By Kavita Mistry 
With her new project Chai@Vagamon, social entrepreneur Lakshmi Menon hopes to give tourists to the hill station a new set of experiences that extend beyond the typical offroading, tea garden and pine forest visits. She wants travellers to get an immersive experience of the hill station nestled in the Western Ghats on the Kottayam-Idukki border.
“This is for the traveller who is looking for experiences, who is not in a hurry to do touristy things but rather savour the journey and soak the essence of the place they are at,” says Lakshmi. Of her projects, she is best known for the Chekutty dolls made from Chendamangalam handlooms damaged in the floods of 2018.
The idea was triggered by something she saw in Vagamon when she lived there for a couple of months in 2024. “There were crumbling, old bungalows and buildings falling to disrepair; what I saw or felt was different. It reminded me of Tuscany, its vintage beauty and charm.” What others might have seen as old and decaying, she saw as beautiful and alluring. She set down to work by convincing property owners, Shree Vasupradha Plantations Limited, not to demolish the building but instead preserve it.
One of the estate buildings which will be part of Chai@Vagamon
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Four buildings, all within 1.5 kilometers of each other, and the estate form the backdrop and the site for her Chai@Vagamon project. Chai because Vagamon is known for its tea estates. The cultural initiative, as Lakshmi intends it to be, will include curated dining experiences, art workshops, Ayurveda and story sessions too. Since she has facilitated the space for the experiences – she calls it a ‘place-making initiative’.
Some of the brands that will be part of the culinary/dining experiences are Casaro Creamery, Craft Meat & Co, Joel Rebbi’s House of Barbecue, and Singapore-based plant-food company Grasshopper. An interaction with Ambrose Kooliyath of Farmer’s Share, known for its sustainability practices is part of the programme. Grasshopper will run a cafe in one of these buildings on all three days serving ‘climate adaptive food’.
Among the other sessions are by Mitraniketan, producer of rural-based products, Ayurglam by PNNM Ayurveda, a walk and sketch with water colourist Sunil Linus De and a bamboo workshop by Rajeev VK. Apart from these, visitors can enjoy breakfast walks and interact with locals. There will be daily decoupage sessions by Handartica.
“I want to rope in tea pluckers also as part of the initiative and include them in Chai@Vagamon. This way they would get to interact with the outside world too.” She has many plans with the initiative including adding music and dance to the activities.
The sessions are individual, curated by the participating brands. You can choose the ones that interest you. Accommodation will not be provided. “There are several accommodation options available in Vagamon; those attending can choose according to their preferences. We do not want to impose options,” says Lakshmi. Plus Vagamon is accessible to people from areas near Kochi, Thodupuzha, and Kottayam, so even a day trip would also be convenient, she adds.
With this event, Lakshmi wants to create a culture that fosters a sense of community engagement, creativity and collaboration. She hopes to have a series of these, every weekend if possible till May.
The first edition is scheduled to be held over three days from February 7 to 9, at the Pullikkanam Estate; it will host around 25 people per session; bookings open till February 1. Prices for the sessions range from Rs. 1000 – Rs. 3000. The duration of each will be two hours and more, depending on what it is. For reservations 8330021192
Published – January 24, 2025 11:31 am IST