Abhishek used traditional materials like mud, lime, straw, bamboo sticks and cow dung, to redo the house

Abhishek, who is passionate about natural building and creating spaces from resources available in nature, used mud, lime, straw, bamboo sticks and cow dung, to recreate the space. “Most of the skills I acquired are through self-study. During a visit to Harihar Gad in Nashik, I also met a man, who goes by the name Bhagwan Baba. He used to build homes and temples with natural materials. I assisted him for a while, and learnt a lot under him. His methods were primitive, but my research helped me explore the processes further. I started incorporating my own techniques,” he says, adding that building Pehli Kutia involved a lot of trial and error.

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Friends and volunteers joined them at the site, working selflessly in the couple’s vision for their home. This is when they seriously started thinking about the commune, which would essentially serve as a practitioner’s residency. The commune, just like their home, they say, is still a work in progress, but the couple is welcoming everyone from artists, thinkers, musicians, researchers, healers and conservationists to meditators to live in the space, temporarily or long-term, and practice their disciplines.

Corrie has opened the commune for tattoo sleepovers, where one can stay, and get a custom handpoke tattoo by her

Those who simply want to live and contribute to commune life, can also move here for a minimal cost, but would require to assist in the running of the space, says Corrie. This would include water collection, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and gardening.  

Over and above this, they also hope to share their interests with fellow members of the commune. Abhishek, for instance, is holding workshops in natural mud building processes. “Mud building is not complex, but requires a lot of time and effort. Teaching it would mean to first acquaint participants with mud. They need to hold it in their hands and feel it. I don’t like to use the term workshop. I would rather call it volunteering,” he says, adding that you can’t put a time stamp on learning. “For whatever time a resident is here, they can participate in the building process.” On their Instagram page, the couple has shared snatches of this experience, which includes creating mud sculptures—where details are moulded and smoothed with the base of the hand—a micro-library, a bamboo shed, as well as an “oddly interactive” toilet.

Corrie who is a self-taught tattoo artist is also opening the place for tattoo sleepovers, where one can stay, and get a custom handpoke tattoo by her, amidst the forests. She, however, insists that this is no place to “chill and relax”. “It’s not a vacation. You can’t sip a bear, and sit on the beach. Every day, we wake up, and build something together, whether it’s through our practice or through renovations within the space. That’s what we identify as communal living. There’s no gate-keeping here. It’s a place for people who love to share their knowledge and experiences,” says Corrie. Abhishek adds, “It’s for those who are creative, curious, and willing to learn, and want to follow their discipline seriously.”