Why This Mumbai Couple Sold Everything to Build a Zero-Waste, Solar-Powered Homestay in the Hills

On a misty morning in the hills of Mahabaleshwar, a small 500-square-foot home glows under soft sunlight. Solar panels hum gently. A kitchen garden bursts with herbs. And inside, actor Mrunmayee Deshpande Rao and her husband, Swapnil Rao, begin their day with compost, soil, and the slow rhythm of the land.

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The couple once lived in Mumbai’s fast-paced world of film shoots and business meetings, but today their life looks very different.

A slow shift begins

The couple met in 2015 through a matrimonial website. As their relationship grew, so did a shared desire for a life that felt calmer, closer to nature, and rooted in purpose. 

At the time, both were thriving in Mumbai — Momo, as she is fondly called, was a well-known film and theatre actor, and Swapnil was running his own business. Yet they felt a steady pull towards stillness and meaning.

Searching for a life that felt real

Their decision to leave city life wasn’t a whimsical escape. It grew from years of reflection and questioning — of what it truly meant to live well. 

Life on the farmland, however, was anything but easy. The couple faced unpredictable weather, wild terrain, and the unrelenting rhythm of farm work. But each challenge also brought clarity — helping them understand what they were really seeking in this new way of life.

By 2019, that yearning had evolved into a clear vision. Swapnil — now fondly known as Neil — decided that passion alone wouldn’t sustain the dream. He enrolled in formal permaculture training, learning how to design regenerative ecosystems that heal the soil, conserve water, and nurture biodiversity.

Taking the leap to the hills

In 2020, the couple sold everything they owned in Mumbai and moved to Malusar, a small village nestled in the hills of Mahabaleshwar. There, they began building their dream — a home that would live with the land, not against it.

Their 500-square-foot solar-powered home was constructed using sustainable materials: laterite stone that breathes with nature, lime plaster that keeps interiors cool, and one wall carved directly into the mountain itself.

What began as barren land soon turned into a thriving food forest. Kitchen waste became compost, grey water nourished orchards, and nothing went to waste. Every choice reflected the couple’s philosophy — to live gently upon the earth.

Building a zero-waste homestay

Today, that dream has become ‘Neil & Momo Farms’, a serene, zero-waste homestay where guests can learn about permaculture, enjoy farm-to-table meals, and experience a slower, more intentional rhythm of life. Visitors help harvest vegetables, walk through orchards, or simply spend time understanding the land that sustains the farm.

Inspired by the abundance around them, the couple also created ‘Neil & Momo’, a line of handmade, eco-conscious wellness products. Their range includes natural bath bars, solid shampoos and conditioners, bamboo toothbrushes, deodorants, dishwashing bars, and even farm-to-jar strawberry preserves and wild forest honey — each one rooted in their farm’s ethos of purity and sustainability.

For Neil and Momo, success no longer revolves around applause or city lights. It now lies in balance, self-reliance, and a lifestyle that cares for the planet. Their hillside home stands as a gentle reminder that meaningful change often begins with slow, deliberate choices — and the courage to follow them.