“The primary tiger that I ever noticed used to be in Corbett Nationwide Park. It used to be the most efficient day of my existence,” says Sunando Sen. From an overly younger age, he discovered himself intrigued by means of nature and natural world, in particular the massive cats.
However for many of his younger grownup existence, he hustled throughout the company international. “Within the preliminary phases of your profession, the whole lot type of takes a backseat. Alternatively, on occasion, I might have this urge to move reside close to natural world. So I at all times knew I might finally end up residing somewhere close to nature,” he remembers.
So when the time got here to make a choice a spot, Sunando selected the epicentre of breathtaking panorama and thriving natural world — Corbett, the place he these days runs a sustainable dust homestay referred to as ‘Tanhau’, which runs on 95 % of solar power and harvested water.
Whilst setting up his house and the homestay huts, Sunando regarded as the encircling habitat. “I didn’t need to disturb the character across the position. From the very starting, I knew that I used to be now not going so as to add to the carbon footprint. As an alternative, I might attempt to minimise it up to imaginable,” he says.
Sunando wakes up with the solar to a breathtaking view of the Himalayas. As soon as he’s up, he’s taking his 5 canine on a walk to revel in nature and expectantly spot some animals.
“Despite the fact that Corbett is a valley, we’re on best of a hill. So we get a putting view of the mountains, and we additionally get numerous animal spottings. Strolling with my canine and taking part in the silence of the woods is my favorite a part of the day,” he says.
Alternatively, a decade in the past, his existence used to be the other of this. “I used to be caught within the company cycle in an workplace that I didn’t need to be in. I sought after to be within the wild and in shut proximity to nature,” he says.
Born and raised in Kolkata, Sunando finished his training in Delhi and Kolkata sooner than running as a banker. “I labored for over twenty years as a banker and likewise had a a hit startup. I labored arduous for such a lot of years, so I will find the money for to reside the existence I need now. In 2011, I determined to promote my startup and buy land in Corbett,” he says.
Packing his existence and shifting to the mountains, which is each and every different town dweller’s dream become Sunando’s truth. All he had to do used to be in finding the very best position.
“I had a bent in opposition to Corbett from the beginning as it used to be probably the most first puts I ever noticed the massive cat. Moreover, Corbett is the most efficient instance of nature at its absolute best. I’ve been to many different nationwide parks too, however I at all times discovered Corbett extra gorgeous than anyplace,” he says.
After a couple of visits, he discovered a five-acre land in a small village referred to as Bhatoli within the Corbett house. Sunando determined to construct an eco-friendly house. “Where used to be in dangerous form after we purchased it. The bushes and natural world close to it have been most commonly destroyed. So we began with planting 500 bushes and making where inexperienced once more,” he says including that over time, he has planted greater than 5,000 bushes at the land.
“Lots of the development of the home is completed the usage of in the community sourced stones and mitti (dust) from the world. We would have liked to toughen the native communities across the house; therefore, we most effective hired other folks from the villages to assist us assemble the homestay,” he says including that each one fabrics have been in the community sourced, and the homestay only hires native workforce.
“Moreover, 95 % of the homestay is working on solar power. There are just a few issues that require electrical energy. We additionally do rainwater harvesting and feature a garage capability of one,00,000 litres of water,” he informs.
So far as waste is worried, rainy waste is composted and the dry waste is shipped to an NGO close to the world to be recycled. “We additionally accumulate dry waste from the villages within reach and ship it together with ours to the NGO,” says Sunando.
To stay the sanctity of where, all over the night time, where makes use of dim lighting fixtures. “We don’t need to disturb the animals, and we’re glad to allow them to roam within the woods freely,” he says.
Sunando has been running with the native communities to sensitise the villagers on plastic waste control. He stocks he has performed a number of plastic waste assortment drives within the native villages. He collects plastic waste from neighbouring villages at his personal expense and sends it to Ramnagar for right kind disposal.
“There’s a faculty close to our village the place we host a number of drives to sensitise the kids about carbon footprint, natural world, and nature conservation. They’re the way forward for the society; achieving out to them is my method of constructing their long term higher,” he says.
Sunando has labored tirelessly to make where a sustainable one now not only for people however for animals too. “Now we have cameras arrange all over the position, and I follow the movies to find any sightings. If there are sightings too with reference to civilisation, we alert the government so the animals will also be safely relocated,” Sunando informs, including that he sees where as a house now not only for himself however for the animals as neatly.
‘Opening our house to natural world enthusiasts’
Sunando stocks that to start with, he had no plans of changing his house right into a homestay. “We moved into where in 2011 and feature lived right here ever since. Each time we might host our pals, they’d insist we percentage it with others too. There used to be relatively just a little of land on our assets too, so we concept ‘Why now not?’”
In 2016, Sunando opened his house to natural world fanatics like him who need to keep within the wild. “Now we have 3 huts but even so our position, and now we have hosted no less than 500 other folks since 2016,” he says.
Ajit Kumar, who has been visiting where along with his circle of relatives for greater than 5 years now, stocks what it seems like to stick at Tanhau. “Where is surreal and It’s not that i am exaggerating once I say that it’s the absolute best revel in I’ve ever had. It’s so non violent and quiet; it teaches you the significance of gradual residing. The most efficient phase is that this can be a very sustainable setup. It feels excellent to grasp that I’m travelling and now not leaving a carbon footprint at the back of.”
“I sought after to show my son the significance of keeping nature and this homestay used to be the very best position to take action. We participated within the undertaking with a college close to the homestay the place we attempted to unfold consciousness in regards to the damaging results of plastic and its carbon footprint,” he provides.
In a bid to advertise gradual and accountable go back and forth, the homestay hosts distinctive actions to interact the visitors. “Now we have strolling safaris within the buffer wooded area, which is an ideal and distinctive revel in in itself. After all, you’ll take a safari and take a seat in a jeep, however on a strolling safari, you’ll follow nature and animals intently, with out emitting any carbon. We additionally organise village walks and inspire our visitors to take part in any ongoing village gala’s,” he says.
Any other visitor, Avika Sood says, “The silence within the position is rejuvenating. I came upon in regards to the homestay via a chum and feature visited it a couple of instances. Where is offbeat and distinctive. There may be such a lot to be informed in regards to the natural world and animal kingdom, and Sunando is a strolling library in that sense. He’s very hooked in to his paintings.”
She continues, “Something that I discovered very refreshing in regards to the hosts is that they’ve ensured that they provide extra to nature than they take from it. Since I’ve been visiting them 12 months after 12 months, I’ve noticed where develop right into a inexperienced oasis. Each time I discuss with, there’s a new sustainable addition to where. Like to start with once I visited, they didn’t have rainwater harvesting, however now they harvest a number of litres of rainwater.”
Taking a look again on his adventure to this point, Sunando says, “With my revel in, I will have been a CEO, however that existence used to be now not for me. I favor residing with reference to nature and advocating sustainability. It’s not that i am positive in regards to the affect of my paintings with the villagers and on the homestay, however I nonetheless need to take a look at to go away a legacy.”
(Edited by means of Pranita Bhat)