stronger too.
What are the local brews have you sampled in your travels?
Swipe left to see the lovely grannies who gave us company that evening! @ Majuli - মাজুলী

27/03/2019

More from our Assam series!
That’s Bipin Dhane standing in front of - the school we posted about yesterday. He started this school less than 3 years ago, and today’s its home to more than 200+ students of which 70 live on the school campus. They’re doing some brilliant work and using activity-based methods of learning with an additional focus on encouraging kids to learn and be proud of their native heritage and folklore. What’s equally inspiring is that these classrooms you see in the background have been completely built by the local community, using local knowledge and materials, on land that’s been donated by a few local families.
When you truly work with the community and focus on community-run and community-owned assets, nothing can stop you from creating magic! :)
Swipe left to see the kids playing away when we arrived at 4 PM!
If you’re ever in Assam, be sure to make the time and visit them, and try and do something that would help the school and community, in whatever little way possible!
More power to you Bipin! Keep shining and keep inspiring :)
And thanks again to for connecting the dots!
@ Majuli - মাজুলী

26/03/2019

We’re just back from a week in Assam and this is a glimpse of Majuli Island - the largest river island in the world - right in the middle of the Brahmaputra!
We spent two days driving through endless paddy fields and countless little water bodies. We visited a beautiful community-owned school called and one of the indigenous Mising villages to meet some of the families to discuss eco-tourism led livelihood possibilities.
Assam you’re all kinds of green and more kinds of gorgeous!
And we’ll be back very soon! ☘️💚
Shout out to for connecting the dots!

08/03/2019

To all the kickass fearless women we travel with, and all the kickass fearless women we travel to!
We move mountains because !
Happy Women’s Day you all! ❤️
PS Only love for all the men who are always rooting for us :) @ Mumbai, Maharashtra

23/01/2019

A glimpse of Henasku: The Invisible Village between Leh and Kargil

We are truly blessed with the best travellers 🙏

Pritika Behrawala is a young film-maker who joined us in Ladakh last summer. What you see here is a little glimpse of her experience in that one week. What is behind the scenes is how effortlessly she became part of the community in such a short while!

Thank you Pritika, Henasku misses you! ❤️

Project Zbayul is our long-term livelihood initiative with Roots Ladakh in Henasku, Ladakh. What began as a pilot travel workshop in 2017 is now taking shape into an integrated village development model where we work across homestay development, restoration, intangible culture & heritage, folklore, skilling and long-term development.

youtu.be/1apf-0QKmZg

Tucked behind a small gorge along National Highway 1 is Henasku, a village that is home to about 150 residents. They call it Zbayul. It means the hidden vill...

16/01/2019

12 Offbeat Indian Travel Companies You Should Know

Thank you Homegrown :)

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.”- Robert Frost. There are parts of the world

01/01/2019

Kick-starting 2019 on just the right note!
Zbayul - The Invisible Village. Community Livelihood through Design Intervention.
June 2019. Henasku, Kargil (Ladakh)
This summer, and us have collaborated with CEPT University Summer School 2019 and are hosting a unique hands-on workshop for students of design, architecture, fine arts and other creative fields. The project is a great opportunity to learn how it is to work with rural communities, and create a livelihood intervention through art and design. You will be part of a team that will document and record aspects of history and culture & create a permanent repository and exhibition with and for the local community of Henasku.
Registrations open until January 22, 2019. Limited seats open for young professionals too. Pl see more details in the link below, or msg us for any queries :)

https://goo.gl/S5oy6M

01/01/2019

Ever thankful for all the love we received in #2018 !
Wishing you all a super special 2019, and a year of more kindness, more meaning and all things happy ❤️

20/12/2018

Pout game strong 🤘
Palzin is one of the local kids in Henasku, Ladakh and she also interns as our local guide during her summer break. Pritika is a photographer and one of our dear travellers. Both girls are just a few years, but many many worlds apart. Through our workshops, we try and create a system where both worlds can come together and learn from each other. And more importantly, have a ton of fun together :)
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Project Zbayul is our long-term livelihood initiative with in Henasku, Ladakh. What began as a pilot travel workshop in 2017 is now taking shape into an integrated village development model where we work across homestay development, restoration, intangible culture & heritage, folklore, skilling and long-term development.

19/12/2018

Because grandmas always have the best stories! And also make for the best posers :P
A lot of indigenous history remains undocumented today. Some of it has been orally transferred from one generation to another but with more young people moving away to bigger towns and cities, there is a real fear of losing even that. One of the things we attempt to do in our workshops, is document aspects of lost heritage, oral folklore and stories from the past. This was one such afternoon in Henasku, Ladakh when we met old women of the village who regaled us with stories of the Silk route, their families, the village history, their fears and aspirations for their children and even things they wanted for themselves. Top of the their wish list was to have someone teach them the Bodhi script so they could read their scriptures. We hope to make that happen someday :)
Swipe right to see them reacting to video footage of themselves for the first time!
Photos by and video being shot by Lights on Films
Project Zbayul is our long-term livelihood initiative with Roots Ladakh in Henasku, Ladakh. What began as a pilot travel workshop in 2017 is now taking shape into an integrated village development model where we work across homestay development, restoration, intangible culture & heritage, folklore, skilling and long-term development.



