120 kilometres from Jabalpur.
10 kilometres from a national park.
Cottages built the way houses are built here.
A kitchen that uses what the field gave us this week.
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 a day looks like during the rabi season (November to February), the easiest time to visit.
The sun comes up late in winter. The cocks have been awake for an hour. 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.
Breakfast. Poha, paratha, dahi, whatever was picked this morning. Always chai.
The slow hours. Read, walk, sit, talk. Some go with Prahlad to the forest edge to learn what is in flower this week.
Lunch. A thali with four or five things, all from here or nearby. 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.
Tea. Snacks. The light changes.
Optional: walk to the village (3 km, easy). Or stay for a cooking session in the kitchen.
Sunset. Bonfire in winter. The sky is enormous here.
Dinner. Lighter than lunch. Sometimes a sweet if there is jaggery or chironji.
Sleep. The stars are very clear. There is occasional jackal call.
This is one day. Other days are different. We will tell you what is actually happening when you arrive.
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.
Around the property and the adjacent fields.
A small shop, a temple, a handpump, a choupal where the men meet in the evening.
Sit with the men. They will offer chai and conversation.
The mother of the house cooks a traditional meal. You eat with the family.
The Pardhan are the Gond singer-bards. They will come and play.
Bell metal, terracotta, bamboo work, lac bangles. Crafts family keeps 70%.
Learn a specific dish: dal, baati, mahua-based sweet.
He knows the area's history, the Gond epic, the old stories.
Pre-dawn or late afternoon. The guide knows the plants, the tracks, the birds.
Best October to March. With a naturalist when one is available.
Walk with a village family to collect mahua flowers at dawn.
After dinner. Headlamps. Insects, owls, possibly leopard tracks.
Four to five hours per day on the farm in exchange for accommodation and meals.
Live with a host family. Work alongside. Eat what they eat. The deepest immersion.
Document the region. We host in exchange for a photo essay.
Arrive in the morning, leave in the evening. Lunch, one activity, tea. No overnight.
2 nights, 3 days. The standard stay. Most guests start here.
6 nights, 7 days. Settle, meet more villagers, see the rhythm.
For writers, researchers, photographers. Discounted for longer stays.
2-4 weeks. Four to five hours per day on the farm. Full accommodation and meals.
A week or more in a village family's home. The most immersive option.
Pricing is a starting point for conversation. Children under 8 stay free with parents. Children 8-12 at half rate. No AC. No bar. Vegetarian is the default; vegan, Jain, and gluten-free are mostly possible with notice.
Grew up coming to this land with his father. Knows every field, every tree, every neighbour.
"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.
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.
"A black-rumped flameback visits the neem behind cottage 3 at dawn. We see it most days."
A real Pardhan singer, with consent to be named. Will come by some evenings.
"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.
Sowing. Monsoon arrives. Land greens. Forest is loud with insects.
Best for writers. Photographers. Rain-tolerant guests.
Cleanest air. First harvests. Festival season. Forest at its most active.
Best for first-time guests. The classic experience.
Peak season. Wheat sowing in November, harvest in March. Best stargazing.
Best for most guests. The default recommendation.
Mahua flowers. Chironji ripens. First heat. Distinctive seasonal programming.
Best for repeat guests. Mahua seekers. Heat-tolerant.
Lean season. We may close partially. The property is being prepared for the next kharif.
Best for friends of the family. Work-exchangers. Researchers.
When you write, please tell us: when you are thinking of coming, how many of you, anything specific you want to experience, and any dietary or accessibility requirements.
If we are not the right fit, we will say so. We would rather you have a good trip elsewhere than a bad one here.