Profile information
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Host rating
100 %
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Last replied
24 Jul 2026
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Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
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Feedback
50
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ID verified
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Email verified
Badges (6)
Min stay requested: at least a week
Details
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Description
ABOUT THE PLACE
I'm Harshit, and since 2019 I have been living here, on the banks of the River Dev, surrounded by rich, dense forest, in rural Madhya Pradesh. I came to live on the land here after spending many years travelling around adivasi (tribal) villages of the region, living alongside and learning from the friends I made there. Since then I've been using those skills I learned, experimenting with different ways of natural building, and slowly shaping a life here in the jungle.
Over the years I have welcomed people from all different walks of life here; together we build with mud, stone, and bamboo, grow and cook food, collect stories, and learn from the land and the people around it. One of the special things about this place is the shared effort, collaboration, and diversity, which has created a beautiful and inspiring project with so much potential and possibility.
Currently I live here with my parents and my partner Harriet, we live together in community but we all have our own ways of interacting with the space and our own projects. Often we have visitors from various villages around the region, and people bring with them their skills, songs, and stories.
Our shared vision is to live in an open-ended exploration of how to live more honestly in a reciprocal, syncretic relationship with the land. A lot about this region is rapidly changing, and traditional practices are disappearing left right and centre. We believe that documenting these practices is not enough - if you want to try to save a culture, you have to keep the practice alive, and that is what we try to do here at Adi Johar. Come and join us!
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WHAT WE’LL DO THIS MONSOON (July-October)
It does rain a lot at this time, and the conditions can become quite challenging. We have basic facilities - we have an outside compost toilet, electricity is unreliable during the rains, and pathways on the land and in the jungle become very muddy and slippery. But, it is an opportunity to experience this place during a unique time - it's intense, but beautiful and full of life.
Monsoon is an especially beautiful time if you're a musician and you want a space to connect with and be inspired by the sounds of nature. The birds, insects, and animals of the jungle come to life after the hot season, to a background of rain and the rushing river. We are exploring the concept of a Music in Monsoon residency - so get in touch if this resonates.
Here’s what we’ll be working on:
• Planting seeds and saplings - we have a vegetable garden, and we are also working on rewilding the surrounding jungle. We have a lot of heirloom seeds and saplings collected from various places around the country.
• Clearing space in the jungle for planting and pathways - this is a constant battle!
• Building natural fencing to enclose the land - we use natural materials so this requires regular maintenance and upkeep.
• Taking care of our animals - we have 2 lovely dogs, Chickpea & Peanut, a buffalo called Chandramukhi, and lots of chickens who keep us provided with fresh eggs.
• Preparing food - we love experimenting with different ways of cooking with our guests.
From October onwards we'll be building again and we have a lot of projects planned - a cob roundhouse communal area, treehouses, and we need to renovate our old mud house. We'll need a lot of people from that time, so do get in touch if you're interested.
Some days will be intense, some quiet. There will be mud on your hands, river dips, and simple meals cooked on fire.
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WHAT WE OFFER
We offer basic accommodation and facilities; with us you'll get to live simply, close to the forest and the river. It's a raw, grounded experience of rural India. We host volunteers in our cob house, there's a simple compost toilet, and we bathe in the river. You'll have the chance to learn and help out with natural building and land care, whatever the season brings,
Our approach is deeply inspired by our time spent with adivasi cultures of Central India. This filters through in the small ways that we live our lives here and we are always happy to share what we've learned.
We always want to keep this space open - for builders, farmers, artists, musicians, wanderers, anybody seeking to live, learn, and contribute meaningfully. -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Light maintenance
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Interests
Events & social
Art & design
Outdoor activities
Sustainability
Pets
Farming
Culture
Plant care
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Architecture
Animals
Nature
Hiking
Camping -
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The people in the village are extremely skilled and are also friendly, travelers benefit from the access to conversations with people living simple lives. To live in the tribal belt of India is a chance to gain insight into what it takes to live using only what is available in the natural surrounding. In the past we have learnt from them how to make things such as quilts, beds, brooms, to fermented beverages and there is no end to what one could learn here.
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Help
Apart from helping in the garden and in the routine tasks of chopping wood and carrying water, we welcome all effort at experimenting with making things using locally available material, which we are lucky to have an abundance of.
We dream of trying out new techniques to build structures, so anything that anyone may want to try out will be conducive to our general project. We're not out to get it right, we're more keen to explore the process and enjoy making and doing things, making do with what we have.
