Organo Editorial Blog

On World Water Day, 22 March, during an event organized by Dr Reddy's Lab and Confederation of India Industry (CII), I enjoyed being one of the speakers to talk about the value of water.

There is a world that we are oblivious to most of the time, where more life thrives than anywhere else on the planet.

“Co-creating” and “Collaborating” are imperative for a Rurban community to thrive. Should it be confined within the community walls? Not actually. Inter-dependence and co-existence have been the keys of human survival and sustenance.

“The concept of being a locavore, or one who chooses whenever possible to incorporate locallygrown or locally produced food into one’s nutrition plan, is of great importance”. Tyler FlorenceHave you ever considered the importance of consuming locally grown food? Though the trendof locally grown food is slowly picking up speed, many are still in the run for exotic imported foodor genetically modified ones. Shouldn’t we eat them at all? Yes, we can. Is it the most healthyoption? No, it isn’t.

In our effort to design and manifest eco-habitats, we come across this question, often from clients and sometimes from collaborators: why are you developing a community so far away from the city?

Controlling odour is one of the most important and yet most challenging aspects of a sewage treatment plant. Foul smells are often a source of igniting objections from the neighbor's. However, as levied from the Telangana govt it is mandatory to install STP in a housing community with an area of more than 10,000sqm.

At Naandi, we have created a water-balanced community. This means that the annual water budget is below the total amount of rainfall falling on the land. The community has been managing only with rainfall and Borewell's until now. Some of the water falling on the land is diverted to ponds and rainwater storage structures but most of it is directed to deep aquifer recharge bore wells. These Borewells improve the ground water table.

At Organo, we build natural swimming ponds and not chlorinated pools. These pools are closer to diving into a freshwater lake than into a typical pool. the advantage is that after a refreshing swim, we do not have to worry about taking a bath to wash the chlorine away from the body and it does not leave you with itchy red eyes or dry skin. Along with creating a chemical-free environment, the ponds also act as a habitat for flora and fauna.

Often people mistake Organo as a real estate developer company. But we, at Organo strongly refute that statement as we believe that we are integrators of eco-habitats and not a real estate company.

Only 33% of the energy that goes into power plants – coal, hydro, geothermal, etc.is converted to a useful form of electricity that is supplied to homes. This means 2/3rd of the entire energy is either lost in the power plants or in transmission. This is in the U.S. In India, I am guessing the statistic is at least as bad and most probably much worse.

Are you ready to Build a Legacy by contributing to Sustainable Development and Counter-Urbanisation? Organo Antharam Hyderabad offers the solution. Learn More!

Right from our 1st day of schooling, we have been taught the importance of plants and the role they play in our day-to-day lives. But with time, we all seem to forget its importance and take it for granted altogether. It’s funny how the people who once never hesitated to voice their love for nature now find themselves living in a concrete jungle.

When you make gardening the central part of your fitness routine, you are Gardencercising! Many studies have shown that working out in nature in productive

Social isolation and lack of access to nature can be termed as the most unfortunate outcome of modern life, especially for young ones.

Facts we need to know about solid waste management. Solid waste management is a universal issue that matters to every single person in the world. And with over 90% of waste openly dumped or burned in low-income countries, it is the poor and most vulnerable who are disproportionately affected.In recent years, landslides of waste dumps have buried homes and people under piles of waste. And it is the poorest who often live near waste dumps and power their city’s recycling system through waste picking, leaving them susceptible to serious health repercussions.

The interpretation of the term ‘Water Management’ today is not what it used to be 5 or 10 years ago. Population expansion and rapid urban development increased the demand for water supply which in turn depleted our water resources like never before.

Food, Water, Air, Earth, Energy, Shelter, and People are the Seven Strands of Sustainable Living (Sapthapatha) at Organo Eco Habitats.

Organo Naandi community members continue to demonstrate the spirit of sustainability. And this is what inspired us to continue building more eco-habitats and create physical infrastructure for families wanting to live more responsibly.

More than 80% of electricity in India is generated by thermal power plants which include fossil fuel, biomass and nuclear energy.

We, as a race, are social beings. Regardless of where we live in the world, we feel belonged only when we are a part of society. As such, we all have a responsibility to help others and improve the state of the community and world that we live in.

