Do You Want To See The “Real” India?
Most tourists who come to India to do the “Golden Triangle” or to see key sites in Rajasthan do not have the opportunity to see and experience village life. You may not know that 70% of the population of India live in the rural areas and villages.
Ikaki Bagh is a social enterprise project that started in 2014 and provides a model for small-scale farmers to emulate.
The village Jhinjha, is comprised of approximately 600 Berwa and Meena people.
In this community, typical of rural Indian villages, there are significant social disadvantages with limited access to education, reliable income, economic opportunities, essential facilities and infrastructure. Women and young girls face additional challenges because of their gender.
Ikaki Bagh is being developed with sustainable, organic farming, (no use of pesticides and chemicals, which are highly used in most farms in India to produce maximum production) ecologically sensitive energy sources (solar panels and use of rainwater collection for irrigation, planting trees to support agriculture, and bird life and to add to the local beauty of the countryside, composting units for high-quality manure) It is in the village of Jhinjha, which has a population of 600, and is typical of the level of poverty that many villages in India experience. There are still many bamboo/thatch houses although the village is slowly moving to brick structures.
In addition, the owner/creator of Ikaki Bagh, a local entrepreneur who also runs a successful guesthouse in Jaipur is committed to helping the local village, thorough:
- improvements to the infrastructure of the school,
- support of the women through development of micro-enterprises (local handmade goods for purchase, including knitted cushions and pillow covers, handcrafted skin care soaps, locally made pickles and spice mixtures, and handmade kites, traditional bee keeping and sustainable honey collecting),
- development of training programs for the local women and youth in production of these items, in order for them to earn a more sustainable income.
Currently the women have few means of sustainable income, for example they make 5 cents/day in beading activities for enterprises in Jaipur.
In your visit to the farm and village of Ikaki Bagh you will have the opportunity to visit the village, see the school, which has approximately 240 students from the village and district, see the children at work, and hear about the development process and issues facing rural Indian villages in Rajasthan, as well as learning the sustainable practices at the farm. Meet the three local horses, of the famous traditional Rajasthan Marwari breed!
You will eat a healthy organic lunch, most of which comes from the local produce of the farm. It is prepared with the highest standards of hygiene and is free of chemicals and processing. It will be one of the few places in your travels where you can safely eat raw vegetables and delicious salads! All the proceeds from your village visit will go directly back to the village.
The Village is a far cry from the horns, hustle and bustle and crowds of Indian cities and will give you a new perspective and view of Indian life.
Come and join the vision of Ikaki Bagh!!