In a forest 60 km from Dandeli, the place the sounds of visitors are changed by cicadas and the closest cellular sign is a trek away, stands a house that runs not on electrical energy, however on intention. 

There aren’t any fences to maintain the wild out and no switches to flip — solely fireflies to mild the night time. That is Off The Grid, a country forest retreat located in a 2500 sq km space, constructed and run by a pair — Sylvia Kerkar, a former journalist turned potter, and John Pollard, a pioneer in white water rafting. 

 At 56, the couple leads a life as grounded and regular because the clay Sylvia shapes daily — a stark distinction to her former world of deadlines and newsrooms.

An eight-year journey as a journalist

Sylvia started her profession in 1987 by pursuing a level in resort administration on the Institute of Lodge Administration, Catering Expertise and Utilized Vitamin (IHMCT&AN) in Bengaluru. However it didn’t take lengthy for her to grasp that her true ardour lay in writing and storytelling.

“I had already began writing for my faculty, and I used to be doing a little bit of freelance writing for the Instances of India and three different publications,” provides Sylvia. “As a result of I wasn’t formally educated as a journalist, I had began build up my portfolio by way of freelancing and writing tales,” shares Sylvia, who has additionally labored with the Financial Instances.

Sylvia moved to Dubai in 1996, the place she labored for the Gulf As we speak as a options author. “I had a pleasant time as a result of it was simply beginning, so we had the liberty to discover and write articles,” she provides.

“I went on to writing for a couple of worldwide public publications within the U.S., and I went to Mexico to review Spanish, and I began working for a public newspaper there as nicely,” she remembers.

However amid the fast-paced newsroom tradition, one other slower, quieter pull had begun.

Falling in love with clay

Throughout her journalistic journey, Sylvia realised her ardour all the time lay in ceramics and pottery. So in 1999, Sylvia stepped into Golden Bridge Pottery in Pondicherry, one among India’s most revered ceramic studios. 

Beneath the steering of grasp potter Ray Meeker, she realized to throw, hearth, and glaze with self-discipline and freedom. “Clay calls for presence,” she says. 

That very same yr, she met John Pollard, a British adventurer, white-water rafting skilled, and nature lover. The connection was prompt. Their shared love for the outside and inventive, offbeat dwelling laid the muse for a life much less peculiar.

‘We bought fortunate and acquired the land’

In 2001, the couple moved to Dandeli, the place John labored with the forest division to scout and map river routes. “I centered on my pottery and began doing what I used to be captivated with,” she provides.

Throughout one among their treks in 2003, 60 kilometres away from their place, they stumbled upon a patch of dense forest, completely untouched. There was no highway, no path, and positively no utilities. Simply the sound of a stream, rustling leaves, and the whisper of risk.

“We beloved how secluded and linked with nature the place was. And individuals who knew us understood that that is precisely the form of place we might spend money on,” laughs Sylvia. It was not a simple determination to vary a barren land into a house.

And the stunning half? They by no means supposed to start out a homestay in any respect. “Initially, we needed the place for private use. However we needed to do it as a result of we needed to maintain it, and we could not hold it as a second residence or could not afford to maintain it,” she provides.

Constructing desires brick by brick

When Sylvia and John first stumbled upon the patch of forest that will sooner or later change into Off The Grid, it was little greater than a dream. “There was no highway, no energy, not even an actual path. Simply this overwhelming sense of stillness,” Sylvia remembers.

However the stillness didn’t deter them. Over the subsequent 4 years, they constructed slowly, painstakingly, including one construction at a time through the dry seasons. “It took a couple of years as a result of we didn’t have a highway,” she explains.

“Yearly from 2006, we simply did a bit of bit, as a result of it’s very heavy rain and it’s reduce off by rivers through the monsoon. So you’ll be able to’t go out and in,” Sylvia shares.

Again then, entry was a problem in itself. “It was like a riverbed for 10 kilometres,” Sylvia says. “You can both stroll it or go on a four-wheeler, a tractor, or a motorcycle.” On one event, their tractor misplaced stability and toppled over on the muddy observe.