Meet Vijaya Durga, Co-Founder, Organo eco-habitats who takes her work seriously but wears her success lightly. She has headed 100s of construction projects and with every project she has consolidated her position as the Numero Uno as far as quality & timely delivery are concerned with zero compromise on design values and impeccable work ethics. She has built organisations, surpassing every expectation and setting new benchmarks.

At Studio Organo, our starting point for eco habitat design is our end users. As architects with decades of collective experiences, we’ve noticed patterns on how Indian families use and occupy space

There are various studies which state that our mindset, habits, moods and life all together depend on the way our homes, communities and cities are designed and this is because we spend more than 90% of our time indoors. It has a much larger impact on the children that are exposed to these environments and shapes their personality as they grow up. Hence the built environment plays a huge role in affecting the health and well-being of us and our family members.

The whole event went very well. I’ve never seen any seventh graders being so proactive and curious about the topic. We went there with an expectation that it would be a monologue but the children asked questions and participated in discussions which helped us share our thoughts and experiences with them.

Who says you can’t enjoy the pleasure of gardening if you don’t live in a sprawling bungalow? Every house has a terrace, and every terrace can be transformed into the most beautiful garden.

With the advent of COVID19, our lifestyles have undergone huge changes. For many of us modern professionals, working from home was a privilege that our respective firms offer once in a while. But with this being our reality now, working from home seems to have a high list of benefits that sway the argument of “Work from Home vs Work from Office” in its favour.

Creating micro climates conducive for a healthy and congenial life is key to creating a vibrant eco habitat. The concept of Thermal Comfort is key to understand the micro climate and temperature within and around a locality.

It’s so strange that we focus mostly on the visible aspect of our lives when our existence is mostly dominated by the invisible aspects - Mental, Emotional and Spiritual. Most of us live in our minds and are ruled by how we feel and how connected we feel. And yet, all that we focus on is the `body.’ It’s like preserving the wrapper and chucking the chocolate into the bin! Wellness experts the world over have come to the conclusion that the meaningfulness and mindfulness are the keys to a healthy body as well.

Think local. Build Eco-Habitats. Flourishin harmony. Leave a legacy.If you’re someone who is committed to living consciously, you’ve already proved that your mindset is a refreshing departure from the take-all and use-all approach. You’re over and done with the maddening pace of life and now, all you’re looking for is a sanctuary where you can create your own little serene cocoon and live a healthy life in harmony with nature.

A true story as told by Nagesh Battula. “It’s okay you can jump”, as I said this to my 7 year old, his eyes lit up.

Locals fondly call the village Antaram. Ananthavaram, as it was known once upon a time, is the history of that particular village.

“Sustainable living is not a one-time establishment. It is rather a way of living where we will have to evolve and adapt continuously to the surrounding we live. Here area few Naandian's who have made a conscious choice of being in a Rurban community. Let’s hear their journey from being an urbanite to a rurbanite.

The word rurban (rural+urban) refers to a geographic territory or a landscape which possesses the economic characteristics and lifestyles of an Urban area while retaining its essential Rural area features

After staying in a bustling city filled with smoke, traffic, and pollution for years, an evolved group of doctors had decided to create an ecosystem that produces food and shelter for the residents without resource depletion

Organo took up the challenge of developing eco-habitats in harmony with nature. With the idea of combining the benefits of urban and rural, we created the ‘Rurban’ way of living.

Antharam’s sustainable practises transform the community and its resident’s into prosumers at a micro-level. The primary difference between a consumer and a prosumer is that the consumer buys various products for consumption while the prosumer takes adequate steps to produce the products and then consume them. Antharam's design is based on the model of a prosumer community where production and consumption happen parallelly. Here are simple measures taken in account for the execution of the same.

As we are nearing the lockdown period, I have realized that I have suffered a terrible affliction - Nature-Deficit Disorder, which is a phrase coined by Richard Louv to indicate problems arising from restricted access to nature and the lure of electronic devices. It is during times like these, that eco-habitats can confer benefits to its residents which can help maintain physiological and psychological well-being.

