This IIT-grad Couple Quit Their US-based Jobs & Started Their Farm In Madhya Pradesh!

Most engineering aspirants would agree that the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is the first and the most challenging obstacle. However, such was not the case for IIT Grads Sakshi and Arpit, who gave up their high-paying corporate jobs in the US and started a farm in Madhya Pradesh.

“Building a mud house has to be the hardest thing that I have done in my life and yet so fulfilling,” comments Sakshi Bhatia, who, along with her husband Arpit Maheshwari, set up a natural farm in Madhya Pradesh, which they call ‘Jeevantika’.

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On their 1.5-acre farm in Badnagar, a village 50 km away from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, the couple grows close to 85 percent of everything that they consume, with oil being the only thing that they purchase from a nearby farm

The Idea To Start A Farm

Being together for almost a decade, the Computer Science couple had a willingness to travel and explore. Their traveling desires led them to different places, starting with South America to Puducherry, and finally to Badnagar. The immersive experience that travel can provide inspired them and they wanted to meet the locals, eat together with them and understand their culture.

Before coming to India, Sakshi and Arpit headed to South America in 2015, with no plan of returning back. “The futility of consumerism started to gnaw at us. Thankfully, we [Sakshi and I] were on the same page about how we felt. Before we headed to South America we sold off most of our material possessions and converted our earnings into fixed deposits,” stated Arpit, where they spent time teaching local kids and experienced a very different kind of life.

The couple grew a conscious state of mind and became sensitive toward the environment, thanks to their travels. They traveled across the Amazon, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

Back to India In Pursuit Of Happiness

Sakshi and Arpit finally returned to India, and after taking a bit of time, decided to spend time in an ecovillage in Auroville, Puducherry. This ecovillage was famous for its practice of community living, farm life, and eco-consciousness. Over there, they learned about natural farming, which was great for land rejuvenation and community living.

The couple wanted to spend more time at Auroville, but in time, realized that learning the local language was imperative in order to build a community. “We chose to move back to central India for this reason. Learning Tamil would have taken us a long time and the joy of being closer to family was a bonus for both of us,” Sakshi said.

 

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No Interest In Commercial Farming

When asked about commercial farming, Sakshi and Arpit said that the whole idea behind natural farming was to replenish the forest and give it time to breathe. The intensive nature of commercial agriculture would not allow this to happen. As a result, they wanted to enjoy the process of growing food without having to worry about making money.

How do they live without making money from what they do? Arpit explained that their engineering background has helped them a lot in this. In fact, alongside farming, they continue to take on assignments from time to time to make sure that their initiatives are financed.

The IIT couple’s lifestyle changed completely after undertaking the farm’s day-to-day activities. From living as fast-moving consumers in the US, they were back into a world they had to cook their own food. 

Daily Life At The Farm

“Our day begins at about 5 am. Morning hours are spent on the farm, getting our hands dirty. We then come back and cook our meals, again a huge change from all the ordering in and takeaway we were used to,” Sakshi said.

“The importance of consuming fresh food has made a deep impact on us. We do not even have a refrigerator where we store food,” she added. They return to the farm again by 4 PM in the afternoon.

Almost 80 percent of the farm’s cultivation comprises trees, both fruit-bearing and wild trees as it helps to maintain ecological balance. The remaining 20 percent of cultivation comprises pulses, cereals, and seasonal vegetables. They have also set up rainwater harvesting systems to meet their water requirements.

“We do not use any machinery for tilling the land or diesel or electricity. The inspiration for our farming technique comes from the permaculture design methodology, for which Sakshi underwent a training programme from Hyderabad before we started,” Arpit said.

The Iconic ‘Mud House’!

“The mud house is the space that provides us with much-needed respite after a tiring day on the farm. It helps us recharge and sometimes just catch a breath. We did not want to build anything with concrete and that was how we decided to use mud.”

The couple spent nearly three months building the mud house, right from scratch. With no electricity connection currently available to the farm, they claim that even in the scorching heat of the month of May, the mud house stays cool, eliminating the requirement of ceiling fans or coolers.

“We don’t have a fan and even then, do not find the need to have one installed.”

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