We are up to ideate and discuss all possibilities. -
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Hindi: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
We hope to engage with the language that the Gonds, the Baigas, the Bhils, and other tribes that live in our surrounding area speak. -
Accommodation
We offer basic accommodation and facilities; with us you'll get to live simply, close to the forest and the river. It's a raw, grounded experience of rural India.
We have shared accommodation for volunteers in our cob house, there's a simple compost toilet, and we bathe in the river. You are welcome to pitch a tent if you prefer, and if you stay for a while and are interested I can help you build your own temporary shelter. -
What else ...
With your time off, you can walk to the village and chat with the ammas and the dadas there, or you can wander into the jungle or spend some time by the water, or in the water, you can go fishing, you can roll in the sand, collect stones, climb up trees, watch the birds and the insects, you can explore the space, explore yourself.
If you have a bike, you can go to villages that are further away and find people who are practicing crafts that interestsyou.
Away from the village, Kirnapur is a well-developed major town that is closest to us. Nearby cities are Balaghat and Gondia.
Nandora is a remote village and doesn't have access to public transportation, but we'll help find ways to get to where you want to go. -
A little more information
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Internet access
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Limited internet access
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We have pets
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We are smokers
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Can host families
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Space for parking camper vans
You may chose to bring your vehicle but do discuss it with us before you set out as the condition of the road that leads up to our land varies according to the seasons.
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Can possibly accept pets
everybody is welcome as long as they don't threaten our furry and feathered friends.
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How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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My animals / pets
Chickens
Chickpea (1 year)
Peanut (1 year)
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (23)
We worked on a buffalo shelter, built part of a small kitchen space, made a bamboo fence, did mud plastering, built an adobe wall and fixed a door. She was always ready to jump into whatever was happening that day.
Outside work, we spent a lot of time wandering around. … read more
Harshit … read more
Harahit is a very kind, sweet and quirky man full of beautiful ideas that deserve extra hands in order from them to all come
to life.
The main project, the land, the river, as well as the festival is fueled by a happy passionate heart and shows you the ways in which life can be so very simple, yet … read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
We worked on a buffalo shelter, built part of a small kitchen space, made a bamboo fence, did mud plastering, built an adobe wall and fixed a door. She was always ready to jump into whatever was happening that day.
Outside work, we spent a lot of time wandering around. … read more
Harshit … read more
Harahit is a very kind, sweet and quirky man full of beautiful ideas that deserve extra hands in order from them to all come
to life.
The main project, the land, the river, as well as the festival is fueled by a happy passionate heart and shows you the ways in which life can be so very simple, yet … read more
Harshit told me living with nature, animals, and other people living near his house. I could experienced lots of things here.
For example, we collect woods in the forest, and made tree house. It had not completed yet, but I enjoyed beautiful scene at the tree house.
I also learned living in India. You can … read more
I really enjoyed our conversations—calm, thoughtful, and sometimes hilarious. I’ll miss his rain and sun dances (they definitely worked … read more
His land feels, in many ways, still untouched and pure, so you'll definitely have a chance to unwind and … read more
The journey to get there was pretty long and tiring due to remote location. But I could say that the effort was definitely worth it.
This off the grid experience was very enriching for me.
I was assigned the project of creating a nice space to hang around the fire. I was very happy working on this project … read more
Guys let me tell you ,the place is just beautiful , I mean it , its literally inside a forest . there … read more
It was a truly amazing stay. We did a lot of things mostly aroud the treehouse, from cuting the trees needed to nail bomboo. It was verry fun learning all that and quite fulfilling to see the house growing.
Adi johar is a really peacefull place, where we met amazing people and were surrounded by nature.
Harshit is … read more
Freddy is a great person to have around, he is kind and helpful. We celebrated christmas with my family. I hope he enjoys the rest of his trip to India and … read more
We liked taking part in the building of the new house. So many different techniques were used, such as cob, adobe, stone and mud floor, wattle and daub wall, that taught us various skills. It was a good practice working with clay, testing and experimenting. We did everything with our … read more
The wattle and daub wall and the stone floor that they worked hard at are much appreciated … read more
Both Harshit and Neha are wonderful hosts. Learned a lot from both of them.
The food was very delicious and Gajar ka halwa was super yummy.
Currently they are building a mud house and it was a great experience to know the building … read more
He taught us many games that we played around the fire in the evening that we have continued to play even after he left. We're sure he's having a great time wherever he … read more
Very glad to have met him and hope to see him again, soon :)
Eager to explore and experiment with crafts, he was carving on stones when he was here and also made clay pendents using clay from the river.
He also worked hard with us, helped us in fencing our land, making garden beds and in building a mud hut. He stayed on a maachan by the … read more