I have a confession to make: I like looking at ants and ant colonies. They fascinate me! This fascination is the result of so many unanswered questions that crop up in my mind when I see a colony of ants. How are they able to build such complex structures? Is there a Chief Architect in the colony drawing up blueprints and communicating in Ant Speak? Does the aggregation of instinctive behaviour of each ant lead to a collective intelligence that is amazingly intricate? Maybe.

Long ago, I remember my friend telling me a story about how the world is going to end in the year 2012. This was in primary school and I thought I still had plenty of time left to play football, eat junk food and more generally, have fun before the world comes crashing down.

Typically, in a Real Estate investment in cities, more than 50% of the cost is spent in land acquisition. The other components such as shelter, and infrastructure depreciate over time. Not only this but the natural resources such as groundwater table, flora and fauna are also depleted and destroyed.

Tremendous amount of energy is gathered around the Agnihotra copper pyramid just at Agnihotra time. A magnetic-type field is created, which neutralizes negative energies and reinforces positive energies. – Jaya Prakash, Architect, Vaastu...

Sustainability, Biodiversity, Harnessing Natural Resources and Organic Living are the driving principles of Organo. However, it's not just within the community, but Organo has made an impact on the neighboring villages - Aziznagar, Yenkepally and Bakaram - as well.

Visiting our home at Naandi every weekend is a special experience for all of us in the family. Buying a home here has been one of the best decisions of our life. ‍

We were driving by one day and came across this place. We simply fell in love with the place and the more we explored and learned about life at Naandi, the more eager we were to move out of our city apartment.

I have never had any previous knowledge about gardening or farming. In fact, I don’t remember growing any plants in my balcony or terrace, in the previous apartment that we lived at.

Young Bengali singer Palash Sen composed and sang the famous song “Kabhi aana tu meri Gully” in the 90s

I grew up in Allahabad and the Allahabad of my childhood was a city full of green open spaces. After I moved to Africa, I lived in similar environs amid lush greenery and abundant nature, over the forty or so years that I was abroad.

Most of us who live in the city have this innate urge to connect with nature. It’s human instinct to connect with the five elements that are the essence of life. It’s also human nature to aspire for growth and development.

Owning a farmhouse and living around greenery made me think that I am going to excel even in this field. To my surprise, the reality was something else which I never expected.

“I still remember the farmer vividly, from whom I bought a piece of land, even though more than 10 years have gone past. He was in need of money and I was in a state of surplus looking for a land to invest in. My intention was to build a farmhouse and start farming; an idea that everyone like me would have; of getting away from the city, growing my own veggies and having a healthy green environment for relaxation.

Organo believes every person on this earth, be it rich or the poor, are basically environmentally conscious in their own way.

While private properties, lands, titles and rights secure a good foundation for the future generations to prosper, is this enough? In a world that is changing rapidly, is there something else that must be inherited by children to make sure they are happy and content.

Whether you grew up in a village, a suburb, or in a big city, you probably spent a lot of time playing outside, getting dirty, and coming home happy.

Organo Et School’s purpose is nurturing a learning environment for all stakeholders where inclusive holistic eco-living is celebrated

Haven't we all heard of IKIGAI by now, even if we haven’t read the book? At least most of us have. The four circle diagram (which apparently is not the original IKIGAI but modified by another coach circa 2014) has been the most viewed on search engines the world over. The logical mind loves concepts and processes and the creative mind loves the free flow.

A rich old farmer, who felt that he had not many more days to live, called his sons to his bedside.

Ageing is a natural process where we go through physical, cognitive, social and familial losses and experience disabilities that leads towards assistance for activities of daily living. The physical well-being of older people has always received a lot of emphasis for this very reason.

India's mushroom farming industry is flourishing, presenting lucrative opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs. This thriving industry not only contributes significantly to agriculture but also caters to the growing demand for sustainable and versatile food choices in kitchens worldwide.

Welcome to Organo Antharam, the eco-habitats that offer an all-immersive experience of Rural + Urban lifestyles. Our architects reimagined the indigenous villages of India and blended the best of both rural and urban benefits to create homes as highways to good health.

