Mad House to Mud House -A Green People initiative of Goat Villages & Exotic Retreats
…rural development & resource conservation
“There are around 6,50,000 villages in India and every Indian village has a unique tale to tell”. Roopesh Rai.
He calls himself a ‘Farmer by Soul, a Chef by Heart and a Brand Engineer for Living’ and he does so in the humblest manner though this iconoclast is truly all that and more.
The 2013 cloudburst in Kedarnath that resulted in much tragedy impacted Roopesh enough to step away from his professional world for a more humanitarian initiative. He made a foray into tourism and hospitality with the sole purpose of preserving, first the planet and then an economic upliftment of the less privileged and deprived while also keeping his home fires burning. “Sustenance of the planet is primary. We have to consistently endeavour to preserve it from illegal abuse and strive to reinforce its maintenance for its bountiful offerings. Then, of course, the people and their well-being”, says Roopesh
From a cushy job as Director-Marketing at the Taj to Business Development for an international travel company, Roopesh left the urban life for the hills of Uttarakhand! At Kedarnath, he chanced upon Colonel Ajay Kothiyal who was involved in the restoration of the Kedarnath shrine. Ajay was totally captivated by Roopesh’s vision and was magnanimous with the initial resources after they landed in landed in Nag Tibba in the Tehri district of Uttarakhand.
Things only got better from here. Along the way, Roopesh bumped into a 20 something Mani Mahesh Aurora. Lured by city life, Mani had tried his luck at radio jockeying and content writing but something was amiss. A disgruntled Mani joined hands with Roopesh for his first project site in Nag Tibba and proved to be very effective. He helped stabilize the processes of the first project and was adept at execution of guest experiences. He soon came to be known as ‘go-to’ man when in distress. Today, Mani is the first Co-Founder of the parent IPRs holding company, Nat-Rural Agro Tourism Pvt. Ltd.
‘Green People’, Roopesh’s first initiative after having left the rat race, is a community of young, like-minded individuals aimed at developing and sustaining the rustic richness of Indian landscapes from an economic and agricultural perspective.
“When a group of like-minded people come together for a common cause, it’s a sign you are on the right path. Our mission was to revive the rich old traditions of rural India, which had lost their glint, simply because people were lured by the blind city lights. We wanted to preserve the environment and develop the living standards of the rural folk, by instilling in them the faith that their rural occupations had a lot to offer, something we saw, fast-fading from these locales”.
It goes without saying the love of being with Nature and preserving its bounty was common to this group who were determined to achieve their goals. Thus, came about, Nat-Rural Agro-Tourism Pvt Ltd, Roopesh’s parent company, aimed at solutions for reverse migration of marginalized farmers. This is done through our two channels namely ‘Theme Villages by Hideouts and Bakri Chaap’. Theme Villages by Hideouts is totally focused on the revival of the abandoned villages in this region. It involves farm retreats and home stays. Thus, we help leverage the tourism potential of this region. Bakri Chaap entails the indigenous farm produce of the communities we work with. We establish a direct commercial link for the sale of their products in urban and distinct outlets. Till date, we have been closely working with about 80 farmers and more than 700 farmers indirectly.
Our relentless study of this region proved to be highly insightful. We were surprised to discover the superior quality of indigenous millets and pulses which help alleviate life-style illnesses. Our thoughts were skewed around how best the farmers could benefit as this was a wealth of natural resources, that lay totally untapped. We connected with the local farmers and discussed the marketing of their products and set the wheels of our ‘Bakri Chhap’ brand, rolling; a name sure to raise many eyebrows.
Bhakri Chhap (literal translation — Goat-brand) revolves around indigenous farm produce of the communities and making the products commercially viable. This helps to create and awareness of the products, the numerous health benefits and offers employment to the locals. It also boosts the tourism of such intriguing hilly regions!
Fair trade prices and quality produce marketed to leading hotel chains, superstores and even online platforms has increased the awareness of the naturally rich products and brought about a remarkable development in the lives of the farmers and their families.
Even as Green People took off with much aplomb, Roopesh ventured into establishing another brand, The Goat Village’.
“Nag Tibba has a huge populace of goats and Roopesh was amazed to discover the large population of goats at these dizzying heights! The first thing that came to mind was, ‘Goat cheese!” My experience at the Taj brought home the fact that goat cheese would be a great investment. Unfortunately, we realized that the goats in Nag Tibba were not lactating because of in-breeding.”
A little brain-storming and we found the solution in “Bakri Swayamvar’ — marriage of goats to resolve this issue. “Not only was the concept accepted but it changed the fortunes of the locals as well. They realized we had noble intentions of wanting to see them prosper and their lands flourish. We helped revive goat farming, the mainstay of such villages and today, it is well-complemented with other agricultural activities which have helped upscale the living standards of the local people”.
The Goat Village is a unique concept of farm retreats and home-stays managed by The Green People, who forged affiliations across the State and created ethereal experiences for those who sought solace in Nature! The first Goat Village was set in Nag Tibba, in the hills of Garhwal at a height of 2000 meters!
