24 villages of the indigenous forest-dwelling Sahariya community were resettled when the Kuno National Park was established 26 years ago. Belonging to the Adivasi (tribal) community, they have struggled to adapt to agrarian life and are among the most economically backward communities in India. The recent introduction of cheetahs to Kuno has begun attracting urban eco-tourists and created new employment and income opportunities. Our project offers our prototype design and technical aid to any family that wishes to create, build, and run a farmstay. Village Farmstays (VF) is run by the NGOs Samrakshan Charitable Trust (SCT) and Adharshila, as part of a larger umbrella CSR project funded by the L&T subsidiary LTIMindtree. The project aims to promote integrated village development in 40 villages covering 30,000 people. In a previous partnership with SCT, our practice built a school in this community, adopting passive systems and relying upon local materials and labour. VF builds on that prior experience in partnership with local women. Village families can generate a parallel source of income by creating a rural experience for urban tourists. The use of local resources and (wo)manpower, and the use of sustainable measures such as solar panels, ensures low construction and maintenance costs. The use of indigenous materials and systems and our reliance upon local masons and craftsmen serves to instil pride and ownership in the new buildings.

The site is close to the Kuno National Park, an important biodiversity hotspot and the location for India’s ambitious cheetah conservation project. The local community comprises conservation refugees, displaced when the Park was established 26 years ago. Resettled poorly, these conservation refugees continue to suffer severe economic, cultural and livelihood disruptions. Their landholdings average 0.5 hectares and are inadequate for dignified livelihood or food security. Our design combines indigenous building knowledge and materials with robust industrial interventions that provide financial feasibility and longevity. The stone is quarried locally and has been the main building material in this area for centuries. It is dressed and laid by skilled local masons. A layer of mud plaster is applied to increase insulation, and to add aesthetic value. Since the plastering is done mostly by women, both genders are engaged in the building process, ensuring a greater sense of ownership across the community. The building integrates rainwater harvesting systems for water conservation, and solar panels for net zero electricity production. Liquid and solid waste is funnelled into a village level segregation project. Interventions like solar lighting, water harvesting, climate-appropriate buildings, use of local construction material and skills, waste management, and promotion of non-extractive, women-led, tourism-based livelihoods will improve the community’s quality of life, revive indigenous knowledge, and regenerate the landscape for coexistence with nature.

The project is a close collaboration between a core team at Adharshila and Samrakshan that runs a fully subsidized rural school as well as works closely with the community and children, and a Delhi based architecture firm called Forum Architecture. The former have been involved in educational, livelihood, conservation, and skill development programs in villages near the Kuno national park since 1999.  Led by Dr Asmita Kabra who founded it and geared by educator and local liaison for the project Mr. Merajuddin Syed, the community is actively engaged through these anchors. Merajuddin has devoted his life to the education of this group of villages and works towards creating a much-needed bridge between basic education and eventual employability of the children of this neglected community. Merajuddin also doubles up as the site manager, project manager and a key player in the construction of the building as per the drawings and details of the architect. Technical support and design support is provided by the team at Forum Architecture with a focus on sustainable and eco-friendly design. 
Core Team –



1.      Suparna Ghosh – Lead Architect – Partner, Forum Architecture.

2.      Jensil John – Lead Architect- Partner, Forum Architecture

3.      Devashish Mohan –Project Architect, Senior Associate, Forum Architecture

4.      Dr. Asmita Kabra –Managing Trustee, Samrakshan; and President, Adharshila Education Society

5.      Merajuddin Syed – Team Leader, Adharshila Education Initiative and Secretary, Adharshila Education Society