Velvand
Roohmi lies on a hillside at Velvand, near Bhor, overlooking Bhatghar reservoir and the Sahyadri hills, with majestic Rajgad visible right across the reservoir. Rain, wind, forest, water and the changing seasons shape the landscape.
A Living Landscape
Roohmi is a place where the boundaries between human and natural worlds blur. We observe the intricate relationships of the Sahyadri hills—where the forest meets the soil, and the soil nourishes the forest.
The Food Forest
At Roohmi, we believe food is a part of the wider ecosystem. These trees and plants grow alongside the native forest, sharing the same soil and rain. We are participants in this living world, learning how to live within it rather than apart from it.
Fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and other useful plants grow here through the seasons. We mulch, compost, conserve water, experiment with different plants and learn from what thrives—and what doesn't.
The Other Inhabitants
We are gradually getting to know the many other lives of the land.
Our Avian Residents
From the Sahyadri hills to the Bhatghar reservoir, the farm is home to a diverse array of birds that thrive in the native forest.
The Tiny Architects
Small creatures that play a vital role in the ecosystem, from pollination to decomposition, ensuring the land remains alive.
Earth's Silent Keepers
Fungi are the unseen architects of the forest, breaking down organic matter and creating the rich soil that nourishes our food forest.
Getting to know our neighbours...
We are documenting the life we share Roohmi with.
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Part of the land is being left as native Western Ghats forest. With friends and visitors, we use iNaturalist to observe and identify the plants, birds, insects, fungi, lichens and other life we encounter.
Every observation adds another small piece to our understanding of the place.
Want to see who you might just catch a glimpse of at the farm? Just click on the iNauralist logo.
The Beginning
The idea began elsewhere—during a stay beside the Krishna river at Jor, near Mahabaleshwar.
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There was forest, water, quiet and an unexpected sense that life could be arranged differently.
We went looking for a place where we could explore that possibility.
We found Velvand.
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What began as a dream of creating a farm has since become something less certain and much more interesting: an ongoing journey of living, observing, experimenting, learning and unlearning.
