30 acres. 120 kilometres from Jabalpur. 10 kilometres from a national park. Family-run. Small. Slow. Real.
Come for the maize harvest in October. Come for the mahua flowers in March. Come for the slow weeks between.
We are a working farm of 30 acres in the maize-and-wheat belt of central Madhya Pradesh, about two hours from Jabalpur and ten kilometres from a national park. We host a small number of guests at a time, in cottages built the way houses are built here. Our kitchen uses what the field gave us this week, and what the neighbours brought by.
There is no spa, no pool, no buffet.
There is the land, the family, and the people of the village who have always lived here.
What this is not:
What a day looks like during the rabi season (November to February), the easiest time to visit. We will tell you what is actually happening when you arrive.
The sun comes up late in winter. The cocks have been awake for an hour. If you are a light sleeper, you have heard them. If you want to walk before breakfast, Sukhdev will take you around the south field, where the wheat is coming in.
Chai on the verandah. The cook has been up since five. There is jaggery if you want it sweet.
Morning work begins. You can join or watch. The day's work depends on the week: sowing, weeding, watering the kitchen garden, sorting the previous day's harvest, taking the milch buffalo to the pond.
Breakfast. Poha, paratha, dahi, whatever was picked this morning. Sometimes eggs from the hens. Always chai.
The slow hours. Read, walk, sit, talk. Many guests nap. Some go with Prahlad to the forest edge to learn what is in flower this week. Others stay on the verandah and ask the family questions.
Lunch. A thali with four or five things, all from here or nearby. Dal from a farm two kilometres away. Saag from our kitchen garden. Roti on the clay tawa. The meal takes an hour if you let it.
The hottest part of the day in summer, the coldest in winter. Indoors, a quilt, a book, a song on the radio, conversation.
Tea. Snacks. The light changes.
Optional: walk to the village (3 km, easy). Or stay for a cooking session in the kitchen - the cook will teach you the dal she is making. Or sit with the family elder if she is in the mood to talk.
Sunset. Bonfire in winter. The sky is enormous here.
Dinner. Lighter than lunch. Soups, rotis, vegetables, rice. Sometimes a sweet if there is jaggery or chironji.
Sleep. The stars are very clear. There is no traffic noise. There is occasional jackal call. The fan stops at some point and you sleep.
This is one day. Other days are different. The rainy days are different. The harvest days are different. The summer days are different. We will tell you what is actually happening when you arrive.
You can spend the whole stay on the verandah if you want - many guests do. But here is what is on offer.
Learn what is planted where, what is coming up, what the soil is doing.
Sow, weed, harvest, sort, thresh. We will feed you well.
Salad greens, herbs, gourds, tomatoes in season. Pick your own.
Two buffalo, a cow, some hens. The children will want to show you how.
Old-style, around the property and the adjacent fields. Pleasant in winter, hot in summer.
The village has a small shop, a temple, a handpump, a choupal where the men meet in the evening.
They will offer chai and conversation. You will be introduced. Bring an openness to small talk.
The mother of the house cooks a traditional meal. You eat with the family. Limited to one or two evenings per week because the family has its own life.
The Pardhan are the Gond singer-bards. They will come to the property and play. Limited to certain nights.
Bell metal, terracotta, bamboo work, lac bangles. The family will show you what they make. The crafts family keeps 70% of any sale.
Learn a specific dish: dal, baati, mahua-based sweet, whatever is in season.
He knows the area's history, the Gond epic, the old stories. Will talk for hours if you let him.
Pre-dawn or late afternoon. The guide knows the plants, the tracks, the birds.
Best October to March. Limited availability; depends on whether a naturalist partner is in the region.
Walk with a village family to collect mahua flowers at dawn. They will explain the use.
Limited; chironji trees are not abundant on the property.
After dinner. Headlamps. Insects, owls, possibly leopard tracks. We do not promise leopard sightings.
Contribute four to five hours per day to the farm or property in exchange for accommodation and meals.
Live with a host family in the village. Work alongside. Eat what they eat. Sleep in their home. The deepest immersion we offer.
For photographers who want to document the region. We host in exchange for a photo essay for our archive.
Different levels of engagement. Pricing is a starting point for conversation; we discuss specifics in inquiry.
Arrive in the morning, leave in the evening. Lunch, one activity, tea. No overnight.
A standard stay. Most guests start here.
A deeper stay. The week allows you to settle, meet more villagers, see the rhythm.
For writers, researchers, photographers, anyone who needs time.
Two to four weeks. Four to five hours per day on the farm or property. Full accommodation and meals.
A week or more in a village family's home. The most immersive option.
Grew up coming to this land with his father. Knows every field, every tree, every neighbour. Has lived in cities for work but came back. Speaks Hindi, Bundeli, some Gondi. Will tell you the story of the land over chai.
"My father used to say: the soil knows when you are in a hurry."
Cooked for guests in the past, including the host's father. Will teach you a recipe if you ask and she is in the mood.
Works the south field most days. Quiet, knows the land.
"The wheat tells you when it is ready. You only have to look."
Knows the birds, the plants, the trees. Will take you to the forest if you ask.
"There is a black-rumped flameback that visits the neem behind cottage 3 at dawn. We see it most days."
A real Pardhan singer, with the family's consent to be named. Will come by some evenings. Paid properly.
"The songs are not for performance. They are for the village. They are for the soil."
Knows the region's history. Will talk for hours if you let him.
Every person mentioned here is real and is here with their consent. We pay fairly for any service rendered. We do not stage cultural experiences. If a musician is tired, they do not perform. If a family is busy, they do not host. We are guests in their lives, not consumers of their culture.
The sowing season. The monsoon comes, usually by mid-June. The land greens. Millets are sown in June. Paddy in some fields. The forest is loud with insects and birdlife.
What to expect: lush green, dramatic skies, occasional all-day rain, leeches in the forest (manageable), fewer tourists in the region.
Best for: writers. Photographers. Guests who do not mind rain.
The cleanest air of the year. The first harvests. Festival season. The forest is at its most active after the rains.
What to expect: best weather of the year, clear skies, the most diverse activities on offer, the property at its busiest.
Best for: first-time guests. The classic experience.
The peak season. Wheat sowing in November, harvest in March. Cool days, cold nights. The clearest skies, the best stargazing.
What to expect: the most comfortable weather, the busiest programming, the highest prices, the property at full occupancy (cap is 6 cottages).
Best for: most guests. The default recommendation.
The mahua flowers. The chironji ripens. The first heat.
What to expect: hotter days, still pleasant mornings and evenings, fewer guests, lower prices, the most distinctive seasonal programming (mahua).
Best for: guests who want a specific seasonal experience. Repeat guests.
The lean season. The heat builds. We may close partially.
What to expect: quiet, slow, some weeks we are not open, the property is being prepared for the next kharif.
Best for: friends of the family. Work-exchangers. Researchers.
Check-in from 12 noon. Check-out by 11 am. Earlier or later by arrangement. We will be in touch by WhatsApp on your travel day.
The best way to reach us is WhatsApp or email. We respond within 24 hours, often faster.
When you write, please tell us: when you are thinking of coming (approximate dates are fine); how many of you, and who; anything specific you want to experience; any dietary needs, allergies, accessibility requirements.
If we are not the right fit for what you are looking for, we will say so. We would rather you have a good trip elsewhere than a bad one here.