Early Years
2006-2007: Sport, the Currency of Unity
In a cricket mad nation, no better way to get people together. We literally just cleared an area of fallow-land and decided to take cricket off the streets and into the fields. Then, the erstwhile family Polo Grounds was converted to become the new home for local sports such as cricket, volleyball and kabaddi.
2008: Restoring Legacy
The former royal hunting lodge and Kathiwada’s last remaining architectural site of the late 19th century, Kathiwada Raaj Mahal undergoes major restoration. This would be a 7-year project that nobody could predict. Renowned conservationist Professor Vasavada was appointed for this project.
2009: Khel Maha-Utsav is Born (Sports Festival)
Sport picks up pace and we organise the first inter-village sports festival in the region with much fanfare. We see the first signs of large scale community participation. Now in its 11th year (2023), this annual sports festival draws in participants and audiences in thousands.
Gathering Momentum
2010: The Foundation
We established a foundation dedicated to sports, medical assistance and cultural activities for the region.
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2011: Tribal Gatherings
Our indigenous Bhil tribes make for the largest segment of the population. We started frequent village meetings to understand their needs and concerns but also learnt about their strengths and desires. This would be the start of a life-long public journey of learning.
2012: Low Hanging Fruit
Mangoes are indigenous to our region and a special variety of mango known as the 'Noorjahan' is gaining popularity in the local press. We use this to encourage more farmers to adopt organic and sustainable mango cultivation and dedicate 20 acres of our land for experimentation and piloting a program.
Seeking Partnerships
2012: Amachi Labs
Our foundation ties up with Amachi Labs a division of Amrita University for tribal education and welfare at the very grassroot level.
2013: Drip Irrigation
Kathiwada gets its first drip-irrigation project and we set-up a training institute for farmers to learn the modern techniques of irrigation based agriculture thanks to technology giants such as Rivulis and Jain Irrigation.
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2014: Raaj Mahal in all its Glory
Kathiwada Raaj Mahal is finally complete and we open our doors to discerning clients as an experiment for rural heritage tourism and farm tourism. It worked. Our campus now employs over 30 families for tourism and farming related activities that directly empower these households.
Community & Collaborations
2014-2015: Lagaan & Bat Aid
Our friends from across the seas inspire us to do more. Led by Tom Holland, author and historian, they set-up a small charity to help aid our sporting infrastructure efforts.
2015-2016: DSK Sports Club
A full-fledged and national standards cricket ground is ready and the locals establish the “DSK Sports Club” with much fanfare. This would be the first time they would play professional grade cricket with a leather cricket ball.
2016-17: Kathiwada Agri Farms LLP
Our efforts with mango and irrigation systems pick up steam and a more formal FPO (Farmer Producing Organisation) is established. We all now work collectively to produce market standard products, moving away slowly from sustenance agriculture to growth based organic farming. Yet, this is only the beginning for major sweeping changes to be seen.
