There’s a time capsule in Sankarda village on the outskirts of Jamshedpur. Have you heard? 

It’s called ‘Mud & Meadows’. As soon as you set foot on the land, you’re transported back into the womb — the womb of ecology. 

Elaborating on the design philosophy of this village retreat, architect Shreya Srivastava of Delhi-based ‘Studio Shunya’, says it hinges on reviving forgotten crafts and building techniques of the local Kumhar (potter) community, who were trained in this regard. The idea was to integrate a local flavour into the stay. 

Every corner of the land echoes a sustainable rhythm; that’s exactly what environmentalist Bikrant Tiwary envisioned when he first purchased the land in 2020. 

Having grown up in Jharkhand, Bikrant travelled the length and breadth of the country and world — for college (Harvard Business School, Boston), during his corporate role (which he quit 15 years ago), and then later as an environmentalist, planting over 20 million trees across Indian states. In 2022, he finally decided to put down his roots (literally) in the Sankarda village of Jamshedpur. 

“I figured that the best gift we can give children of the next generation is a sustainable lifestyle,” he says, adding that this inspired his farmstay idea. 

Agreeing that few would picture Jamshedpur as a tourist spot, Bikrant says this is exactly the notion he wants to counter through Mud & Meadows. “Very few people understand tribal tourism, but by virtue of having worked in different parts of the world, I have realised that tribal wisdom is very necessary to pass on to the next generation,” he adds. 

Bikrant also shares that his work with communities through his initiative ‘Aadivasi.org’ deepened his understanding of the importance of preserving traditional knowledge and strengthening community ownership of nature-based solutions. 

Aadivasi.org’s unique model enables people to contribute meaningfully to environmental conservation and social causes such as tree planting, rainwater harvesting, or supporting essential needs like education, nutrition, and feminine hygiene, while receiving thoughtfully crafted handicrafts of equal value. This creates a system where giving back is both tangible and rewarding.

Bikrant was keen that the same conscientiousness towards communities would play out in the farmstay in Jharkhand, too. 

“The real challenge was construction,” he admits. 

“We consciously moved away from cement-heavy methods and returned to natural materials like soil, sand, lime, jaggery, and traditional binders. No one in the region had attempted this at scale before. Local community members were trained from the ground up.........

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