As we reflect on examples of entrepreneurship and leadership in our nation, we see that people are increasingly choosing business ideas that enhance the lives of people, lessen our impact on the environment and direct focus on shared prosperity. During the last 25-year growth of our organization FHD Group, we have started pursuing Sustainability Entrepreneurship and have expanded into multiple sectors and businesses that continue to be built on Triple Bottom Line goals.

We have long been aware of the positive correlation between maintaining good physical health and a longer, happier, existence.

Most of the households in the cities are equipped with conventional geysers. However, an increasing number of eco-conscious & wallet-conscious households are installing solar hot water systems on their rooftops.

All homes are connected to form a micro-grid within the community. A micro-grid allows power-sharing between homes within the community.

We were recently invited by COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CSD) to be expert speakers as part of their CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP FOR PhD. SCHOLARS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES.

As the word suggests, slow food is in every way opposite to fast food. The slow food movement started in the 1980s in Rome, when a group of protestors gathered outside the newly opened franchise of McDonald’s fast-food restaurant and started chanting the slogans “We don’t want fast food, we want slow food.” Soon, the slow food manifesto was signed to escape from the “tediousness” of fast food and give time to enjoying the richness and aromas of local cuisines.

Sleep is as essential to our daily needs like food and water. Although we may feel that sleep simply rests our tired bodies, our brain remains active throughout the night. Sleep plays a critical role in the brain as well as physical functioning.

The eco-habitats by design are located away from the cities and in rural or per-urban areas. For any community to become an eco-habitat, there should be a symbiotic relationship between the community and its surroundings. The relationship can be with respect to any physical aspects like water, air, food etc., as well as people to people connect. The influence of this relationship is more pronounced to a certain extent of physical and emotional space. In order to define this space, we at Organo have taken the seven strands of sustainability or saptapatha (earth, water, air, people, food, shelter, and energy) as parameters around which the influence zone is defined.

Not so long ago, India was known as a country where the family elders were treated with utmost reverence and families revolved around them. But in the last decade or so, with individualistic mindsets on the rise, the seniors are being accommodated according to our convenience and comfort. With the rat race consuming the best of us, our parents and grandparents have been left behind to fend for themselves. With no peers for company and not wanting to interfere in their children and grandchildren’s lives, an increasing number of elders are experiencing isolation & loneliness like never before, more so in cases where one partner has passed on. The way living spaces are being designed and built isn’t helping either. The ubiquitous apartment culture may be a boon for the convenience-seeking youngsters but has turned into a bane of the older people’s existence. With their friends scattered all over the world, and their own limitations imposed by aging, they are being increasingly left to their own defenses.

Imagine waking up to a day where there is no water! Sounds scary right? Unfortunately, we are slowing walking towards that stage of no or extremely limited water resources. Knowingly or unknowingly, each activity of ours is contributing to this every day.

Last weekend, At Organo Antharam we hosted an unforgettable lineup of events that brought neighbours together for a weekend filled with learning, creativity, and socializing.

Bio-pools are wonderful to swim in. But as the name suggests, it is a biological environment which has ecosystems thriving in it. Depending on the season and aquatic life, there will be algae blooming in the

Organic food has been a rage for health-conscious consumers over the past decade. But one question that lingers in everyone who looks to buy “Organic”

Waterlogging on roads in monsoon and dried up borewells is a common scene in our cities. With the water crisis becoming one of the major global crises, at a fast pace, it has become the need of the hour to incorporate water conservation techniques at a global level as well as individual level. More importantly, these issues are directly affecting our lives on a regular basis

Nizamabad’ first eco-community, Rurban Nest is shaping up well with the construction work going on in full swing. Multiple level activities are going on simultaneously through the hands of skilled personnel.

At Rurban Nest, the families have started harvesting their own safe and witnessed food.

Ensuring 100% construction in the community well before the launch of the community is the pivotal aspect of ensuring green living from day one at the Rurban Nest Living community.

At Organo, every element of nature – air, water, earth – is harnessed, preserved and nourished. According to ayurveda, human physiology is a reflection of the laws of the universe, and the more in tune our lives are with nature, the healthier...

A strange thought occurred to me. Imagine your home is a black box and you are inside it with nothing else around you. Every resource that you would need – every bit of food that you eat, every watt of power that you burn, every drop of water that you drink, every bit of furniture on which you rest - is coming to you from outside this Black Box.

