Whichever way we look at it, we will be immersed in the goodness of green at Kandawada.

For Arvind, who grew up in Hyderabad, life is all about making memories and cherishing them. He still remembers vividly the good old Hyderabad when the entire neighbourhood lived like one family. His friends and he would literally walk into one another’s homes and feel a sense of belonging. They played football matches in the playground and stayed awake all night during Shivaratri. “My parents would give me Rs. 20 and we still managed to have loads of fun,” says Arvind laughing at the memory, “I think that kind of childhood makes you form a deep love for community living.” During summer vacations, he would visit his grandparents in Kakinada when 10-15 cousins of his would also land up and have a blast. “Huge families are always a source of comfort and the ability to bond with others comes from these early experiences.”

Quite contrary to his experience was his wife Neelima’s. Being an only child, she learnt to live by herself mostly. With her dad travelling on work mostly, she grew up in multiple places.

“Unlike Arvind, I didn’t have the good fortune of growing up with siblings and cousins. I am a single child and it did get lonely at times during my growing up years. I kind of clung to my friends to fill that void. I always craved to experience close bond with my parents and grandparents.”  

On her mom’s side, she has seen 5 generations of women in her family. Some of her fondest memories are that of living with her grandmother who inculcated the love for gardening in her. They would divide the space into equal halves and she would grow flowers, while her grandma cultivated vegetables. “We would encroach into each other’s gardening space and fight often. It was a lot of fun,” she reminisces with a twinkle in her eyes, “That’s where I developed a bond with nature which stayed with me.” Neelima grew up into a self-reliant woman and enjoyed outdoor activities like cycling, hiking and camping. “My father encouraged me to be independent. At 17, I handled my admission into college, I started driving very early and I could change a car tyre all on my own.”

Though both moved on to newer experiences, his love for community and green living and, hers for nature and organic food, remained unchanged in them. When their life as a couple began in Seattle, it was ideal for their camping and hiking adventures. “Arvind introduced me to hiking and I took to it instantly. We would pick out all the campsites and we would hike a lot too. When our son was just six weeks old, we took him on his first camping trip. Being around nature, immersing ourselves in greenery and camping trips became a huge part of our lives,” says Neelima.

Obviously, when they had to move to Indianapolis for Arvind’s job, it wasn’t exactly a happy phase. “So, the choice was either to go back to Seattle or California. Or should we just move back to India? That was the choice we had to make. We thought through and within six months we decided to head back home to Hyderabad. We did some research on schools. We were very keen on finding a school that provided home like food and not noodles or pasta. No AC buses was another criterion for us. Acclimatizing to the weather naturally was more important to us than air-conditioned comfort. Finally, we settled for Shloka which ticked all the boxes,” say Arvind and Neelima who were fortunate to find friends in Hyderabad with shared interests. “So, we've continued our hiking and trekking journey to some extent. Once every month, we go on treks. There a lot of beautiful places around Hyderabad that we had the opportunity to explore and enjoy,” says Neelima who has decided to travel around India exploring the Seven Sisters. “This is it for me, I don't think I need any other kinds of vacations abroad. Meghalaya was just so beautiful,” describes Neelima.

It was around that time that their pursuit for a home that was best suited for them began. “Every 3 years, our requirements would change with growing kids. We signed up for a four-bedroom apartment and by the time it was ready, we realized it wouldn’t fit our needs anymore,” says Arvind, “We were introduced to Organo Naandi by a few friends who live there. We visited the place multiple times. We considered buying a villa but it wasn’t suitable for us.”

“When we came to know about Kandawada, we just loved the concept. The opportunity for 3 generations to live together in one home, that too as a part of rurban eco-habitats was irresistible. In fact, we might be looking at 4 generations – my grandparents are still around,” says a visibly excited Neelima, “You know how kids love their own space nowadays and grandparents wanting to do everything together, they want people around. Kandawada felt like the perfect space for both. If we want, we can get the whole family together to one space to do things together. At the same time, we have our own privacy too. Another reason is my obsession of sourcing organic food. Safe food has always been my priority. At Kandawada, natural food is an everyday reality. I don’t have to worry about kids ordering on an app whenever they’re hungry. Rustling up a quick meal or snack is easy with ingredients available right within the community. Organo Kandawada is empathically designed to bring a family close and yet allows us to have our own space. We’re so lucky to be a part of Organo community. For our kids, for our parents and for us, there is everything we look for at Kandawada. Safe food, fresh air, nature, lush green farms, community, what more can we ask for?” she says.

‍

“Another huge advantage is the rurban lifestyle. We can enjoy the best of both. Neelu and I take regular walks, almost everyday. When we move to Kandawada, we will be able to do that amidst trees. I am not talking about ornamental trees but the native trees that attract birds and bees. We are avid bird watchers. It will be lovely to see them building their nests around us, around our space. We think it is beautiful. We’re so looking forward to waking up to the sight of nature, chirping of birds, the flora and fauna around us,” says Arvind, “We’re looking forward to stress free, dust free, calm, and quiet life at Kandawada. Growing up I didn’t think much about farming. Of course, my grandparents were farmers but I just took it for granted. After we came back to India, I started growing a few crops in our small farmhouse because we live an organic life. That’s when I realized how difficult it was. My respect for the farming community went up multifold. One of my proudest moments was when we had a whole meal including rice, dal, veggies and even meats cooked with the produce grown by us. And to think that at Kandawada, it’s going to be our everyday experience is pretty amazing! We’re eagerly looking forward to our life at Kandawada.”

“I used to read this book to my children all the time. It's called the ugly duckling. And there is a tag line there that I love. The Mother Duck lets her ducklings look around them for as long as they wish. Because she says green is good for the eye. Whichever way we look, we will be immersed in the goodness of green, at Kandawada,” concludes Neelima.

‍