Positioned in nature’s own lap amidst the acres of verdant foliage and the invigorating aura of cashew groves and coconut palms, ‘Porsu’ is just what one would wish for in order to experience a perfect unperturbed getaway!
Situated at the southwest coast of Goa in the scenic village of Agonda, Porsu is surrounded by the Sahyadri mountain range and is additionally in close proximity to the surrounding beaches such as the Agonda and Palolem beach.
Elaborating on his ‘eco-friendly’ venture, Alkesh Desai states that this boutique styled eco-village draws its motivation from the Indo-Portuguese era and is a typical amalgamation of classical elegance with unique regional magnetism that is primarily infused in its cuisine, among other hospitable services, thus promising a truly immersive holiday experience.
Speaking of the concept and the idea behind ‘Porsu’, Alkesh mentions that being someone who has grown up in an agricultural, farming landowners community in Agonda, there is a season post paddy harvesting for the purpose of cultivation of a variety of fruits and vegetables on the same land which is called “Porsu”. Simply put, ‘porsu’ was nothing but community farming wherein landowners would allocate fragments of land to the locals in the village to cultivate veggies for their personal consumption and sharing with neighbors and relatives.
Alkesh further states that Porsu is a sincere effort on his part to create an ‘agri-tourism’ experience for explorers who believe in the connection that agriculture and tourism share. It is a venture that opens its doors to public and provides visitors with an exclusive experience to enjoy their products and services.
Having lived half his life in the US and the other half of it in Agonda, Alkesh fondly favours the part of his life he lived here in Goa. Speaking of his observations as a tourist in the US, Alkesh speaks of how he observed farming activities attracting the tourists there that served the purpose of connecting them to their source of food. He further goes on to speak of the fact that owning ancestral land in Goa at that point didn’t help as the cost of labour wasn’t profitable. This is when the idea of ‘agricultural tourism’ struck him! Alkesh states that through ‘Porsu’ he intends to create sustainable income and augment existing revenues. Since the village of Agonda is known for its aesthetic beaches and authentic local food, ‘porsu’ attempts to bring in that very authentic experience to its explorers that is presented by the locals so that they also, can be proud of their very own rich cultural heritage!
Speaking of what inspired him to start this venture in Goa, Alkesh says that Goa was always the obvious and most ideal choice for him being a Goan. Being familiar with the steady flow of tourism in Goa, having one’s own terrain to create an inimitable experience for agro-tourism is a huge added advantage! Rather than owning land and keeping it vacant, Alkesh chose to venture it out to the idea of ‘agritourism’ that blended perfectly with his landscape!
Elucidating upon the challenges that he faced while his project took shape, Alkesh was modest enough to accept that every new venture and every road less travelled has its own blocks and treats! He went on to say that, from the very beginning, he intended to start the project on the right note. However, he encountered several issues while fitting his venture into a standard policy and correct guidance on how to make his idea a reality and take it to the path of success. Luckily, Alkesh had plenty of friends in Goa who would direct him to different sources of guidance. One such source was late Ashton Godinho (former CEO of Goa Investment promotion Board) who played a major role in the initial stages of conceptualisation that helped Alkesh make his project an actuality. As far as execution was concerned, Alkesh says that he had multiple ideas on usage of space, resources, equipments, supplies and designs. Nonetheless, after multiple failures, he finally managed to hit the right note!
Digging in on the financial aspect of ‘Porsu’, Alkesh states that he had to put in approximately 15 crores as total investment which would be utilized in a phase wise manner, wherein he has managed to complete the first phase. He further speaks of how he approached various sources who could invest, but none did so, as nobody believed in his idea of ‘agritourism’. Finally, Alkesh invested his own finances in order to make ‘Porsu’ a reality. Quoting Alkesh on his thoughts of funding his project himself, he says “I know it’s not a norm to do this, but I believe in it so why not? Better than investing in someone else’s stock.”
Speaking of his customer profile and ideas to attract the crowd to ‘Porsu’, Alkesh mentions few tourist-specific characteristics that his venture has to offer:
Escape: wherein most tourists are on the go for their search for something different physically, mentally and aesthetically. Porsu offers pleasant climatic scenery, fresh air, quiet ambience and much more that is missing from their daily lives.
Return to ‘roots’: wherein tourists have a shot at experiencing farming activities, first hand!
Culinary trends: wherein the idea of ‘consumption of local’ cuisine’ is back on the charts, which also reap great health benefits. Thus, travellers who wish to experience the pleasures of local Goan cuisine are most welcome at ‘Porsu’.
Close to home vacations- wherein not just tourists, but Goans as well, are welcome to opt for a destination like this that is ‘close to home’ for a short span of time.
Cultural enrichment: Porsu exposes its visitors to the heritage and culture of Goa in its most authentic form exhibiting various farming tools and methods from the past, as well as the present.
Finally, when asked about his future plans, Alkesh says “For now, we want to reach out to as many customers as possible to understand what we offer at Porsu, as this is a unique opportunity for our visitors to get closer to nature and agriculture and see first-hand how the Goan village life is and literally live it throughout your vacation.”
Alkesh adds that he has future plans of providing local farmers with a platform to connect to the world of tourism and have the tourists to interact with the age old methods of farming and trade their products unswervingly. His ultimate goal remains, the creation of a self sustainable village in the form of ‘Porsu’