What are the three most essential things in real estate? Location, location, location! - a mantra often repeated in the real estate industry. However, Covid-19 has brought focus on the need for us to relook at the mantra.

Indrasen Reddy Bollampally is an active Naandian and a fulfilled Organo's eco-habitat resident.

At Naandi, we have created a water-balanced community. This means that the annual water budget is below the total amount of rainfall falling on the land.

Tiruchengode in Tamil Nadu is called the borewell rig capital of India. With up to 20,000 borewell rigs digging originating from this area and travelling as far as Rajasthan, and digging anywhere between 1000 feet to 1400 feet daily for many months of the year across India, the amount of water being pumped from deep aquifers in the Earth is unimaginable

To design a water-balanced and drought-resilient community, at Antharam, detailed hydrogeological studies have been made and a 60-lakh liter dug well is being made.

When we take part in an activity we enjoy, our brain releases a hormone called dopamine which is also called “the happy hormone”.

What is a Prosumer Community? Typically, any community in the city is a consumer economy. This means, there is insignificant production but a lot of consumption (food, milk, energy, water, etc.) happening within the community.

Organo is undertaking social impact initiatives in the five villages identified as part of the eco-habitat boundary. The villages being Antharam, Hasthepur, Venkannagudem, Nowlaipalle, and Kandlapalli.

With a population that increases every minute, the food supply is hardly sufficient to meet the rising demand. In order to increase the yield to meet the supply, farmers are resorting to using dangerously high amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Consequently, quantity comes at the cost of quality.

Organo’s vision for 2023 — To continue to create apt eco-habitats for specific user groups‍

“Co-creating eco-habitats that celebrate living”is the motto that drives us to build our communities. For us, an Eco-Habitat “is a natural ecosystem integrated into living spaces for urban dwellers, consciously recreated with sustainability at the core; designed to have minimal negative impact on the environment.”

Sustainability, biodiversity, harnessing natural resources and Organic living is the driving principle of Organo.However, it’s not just within the community, but Organo has made an impact on the neighboring villages – Aziznagar, Yenkepally, and Bakaram – as well. “Ecological balance cannot be achieved in isolation,” says Lakshmi Battula, who is in charge of the farming and animal husbandry at Organo.

Organo was founded on the idea of environmentally conscious living. Our primary goal was to develop communities that are self-reliant in seven strands of sustainability - Energy, Food, Water, Air, Earth, People, and Shelter.

Manoj Vaddineni is an active Naandian and a fulfilled Organo's eco-habitat resident.

Two weeks of lockdown have gone past. Most people have been struggling with restricted environments, but I’m quite enjoying this rejuvenating period at home. And the one and only reason for this is that my home is within the eco-habitat we co-created! I dread to imagine how it would have been, had we been living in the dense city!

Planet Earth not only binds us all together but is also the source of our sustenance. If we’re not mindful of our actions, we’re doing ourselves and our future generations great disservice. So, why not start early? Why not inculcate the sense of responsibility towards our surroundings in our young ones?

Organo Et School’s purpose is nurturing a learning environment for all stakeholders where inclusive holistic eco-living is celebrated.

Over the years, experiential learning has proven to have a wide range of benefits that contribute to a child's development.

According to the Global Status Report, 2017, the building and construction sector is responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions globally

The main challenge for most of us living in cities is maintaining our homes. Finding trained domestic help, whether it’s in the kitchen or housekeeping services, is the key to live stress-free life. This issue gets more intense when it comes to farmhouses. Considering the fact that we spend mostly our weekends in our second home, the upkeep is mostly dependent on the help we hire. In addition to the other areas, faming gets added to the list of services we would need from our domestic staff.

Have you every asked yourself how happy you are with your money or vice versa? We know what you’re thinking. What kind of a question is that? Right? Well, let’s give you some food for thought.

Long long ago, we lived in villages surrounded by human beings were an integral part of. With least intrusion and invasion, we coexisted with other forms of life in symbiosis. Almost every other person was engaged in some form of agriculture. Most of our ancestors were farmers. Crops were abundant and good health was taken for granted.