History
“If you can dream it, you can do it” ( Walt Disney ) We dreamt of a life in nature, of conservation, of planting trees, watching the sun rise and set again, we dreamt of making a difference in some ones life, we dreamt of learning and growing with the local community… and yes, the dream did come true. Come home and be part of it…
A Bombay wild child (Karan) and a smart indigenous kid (Dhansingh) had a dream of making a Lodge together.
They scouted for land and found a completely barren but insanely magical piece of land, right next to the river Banjar. Sunset was right in front of them and in the evening they watched the full moon rising by just turning 180° to the other side.
Karan got married to a girl from Switzerland (Isa) and together the trio put their imagination and dreams on paper and then into action. It was 10 month from the first brick until the first guest arrived.
A bouncy road full with obstacles, riddles to solve and life changing learnings. The entire construction was done by the indigenous community of Kuthwahi village. Since there was no electricity line yet , every thing was done by hand. The respect for the local craftsmen is tremendous. Laughter and sweat, Mahua (local drink) and bedis (local cigar), the heat of the summer and the first monsoon glory bonded us together like nothing else in the world could have done.
Over 2000 Trees were planted, carefully nourished and watched over. And so we watched the barren land turning into a grassland first, then it turned into a mixed vegetation and now it is a small mixed forest habitant.
Nothing is as stunning as sitting in the shade of a tree, you have planted with your own hands.
Flame of the Forest is a dream come true in so many ways, but it is only with a great team you can make dreams become reality.
We still talk about the days of construction, cause the learning, the challenges and the fruits of achievement have really carved a road into our souls.
