Mystic Village in Khajjiar, Himachal Pradesh is economically dependent on agriculture and tourism. It is nature’s best-kept secret located in the remote interiors and surrounded by magnificent Himalayan ranges. In spite of its beautiful location, the community faces the following challenges:

1. Distress-driven youth migration
2. Lack of livelihood opportunities
3. Loss of age-old heritage and customs due to documentation
4. Income from agriculture lost during harsh weather
5. Loss of traditional architecture due to modern construction

To cater to these issues, Mystic Village was created as a community-based tourism destination in 2016. It capitalises on the rural tourism sector to generate alternative livelihood income. However, they lack a collective multipurpose space that the village members can utilise for the efficient management of their community development initiatives. This Community Development Centre will include the following:

1. Hall of Innovation: an exciting space for exploration & exchange through engagement between travellers and locals
2. Community Kitchen: Farm-to-table experience traditionally prepared by the women of Gaddi tribes
3. Community Library: 2-way learning lab for travellers and village locals
4. Arts & Crafts Zone: a workspace for locals to showcase their indigenous products

This will help in providing systematic training to the community members, especially the youth and women to empower them socio-economically.

The project is designed to create impact on 3 important fronts:

1. Socio-cultural
2. Economic
3. Environment 

The Community Development Centre will be built in such a way that it will help in eradicating the socio-economic challenges faced by Mystic Village. As a result, the centre has been designed with 4 key areas - Hall of Innovation, Community Kitchen, Community Library, Arts & Crafts Zone. The impacts evaluated are:

1. Economic empowerment of Locals- 200+ community members, not only just from Mystic Village but also surrounding villages, will be economically benefited through this initiative
2. Holistic Community Development- The centre aims to create an ecosystem that boosts the economy, culture and personal development of the locals.
3. Capacity Building of Locals- 100+ youths & women will get their skills valued and developed through various skill development workshops.
4. Active Participatory Approach- A sense of community, responsibility and ownership to build the village in a conscious and sustainable manner.
5. Creation of Social Enterprise- Creating a sustainable ecosystem by using communities’ local assets i.e human resources- local people, land resources- community-owned local space, building resources- locally available materials, traditional local knowledge.

NotOnMap - an award-winning startup working to promote community-based responsible tourism in India. A socially-driven initiative for generating alternative livelihood & minimising unskilled migration from traditional villages,  It began with an aim to create a bridge between travellers looking for authentic cultural exploration and villagers who can provide the same but do not have the right kind of knowledge and exposure. 

1. Kumar Anubhav- Founder of NotOnMap
2. Abhimanyu Sehrawat- Operations Head
3. Akshata Damle- Architect

Gaabdika- The self-help group of Gaddi tribes of Mystic Village, the primary stakeholders who are running the community village.