We started our journey towards a natural and eco-friendly life in 2013. In the beginning, our main focus was simple — a natural diet. As a principle, we ate outside only very rarely, only when situations or social circles demanded it. And we kept a strict “no” to non-Indian foods. Both of us were vegetarians.
After our first son was born, we became even more particular. We wanted his food to come only from naturally grown ingredients. Luckily, we were living in Bangalore then, and there was already good awareness about natural food. Sourcing was easier.
Our daily diet was simple: idlis and porridges for breakfast, a South Indian meal for lunch, fruits, juices, sundal and some South Indian tiffin for evenings and dinner. We were always searching for ingredients that could strengthen our child’s body and immunity — and that’s how we found the treasure called Maapillai Samba and happily invented our own Maapillai Samba Idli.
Life was happening beautifully. We had friends with similar thinking. Weekends and long holidays were often spent visiting and staying at friends’ farms, surrounded by like-minded people.
Who We Were Before the Shift
Nandhini has been a spiritual person since childhood. Her grandmother was her biggest inspiration. From her, she learnt Ayurveda herbs and cooking. She started practising yoga at the age of 10, and she was always drawn towards Indian scriptures and does detailed research now. She completed her PG, but after our first son was born, she made a firm decision — she would not take up a job outside. She wanted to dedicate herself fully to raising our son with the values close to her heart.
Bharath was an engineering graduate who stepped into work soon after college, taking care of the family’s financial needs. He grew up with cultural values, devotion and a happy-go-lucky nature. Marriage with Nandhini widened his world — spirituality, yoga, deeper life questions and an expanded way of seeing life. Bharath had grown up in a natural environment himself and had already tasted what “living close to nature” felt like.
2015: A Turning Point
Then came the 2015 Chennai floods — a life-altering moment.
During the flood relief work, we connected with friends, both known and new. We organised provisions, travelled between Chennai and Cuddalore, and distributed food. It was the first time Nandhini was away from our 2-year-old child; it was a hard decision. But that journey touched us deeply. Something shifted inside.
When we returned to Bangalore, we began questioning ourselves. We were eating natural, chemical-free food… but was that enough?
Nandhini had already been clear about two things from the time we met:
Our kids would be homeschooled by her.
Bangalore was perfect for homeschooling — plenty of like-minded families, and space to explore. But after the floods, our discussions grew deeper. In fact, our entire life — our relationship, our thoughts, our dreams — evolved through our long discussions.
We decided to slowly move away from the city and build a life closer to nature. Not in a rush — but step by step.
The Search Begins
We started meeting new friends who owned farms, travelling often, learning how life near nature would feel for us. In 2016, we even started our first FB page, “Prabhanjam,” to find like-minded people. But updating it regularly was hard along with kids, travels and our long conversations — so we continued more with offline travels and in-person meets.
In 2017, we faced a family financial crisis. In 2019, a personal tragedy hit us deeply. These moments shook us, but they did not break our direction. We held on to our principles. Our son was never sent to school outside. Our lifestyle continued.
By this time, we had moved to Chennai. Our financial needs depended on the city, but we intentionally stayed only on the outskirts, away from the rush. Discussions continued — always.
Covid Years & Growing Dreams
Then Covid came. Lockdown gave us more time for discussions. As Bharath was working from home, we decided to try living in a few villages for months at a stretch. We adapted to village rhythms. Our second child, a beautiful baby girl, was born during this time.
We found a place we deeply connected with and moved there. Bharath began planning to exit corporate life. Meanwhile, Nandhini and the kids stayed mostly in the village, continuing what she lovingly called “Gruha Gurukulam” — a home learning space rooted in village life, Indian scriptures, shlokas, nature and constant discussions.
Travel continued to be a big part of our life. We travelled to nearby farms, nearby temples… and sometimes even used our car as our lodging! In a couple of trips, we got our utensils and equipment and cooked on travel. Meeting farmers, adapting on the go, and experiencing life differently — these became rich learnings for us and for the kids.
Eventually, after many attempts, Bharath fully exited corporate life. Our third child was born. And our journey continued.
The Challenges We Still Face
This path is beautiful but not easy. One of the biggest challenges was training our own minds to accept a slow, free, idle, unstructured life — a big shift from the constantly busy city lifestyle. Being content with ourselves, being fully present with our kids, and allowing idle time required patience, inner strength and strong support between us as a couple.
We worked through our fears with more travels, more discussions, and more exploration — always reminding ourselves that this life is tied to the future we want for our children.
Where We Stand Today
We are still walking this path — learning, unlearning and growing.Our deep belief in God and spirituality is our biggest guiding light.
And as always, we hope to continue this journey and connect with new friends and similar souls along the way.