@ Kargil Ladakh

09/11/2018

And it’s snowing in Breswana!! ❄️☃️❄️
Our first workshop here and we already know it's going to be super special!
We're collaborating with and the folks from Haji Public School in Breswana, Jammu & Kashmir for a week-long workshop this December. Come live with us in a remote village, take in surreal sunrises and dramatic sunsets, learn local food and craft, trek and camp for a night under clear starry skies!
Want to know the best part about the workshop? Your travel will support the solar electrification of a local home, and the education of 3 little children :)
The cost of the experience is Rs 35000/- and includes travel from Jammu, and everything once we reach Breswana - stay, meals and all local activities. Additional expenses will be travel to Jammu, meals in transit and personal expenses of any kind.
The Breswana Project is part of our Himalayan winter workshops this December. We also have two more workshops in Uttarakhand. See details in the link in our bio, and come along :)

08/11/2018

Freshly plucked haldi (turmeric) 🍀🌱
Come farm with us this November as we spend a long weekend in Uttarakhand, attending a village mela with over 100 women farmers and learning Urban Farming & Composting with city farming experts ! Details in bio!
Farm Stories is our first long weekend farm experience in collaboration with Edible Routes and local partner Shramyog. The dates are November 24-26, 2018 and the cost is Rs 7500/- inclusive of your stay, meals, workshop and local activities.
Farm Stories is part of our Himalayan winter workshops. We also have two more week-long workshops in Uttarakhand and Kashmir. See details in the link in our bio, and come along :)
@ Pauri Garhwal

04/11/2018

Our first workshop here and we already know it's going to be super special!
We're collaborating with and the folks from Haji Public School in Breswana, Jammu & Kashmir for a week-long workshop this December. Come live with us in a remote village, take in surreal sunrises and dramatic sunsets, learn local food and craft, trek and camp for a night under clear starry skies!
Want to know the best part about the workshop? Your travel will support the solar electrification of a local home, and the education of 3 little children :)
The cost of the experience is Rs 35000/- and includes travel from Jammu, and everything once we reach Breswana - stay, meals and all local activities. Additional expenses will be travel to Jammu, meals in transit and personal expenses of any kind.
The Breswana Project is part of our Himalayan winter workshops this December. We also have two more workshops in Uttarakhand. See details in the link in our bio, and come along :)

03/11/2018

‭We're going back to one of our most loved projects at one of our most loved partners! The third season of is happening between December 2-8, and if you're a woman traveller looking for a meaningful break you must come :)
The week-long workshop will take place in Sarmoli, a little village in Munsiari, Uttarakhand. We'll spend our time living and interacting with the local women at , learning their traditional handicraft, doing some hands-on farming, cooking local fare and hiking and trekking. Himalayan Ark, our local partner has been working closely with the community for the last 20+ years on various issues like bio-diversity conservation, livelihood etc.
She Moves Mountains is a unique travel experience in collaboration with , where we bring together women from the cities and women from the mountains. We engage and learn from each other, share stories of personal challenges and successes, find similarities despite our vast differences and leave a tiny, but everlasting impact on the community. The cost of the workshop is Rs 25000. This includes everything once we reach the village - our stay, meals, workshops sessions and local activities. Travel to and from the village is additional, as are personal expenses of any kind.
For more details see link in bio and joins us for a memorable week!
She Moves Mountains is part of our Himalayan winter workshops. We also have two workshops in Uttarakhand and Kashmir. See details in the link in our bio, and come along :)

01/11/2018

Farm Stories. Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. November 24-26, 2018.
Always wanted to grow a small garden patch in your city home? Thinking about starting to compost with your kitchen waste?
Join us for our first long weekend farm workshop with and local partner Shramyog, where we travel to a tiny village in Uttarakhand and live with the locals, meet an incredible group of women farmers, enjoy the festivities at a farming mela and learn urban farming and composting!
All in a 3 day getaway :) More details in link in bio! Come along, we promise you a very special weekend!
Farm Stories is part of our Himalayan winter workshops. We also have two more week-long workshops in Uttarakhand and Kashmir. See details in the link in our bio, and come along :)

31/10/2018

Little Local's cover photo

29/10/2018

Clearest skies and starriest nights - just one of many reasons why you should experience the Himalayas in the winters :)
Stay with us as we announce some super special collabs and our winter programs tomorrow! 🤘

26/10/2018

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere!
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21/10/2018

Morning yoga 101 🤘 @ Tirthan Valley