Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
26 Apr 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 13 days
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Details
Description
Malsain village is a small and quiet locality of three to four houses in the Himalayas about an hour away from Pauri.
It is in a beautiful location on the side of the mountain, with the forest above and spectacular views of the valley below and the mountain ranges beyond. For many years, the land was left fallow and the old buildings left unused; part of the general trend of migration from these villages. However, there is so much about this traditional lifestyle and building designs that should be preserved and valued.
I came to Malsain with the goal of living a simple and sustainable life close to nature. To create a place where others can come and experience this life – to appreciate the beauty of the surroundings and to be part of exploring new and traditional ways of working with the resources that we have around us – to meet our needs and to live within our means.
At this stage, the focus is on earthen and ecological building projects; establishing low impact narural farming; and creating a food forest system.
I have travelled and volunteered throughout India, gaining exposure to different earthen building projects, as well as permaculture, natural farming, biodynamics, traditional practices, Soil Food Web School etc. That is, many areas that explore sustainable and holistic ways of living. With this background I started experimenting with different projects and designs, with local materials and products, in both the areas of building and food production. I am particularly concerned with exploring different techniques that are affordable and have low embodied energy.
Part of my aim is to create comfortable spaces and a healthy lifestyle with resourcefulness and creative design.
For example, the recently completed volunteer accommodation is a mix of adobe, cob and stonework, as well as an experimental form of wattle and daub using the locally abundant pine needles as a base.
Part of our philosophy is to support the local economy – to retain skills and craftsmanship within the local community (such as stone-masonry and traditional organic farming practices and produce); buy local products; to support local farmers and women’s self-help groups to package, promote and get their produce to market; and to support local employment.
We are gradually building a network of like-minded people to achieve these goals, and would welcome others to come and join us, to participate and bring their ideas, enthusiasm and labour to support our efforts.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
Videography
Technology
Sustainability
Self development
Movies & TV
Farming
Culture
Yoga / Wellness
Team sports
Nature
Mountain
Hiking
Cycling
Camping
Beach
Adventure sports
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Travellers can learn about earthen building and stonework; ecological design and passive and low energy use infrastructure; and traditional and alternative farming practices. Depending on the kind of work that needs to be done during your stay you may or may not get a chance to work on anything. They will get to experience the local food and culture of this region.
Help
The major projects for the near future include the establishment of a food forest; earthen building and stonework – particularly making adobe bricks for the next building project; carpentry/furniture making for the volunteer accommodation; building seating and an earthen oven for an outdoor kitchen; building a compost toilet; tree planting and care; gardening and weeding; and building and maintaining fencing to protect crops from marauding wild and domestic animals.
Volunteers with skills in food processing, soap making, entrepreneurship, digital and social media, video production, design, marketing, artwork, building, carpentry etc would be welcome.
Volunteers will also be expected to help with cooking and cleaning and general maintenance of the facilities.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Hindi: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
We have recently completed a dedicated room for volunteers to stay, which demonstrates different forms of earthen building and stonework. This could accommodate 1-3 volunteers and there is also the option of staying in tents. Depending on number of volunteers you could be sharing a room/bed/tent.
Volunteers will share kitchen and bathroom facilities with the hosts (Western and Indian style toilets and basic washing facilities. Hot water is only available if heated on the fire at this point in time).
At this stage, we do not have the financial means to provide free food for participants. The accommodation is in exchange for minimum 3 work hours a day and a minimum stay of three weeks.
Volunteers can choose any of the following options for food
1. Source their own food from the village, which is a 20-minute walk from the farm.
2. They can choose to participate in daily meals (vegan/vegetarian food including rice, dal, roti, vegetable etc]. The preparation of food is shared. Volunteers are asked to contribute $5 USD - $10 USD on a sliding scale toward daily meals, allowing volunteers to pay what they can within this range to accommodate varying dietary needs or financial situations.
What else ...
There are lot of small one day hikes all around the area, as well as some longer overnight hikes and some very beautiful villages to explore.
I can also organise longer, guided treks in the region for those who are interested and have the right equipment for these activities.
Srinagar and Pauri are the nearest big towns. Khirsu is the closest well know tourist destination from the village. From Khirsu a shared taxi can be taken to reach the destination in 30 minutes.
Volunteers are expected to respect the local culture.
Any kind of intoxicants are strictly prohibited.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (16)
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.7)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.8)
Priya is great company and has a wealth of knowledge,… read more
There is space here,… read more
With their help we built accommodation for volunteers using earth and stone and local materials. They took to the tasks with enthusiasm, adding their own ideas and… read more
As volunteers we wanted to get some experience with farm work so we stayed in Malsain for about a month. Vinay and Robyn are very accommodating, generous, hard-working and wonderful hosts. The exchange of knowledge and work around the farm was the best learning… read more
It is the most beautiful location, set on the side of the mountain. At night you see the twinkling lights from all the villages in the valleys below. On a clear day there is a stunning view of the snow capped peaks of the… read more
It was a great oppurtunity to live local life in India and in an asian country.
I loved to learn about the culture, and experience the simplicity in the village, with great nature, views and a lot of quiet to relax after working.
I would deffinetly reccomend anyone to come to the farm for… read more
And even though we had differences in opinion and culturally he was the mature one among us in the end when it came to sorting them. He is a very kind and calm… read more
Thank you Vinay for your hospitality, your understanding behavior, generosity, debat and your passion about your place, you are a beautiful being.
The place is amazing, really wild with an incredible landscape. It is a real human experience to be in this area of India.
It moove me from the inside.
The project of Vinay is wonderful,… read more
It was everything I could have hoped for. The place is about an hour’s drive into the mountainous countryside from Srinagar in Uttarakhand. There’s a beautiful old house and loads of terraces and space for all kinds of plants to… read more
We wished we could have been there much longer than the five days we stayed with Vinay!
We had a wonderful time there, the farmhouse is surrounded by idyllic nature and forest and has a breathtaking view on the Himalayas.
Vinay is a perfect host and the most pleasant person we met in our 6 weeks in India. He… read more
I wish you all the best for your exploration and seeking. Hope to see you soon somewhere. Thankyou for all your good… read more
That really changed my mind in the way I was travelling!
Vinay is so welcoming and generous. He is also a traveller, has done already a lot of volunteer works and also has lived in a community.
So, he understands what is volunteer and how workAway works!
I spent only 9 days… read more