The second goat village was established at Dayara Bugyal. This venture was initially managed by an all-woman team. Today, it is being managed by the local landowners’ families though at times they are also assisted by occasional volunteers. This retreat allows you to feast your eyes on a blanket of snow and enjoy the crisp, clear air as you sip your cupppa hot tea! This has helped engender manual employment to the local folk in a big way. It has helped develop a vibrant ecosystem and we are proud to state that it is the ‘only’ successful ‘reverse-migration’ model of the state. This place has the largest number of NGOs but we fought stayed put with our humanitarian efforts. We emerged tall in terms of social equity and that was all that mattered. We had become a household name and soon found ourselves inundated with requests from government organizations, self-help groups and other rural entities offering to work in this region. We couldn’t entertain anyone for lack of financial and human resources.
The Goat Villages initiative has brought home many awards, the most notable one being the World Responsible Tourism award 2020 from London (World Tourism Mart London).
Roopesh learnt that the many NGOs in Uttarakhand, despite massive loans from various Banks had met with no success in the development of this region. Luck seemed to sense Roopesh’s innate desire to revive this place. He chanced upon some enthusiastic trekkers willing to volunteer. Interestingly the Nag Tibba trek is the highest altitude pointing to a lower Himalaya. Most trekkers take the convenient path which starts from Mussoorie. Roopesh and his friend had discovered the tougher path of the trek, which would add another 2–3 hours to the entire trip. “The roads were anything but roads in the real sense but we encountered eager tourists who were very comfortable with the idea of sleeping in huts. We gave them the liberty of paying what they desired not realizing this gesture of ours was going to bring us. A leading English newspaper covered this and the ‘Pay what you like’ concept was a thunderous success. Our phones didn’t stop ringing! People from different walks of life landed up for the treks and the ‘hut experience’. We had students, solo adventurers and even chefs who enlightened us about the invaluable benefits of seeds used in farming at such high altitudes. They even suggested a commercial proposition of buying such farm produce if we were willing to supply! Every visitor expressed great joy at the natural richness of the food, the trek experience and the peace of being one with nature. Nothing could have enriched us more!” These treks started off with 1,200 individuals a year, a number that has increased close to 88,800, in a timeframe of 4 years!
Our ground-breaking marketing methods have well impacted the locals. This is evident from the fact that there are now more than 100 community-run home stays. The trek-guides as also the mule owners (Nos. 300) are a happy lot today as their earnings have increased, they have managed to bid adieu to their loans and even avail of free insurance. Life has become more comfortable now and even their goats, nos. 5,000 have received vaccinations. Our undying efforts towards the development of this region has resulted in in the provision of free computer education to village children in the Jaunpur region of District Tehri, Garhwal. We have been working relentlessly on the issues of producing better health facilities, education and the promotion of afforestation.
The Volunteer Village Manager Program is another interesting concept that involves volunteering as Managers to train the local village youth over a time-frame of 3 months. This was an instant hit and Roopesh was surprised to see well-designated individuals from organizations like Google and Uber coming forth to help. Bad pathways and electricity didn’t seem to deter such individuals who were eager to impart training to the village boys.
Amidst all this, Roopesh also got involved in the revival process of a dying form of architecture, ‘Koti Banal’. This is a 1000-year technique followed in distinct parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal and helps tide over natural catastrophes like earthquakes. A daunting task especially when you are ignorant about the subject. As luck would have it, they were visited by some students of architecture and yes, the rest is history.
For every innovative concept the group, the Universe seemed to cooperate with them.
Roopesh and Mani soon found 10 others joining them on their humanitarian venture. In addition to the two Goat Villages, this ‘dirty dozen’ as they call themselves initiated a concept called ‘Hideout Retreats’ at Kanatal, Anjooth, Kumali and Urgam Valley. Why ‘Hideout’? “Because we had nothing to hide” says Roopesh in a funny vein.
These are nested in the midst of the most serene settings of the region. With 12 rustic cottages in each region, these are the ultimate getaway from the mad, mad world we live in! It’s truly ‘heaven on earth’. We however moved on to building a very simplistic franchise — the ‘tgv escape’ at Kanatal. The farmers were hooked on to the idea and we went about guiding them with the requisite content.
The ‘Hideouts’ encompassed three categories of lodging; A, B and C. The first category would cater to an upmarket audience, the 2nd at Rs 999/ and the third would be the ‘pay what you like’. Every hideout also serves as a mini farm produce collection centre for the region in tandem with our brand, Bakri Chhap.
Our Bakri Chaap products includes Himalayan pulses, millets and even honey. To our dismay, we discovered that though people were buying them through five-star hotels, our own farm retreats and even Amazon, the repeat orders were few. This stemmed from the fact the process of preparing them was elaborate and buyers were not familiar with the ingredients listed on the products. Moreover, the exotic range of products had a limited shelf life. Farmers were also forced to increase the prices of those products which saw a surge in demand but whose cultivation was sparse.