“We needed to carry all of the bricks for the primary home for the final two kilometres or so,” she provides with a touch of humour.

Assist from the native arms

A lot of the homestay got here to life not by means of contractors or architects, however by means of the arms of villagers from a tiny hamlet of simply fifteen homes close by. “The entire village form of works as a neighborhood. They get collectively and construct one particular person’s home, and when the subsequent particular person is constructing, everybody chips in once more,” she says. 

Accustomed to forest life and deeply expert in conventional craftsmanship — from digging wells to carving wooden — these villagers grew to become the spine of the construct. “They’re nice at working within the forest and really robust. One or two masons will all the time be there in these inside villages as a result of they construct their very own homes,” Sylvia shares.

 

But, not everybody tailored simply. “Individuals who got here from outdoors to work, particularly for plumbing, a few of them bought very spooked within the jungle. Particularly at night time, with all of the sounds and no telephone sign. Some would simply run off so they may get again into community vary,” she laughs.

Even essentially the most primary logistics posed challenges. “If you happen to abruptly want a spanner and it’s not there, you must journey 30 kilometres for it. So loads needed to be deliberate and prefabricated,” Sylvia explains. “We’d carry our complete workforce in after getting all of the supplies from Ramnagar, which was fairly a drive.”

Surviving with out the grid

Once they first constructed their residence within the forest, electrical energy was out of the query.  “We had no alternative. We began off with kerosene lamps, after which moved to photo voltaic,” Sylvia says.

Even now, whereas the primary highway simply two kilometres away has an electrical energy line, they’ve chosen to stay off-grid. “Once they got here to ask if we needed the road introduced up, John form of determined in opposition to it.”

Their alternative is rooted in each warning and conviction.  “In these areas, the traces do hold falling, they usually’re overhead traces. We didn’t need the worry of a dwell wire falling within the rain and somebody stepping on it — it’s fairly a giant problem in rural India,” she explains. “And since we’d already arrange and realised how easy you’ll be able to have it and nonetheless survive, we determined to only hold going with photo voltaic.”

A stream close by was tapped for water and naturally filtered utilizing gravel and charcoal. Rainwater harvesting grew to become second nature. “We use the facility of water gravity to produce the whole homestay,” she provides.

“From a sustainability viewpoint, aside from not utilizing electrical energy from the grid, the water is from a stream, and there’s no wastage of water because the wastewater is allowed to percolate into the soil,” shares Sherin Balachandran (55), from Bengaluru, who’s a frequent customer.

This method is an excellent instance of how the homestay is actually in concord with nature. By utilizing solar energy as an alternative of grid electrical energy, the homestay reduces its carbon footprint, serving to shield the atmosphere. 

The water, sourced from a close-by stream, is used thoughtfully, and the wastewater is allowed to naturally seep again into the soil, guaranteeing nothing goes to waste. This not solely conserves water but additionally helps wholesome soil and minimises the affect on native water sources, making the entire expertise each eco-friendly and restorative.

 

As we speak, Off The Grid runs on six photo voltaic panels and two 12-volt batteries. “That’s what powers the homestay. It’s sufficient,” Sylvia says with quiet confidence.

Throughout the monsoon, when the forest turns into virtually impassable and the skies are too gray for photo voltaic, they shut store and shift to Goa, the place John runs rafting expeditions and Sylvia continues her ceramics work from her studio.

“As an architect, I like that it’s completely off the grid and solely depends on solar energy, and I feel getting used to this is a useful lesson for the children,” shares Sherin. “They shortly adapt to utilizing lights minimally and to do what most dad and mom beg them to do – put the lights off!” provides Sherin.

Tucked away within the forests however nonetheless linked to the world

Off The Grid is tucked deep into the forests of Dandeli, a quiet city in northern Karnataka, simply 60 kilometres away from the primary city. It is a spot that seems like a real escape, removed from town chaos, but nonetheless conveniently near all the pieces you want.

