Our Story

SHARING OUR DESERT CULTURE WITH THE WORLD

Life for rural communities in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert has remained largely unchanged for centuries, making the region one of the richest cultural experiences in India.

While village communities are full of smiling faces and rich in terms of traditions and culture, their lives remain unquestionably harsh. Scorching, long summers, basic schools, lack of running water and widespread belief in the caste system make it very difficult for an ordinary small village to improve their lot in life.

Mala Ki Dhani is the story of one small village, Chimaram Ki Dhani, and it’s dream to create a better future by doing something bold – changing the way they make money and interact with the outside world.

For many years, Chimaram Ki Dhani, located 20km north of Jaisalmer, has survived mostly on back-breaking labour. To this day, villagers still stand in the blistering desert sun cutting truck loads of rocks by hand to sustain themselves and the building industry in Jaisalmer.

In 2015, led by a young villager with experience in the tourism industry, Om Bhati, Chimaram Ki Dhani set out to build a tourist village just 500 meters from their own village. The new village being named Mala Ki Dhani after Malaram, Om’s grandfather and patriarch of the family.