Ex-SSB Officer Builds Organic Farm With Sandalwood, Black Turmeric & Ancient Rice, Inspiring Rural India

After taking early retirement from the Sashastra Seema Bal, Utkrisht Pandey returned to his roots in Bhadauna, a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district. While many might have chosen comfort and routine after a life in uniform, Pandey had a different vision. He wanted to build something valuable, not just for himself, but for his entire community.

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With seven acres of ancestral land, he began building something far greater than he had imagined. That piece of land is now known as Rishigram Organics, an organic, self-sustaining farm that cultivates some of India’s rarest and most in-demand native crops. Among them are white sandalwood, black turmeric, Kasturi turmeric, and the ancient and aromatic kalanamak rice.

What makes Rishigram unique is not just the crops, but the way they are grown. His farm operates entirely on solar energy, harvests rainwater, and uses natural manure made from the dung of his Sahiwal cows. It is a model of sustainable and traditional farming with a modern outlook.

His agricultural work serves as the foundation for a broader social vision. Through his “Har Ghar Chandan” initiative, he has established a nursery with over 50,000 white sandalwood saplings, aiming to help villagers cultivate these valuable trees and eventually set up small-scale sandalwood-based industries. His dream is to make rural communities financially independent and put an end to the steady migration from villages to cities.

Starting with just 400 sandalwood saplings, he now has over 3,000 growing on his land. The high market demand for crops like black turmeric and sandalwood brings in significant profits. Yet for Pandey, the greatest reward lies in seeing his fellow villagers grow.

His work has drawn international attention. In early 2025, a delegation from Bhutan visited Rishigram to learn about its sustainable farming methods and community-led development model. Utkrisht Pandey was also honoured as a special guest at the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort this year.

Today, he continues to lead by example, proving that with commitment, innovation, and a respect for nature, rural India can build a prosperous and self-reliant future.