And for those who’re interested by Goa, you are solely a 150-kilometre drive away. The homestay is situated in a forest space that stretches over 2,500 sq km, providing one of the best of each worlds—peace and isolation, however with quick access to the bustling seashores and nightlife of Goa.

The journey is a part of the attraction — whether or not you’re driving from Hubli or Goa, the scenic route by means of the Western Ghats is one thing to stay up for. With Hubli being about 100 kilometres away by practice, and Goa’s airport about 150 kilometres from the homestay, it’s straightforward to get right here with out feeling too far faraway from civilisation.

Internet hosting friends on nature’s phrases

Since opening its doorways in 2011, Off The Grid has welcomed over 1,200 friends — from metropolis dwellers seeking to unplug to households searching for immersive outside experiences to worldwide travellers hungry for authenticity. Many return yr after yr, drawn to its simplicity and soul.

The keep is priced at roughly Rs 4,250 per particular person on a twin-sharing foundation. This fee consists of cosy, rustic lodging and three healthful home-cooked meals made with recent, native components—a part of the attraction that retains friends coming again. 

 

The property provides a mixture of choices, from a spacious farmhouse to a few forest teepees and a wood cabin, all designed to mix into the panorama and supply an immersive, off-grid expertise. 

“I’ve been there many occasions with completely different teams, however the occasions I like essentially the most are once we take youngsters there for a summer time camp. It’s actually wonderful to see the children (largely from town) simply having fun with the outside and, not surprisingly, forgetting about devices,” Sherin shares with a smile. It’s proof that the magic of nature speaks to all ages.

For journey lovers, there’s no scarcity of thrilling actions. You possibly can go on a scenic trek to close by waterfalls with the forest division for simply Rs 200 to Rs 500. If you happen to’re up for one thing much more iconic, a guided journey to the well-known Dudh Sagar Falls prices about Rs 1,000 for 2 hours. For these craving a bit extra thrill, you can even take pleasure in rafting journeys from the homestay at Rs 1,500 per trip (plus transportation).

Standout options embody:

• Personal waterfalls and hidden trails inside strolling distance
• A wood-fired open kitchen that serves natural, domestically sourced meals
• Pottery workshops led by Sylvia utilizing clay sourced from their very own land
• Mud oven constructing, fire-making, and survival expertise camps for teenagers and adults
• Seasonal forest camps in summer time and monsoon rafting journeys in Goa

The cottages — minimal but elegant — are constructed to mix into the environment. Massive verandas, open-air loos, hammocks beneath jackfruit bushes, and skylights that allow the moon peek in make each keep a sensory delight.

“Between the beautiful treks, the little waterfall subsequent door, pottery, campfires, outside video games and board video games, there’s nearly sufficient time to eat all of the yummy meals that’s served up 4 occasions a day, freshly constructed from domestically sourced components,” provides Sherin.

“We haven’t made it into this large form of a resort. It was like one cabin, after which a few teepees. It is fairly a low-key improvement, very rustic and never paved or fenced. All the things’s form of open,” Sylvia smiles.

Disconnection, with goal 

For Sylvia and John, Off The Grid is greater than a retreat—it’s a manifesto. A life lived in concord with the land, the place creativity meets conservation. Sylvia continues her pottery follow alongside internet hosting, her work impressed by forest textures—lichen, bark, soil, and sky. Her items are earthy, natural, and sometimes offered solely by phrase of mouth.

Regardless of its remoteness, Off The Grid has discovered a loyal viewers. Not by means of promoting, however by means of tales — shared round bonfires, over banana-leaf lunches, and sure, generally even in options like this one.

In a world hooked to connectivity, Sylvia and John supply a uncommon reward: disconnection, with goal. And a reminder that the richest lives aren’t all the time lived on-line, however generally deep in a forest, off a path, and wholly off the grid.

All pictures courtesy Off The Grid