Sunando Sen fell in love the day he saw his first tiger in Corbett National Park!

Many decades later, he returned to Corbett to build a sustainable home and open it up for others to experience a slow life.

Born and raised in Kolkata, Sunando worked as a banker for over two decades before starting his own company.

“I was stuck in the corporate cycle in an office that I did not want to be in. I wanted to be in the wild and in close proximity to nature,” he says.

In 2011, he packed his belongings, sold his startup, and moved to Corbett — where he runs a sustainable mud homestay called ‘Tanhau’, which runs on 95 percent of solar energy and harvested water.

Located on a five-acre land in a small village called Bhatoli, Sunando first had to restore the land, which was in bad shape.

“The trees and wildlife near it were mostly destroyed. So we started with planting 500 trees and making the place green again,” he says, adding that over the years, he has planted more than 5,000 trees on the land.

While constructing his home and homestay huts, he was mindful of the surroundings.

“I did not want to disturb the nature around the place. From the very beginning, I knew that I was not going to add to the carbon footprint. Instead, I would try to minimise it as much as possible,” he says.

The house is constructed using locally sourced stones and mud. He also employed locals for construction, and subsequently for his staff.

He adds that 95 percent of the homestay runs on solar energy. They also practise rainwater harvesting and have a storage capacity of 1,00,000 litres of water.

Wet waste is composted while dry waste is sent for recycling. Additionally, Sunando collects dry waste from villages nearby for recycling.

He has been working with the local communities to sensitise the villagers on plastic waste management.

In a bid to promote slow and responsible travel, the homestay hosts unique activities like walking safaris and village walks.

“With my experience, I could have been a CEO, but that life was not for me. I prefer living close to nature and advocating sustainability. I am not sure about the impact of my work with the villagers and at the homestay, but I still want to try to leave a legacy,” he shares.