We realized what we were up against e.g. wheat flour (aata), a must-have in every Indian household was something we couldn’t counter. But we did find a more healthy and easily available qualitative alternative in the form of a range of millets, (a variety of 3) which offered not only immense health benefits but had a storage life of five years. Millet cultivation is less cumbersome, more nutritious and offers many benefits to the human body.
From reviving the economy of abandoned villages to empowering the rural folks and promoting tourism, Roopesh has come a long way but this is just the start.
Urban India does have an inflated life style and the less said about the quality of living, the better. The covid-19 phase has only made matters worse but Roopesh got a whiff of the huge opportunities that the towering hills of Uttarakhand had to offer. He scaled the hills for opportunities and he found more than he could have ever imagined!
Roopesh’s community-friendly farm retreats and homestays are unique by all standards and include eight marvellous destinations!
‘Madhouse to Mudhouse’ as the venture is called is no ordinary concept. The Company is of, by and for all its founding members and associates. It is infact, leaving the experience of living within concrete walls to living amidst natural surroundings. The concept of stone and wood accommodations have kept the local people on their toes and has given them a reason to smile again. Though the concept was founded for Uttarakhand, we plan to expand it across the country through meaningful collaborations.
Madhouse to Mudhouse is an urban community with a rural mindset and definitely has a commerce angle to it. What delights everyone is the rustic simplicity that forms the essence of these charming habitats. Every feature of these dwellings is commonplace yet comfortable. From interiors to the immediate surroundings, every aspect transports you to a world of absolute bliss. You become a part of Nature in the real sense! Madhouse to Mudhouse is the first ever, zero-employee private limited venture that plans to go public! The Madhouse to Mudhouse experience makes you feel the pulse of the lives of the people, their cultures, and their indomitable survival skills. The members of Madhouse to Mudhouse are community advocates who breathe and live ‘rural development’ all the time!
Today, every individual overcome with mental fatigue and a genuine interest in rural development wants to hop on to Roopesh’s band-wagon.
The team is growing rapidly. Pradeep Pawar, a native and, an ex-mountaineering coach in the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, joined Roopesh as a construction coordinator and is now one of the Directors as also a stakeholder in the parent company.
Currently, Roopesh has the support of 45 members some of who are investors and some with the right skillsets for his initiatives. There are another 52 eager aspirants wanting to become a part of his group. The future looks extremely promising and Roopesh plans to make the permanent members, stake- holders in his organisation. Financial engineers and valuation experts are more than welcome. The more, the merrier to fund such a unique venture! Of course, there is no dearth of performing volunteers and this proves how urban life has taken a toll on so many of us!
The future seems extremely promising for these unexplored and beautiful landscapes of India as the Madhouse to Mudhouse members will serve as consultants towards rural relocation, facility management, government and private rural-development projects, with the utmost carbon footprint consciousness. The members with distinct skill-sets across industries like hospitality, animal husbandry, tourism, agriculture and restorative architecture are now well complemented with others adept at legal, financial, education, technology as well as health-care skills to serve as ‘Healing Warriors’ and ‘Drona Acharyas’.
Thanks to technology and digitization, Roopesh operates with very limited resources and manages the routine administrative expenses which are taken care of by the very nominal membership fee. Every other operation is managed virtually! Talk of business sense! This, is food for thought. All three ventures, viz; Hideout, Bakri Chaap and Madhouse to Madhouse — are for-profit organizations. Our non-profit activities in the space of Medicare and Edu-care, will be executed under the mantle of Madhouse to Mudhouse.
Optimism and conviction are second nature to the members of Mad House to Mud House.
“We have physical assets only in Uttarakhand. In other regions, like Himachal, Punjab, Bihar and MP, we have management and franchise collaborations. Our expansion into other states involves collaborating with individuals and organisations having a strong territorial / regional social equity but no exposure to tourism and sustainable rural business models. We are definitely expanding in a big way”.
This Organization has won a range of accolades, the most noteworthy are the 2019 World Responsible Tourism Gold Award from London, the 2018 Traveller’s Choice — Trip Advisor Award and the 2019 Indian Responsible Tourism Award (IRTA) Award.
For the curious, the Bhakri Chapp products are available on Amazon — a must-buy and must-relish!
Interestingly, the world’s eight continent, Facebook, has just completed a five-day long, very captivating photo-shoot with them. The Facebook page of Green People will be featuring their forthcoming innovative initiatives next month, so do stay tuned to that! WhatsApp has honoured this Organization by making it their brand ambassador, something that will be captured on Billboards across India soon.
You can pay a visit the dirty dozen and their initiatives on:
Facebook — greenpeopleIndia
Instagram — greenpeopleInd
You Tube — http://bit.ly/GPIndiaYouTube
For all inquiries regarding the treks and retreats, do connect with:
Abhinav on +91 7042722202 and Ishaan on — +91 98187 35994
Email: mad2mudhouse@gmail.com
Canta Dadlaney
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