Why We Left Our Mumbai Life & Moved to a Tiny Konkan Village

A large chunk of urban residents today aspire to leave the hustle and bustle of city life and move to the slow village life to chase their dreams. But how many of us dare to take the road less travelled?

This distant dream for many came true for a couple, Shirish and Pooja Gavas, who worked in Mumbai.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple had lost their jobs and life seemed to come to a halt. Instead of losing hope, they decided to start afresh by moving back to their roots – a small Konkan village in Maharashtra.

The couple was inspired by a Chinese blogger who was taking her culture to the world through YouTube videos. Similarly, Shirish and Pooja decided to highlight their Konkan food and its culture.

The couple started by sharing traditional food recipes on their channel — Red Soil Stories — and went on to show glimpses of the rich culture of their region. Today, they sweep the kaccha (mud) floors, harvest food from farms, cook food traditionally, and lead peaceful lives.

With their YouTube channel, the couple has earned an audience from more than 40 countries!

Watch how they made this journey possible:

Edited by Padmashree Pande