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Journalism of Courage
Before ‘Kannauj Ka Island’ became a hit among picnic goers and went viral on social media, the low-lying area was a wasteland that remained flooded during most parts of the year.
“It was a wasteland. It was a low-lying area, leading to waterlogging from neighbouring villages, not just during the monsoon but for months that followed. We could not grow anything on it,” says Shailendra Rajpoot whose mother, 68-year-old Kiran, played a pivotal role in turning the wasteland into a tourist spot.
The transformation of the 25 bigah of waterlogged fields into ‘Kannauj Ka Island’ – a small piece of land in the middle of a pond with a small hut – was gradual.
A decade ago, the family, with the help of a government scheme, turned it into a fishing pond.
“But it did not yield much result. Since it would have been very expensive to fill the entire land with soil to raise its level, we decided to develop a small patch of land into an island,” says Rajpoot.
It was during the Covid-19 pandemic that the family decided to dig the land and make an island in the middle of it.
They also decided to build a hut for accommodation.
“Later, our family and friends started showing interest in staying there. From there, we got an idea that we could turn it into a proper accommodation, as there are orchards next to it. There is a solar light and inverters to provide electricity. A few months ago, we tied up with the state Tourism Department as well,” Rajpoot adds.
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