“In our pursuit for a life beyond the city, we fell in love with Jim Corbett’s lush jungles. Our home, Marchula Estate is our magical escape, where traffic noises are replaced by the gurgle of a stream; city lights by stars and fireflies, and where one can actually b-r-e-a-t-h-e…” Mansi
Experience life in the slow lane in Marchula estate — a serene home stay in the wild. On the banks of a shallow, happy stream flanked by the verdant jungles where Jim Corbett once roamed, it is perfect for nature lovers, solitude seekers and indeed anyone looking to disconnect with modern life, if only for a while.
Marchula estate is a family home, a place where photographers Mansi and Mustafa, their toddler Amna, and their dogs, chickens and a solitary duck, live. It represents their search for a better life, a life that sustains their souls and is easy on the planet.
It’s an escape for those who crave the wild, who feel like disconnecting for a while from their devices and their everyday lives.
“I think the word ‘sustainable’ is used very loosely today, but it is very important to us to be mindful and conscious of our footprint… Our construction process incorporates locally sourced materials like stone and recycled glass bottles, while embracing pre-owned furniture and upcycled vintage pieces.” Mustafa
A LOVE STORY WITH THE LAND
When I was a toddler, my father once asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I was very clear- I wanted to be a maali. In all my 45 years of existence, the only thing I wanted was a patch of land where I could grow fruit and vegetables, a piece of land that I could call my own.
That's how Marchula Estate happened. A patch of land by a rivulet, surrounded by a jungle reserve in a small village called Sarud, near the Jim Corbett National park in Uttarakhand.
My wife @mansimidha , daughter Amna and the maali in me, moved here in January this year to try our hand at living in rural India, slightly away from the city (we are 5 hours away from Delhi and work).
Marchula Estate is our home and our homestay, which we aspire to make sustainable. We run partly on solar electricity, have solar water heating, compost all waste, and have started growing our own veggies and fruits. We have planted hundreds of trees on the estate and its surrounding areas. For company we have a dozen hens, a small fish pond, two dogs and a duck christened 'batak' by our two year old.
It's a place you come to when you need to breathe, the place where the only noise you'll hear are the barking deer at night, the call of the birds during the day and the constant background score of the stream, just a few metres from our gate.
Getting to this paradise is easy. Follow us on Instagram @marchulaestate to know more and plan a visit.
