From The Blue Yonder to the Chekutty Dolls - How Gopinath Parayil Focuses on Ethical Sustainability of Communities

Gopinath Parayil (Gopi) is so heavily involved in community work that he is perfect for The Missing Piece podcast. His business, The Blue Yonder, focuses on providing authentic travel experiences that allow travelers to feel intimately connected to the local communities that The Blue Yonder engages and works with. Gopi is all about sustainable and ethical travel, that in turn works to conserve the landscapes, heritage, and communities of the places they travel to.

Amazingly, this is only the start of his resume. Gopi was also involved in the Chekutty Dolls initiative. Weavers at Chendamangalam in the Ernakulam district were hit by floods that destroyed their stock, raw materials, and tools. The Chekutty Dolls became a symbol of hope for the weavers as Gopi and fellow entrepreneur Lakshmi Menon began to help the weavers create small dolls out of the soiled garments. Before sales had even begun, they had received bulk orders from around the world.

Listen to the podcast to hear all about Gopi's story, and his thoughts on creating and maintaining sustainable communities.