As far as I can remember — and from what I have heard from my parents, mainly from my mother — our family moved from a place called Kadaplamattom near Pala to the hills of Chakkikavu around 60 years ago. My father and his three brothers lived here, farming the land, rearing cattle and selling milk. In another wave of migration, two of my father's brothers moved to Malabar in search of a better life.
My father somehow prioritised education — mine and my sister's. A studious student, I completed my graduation and started my career with the BPO wave in Bangalore, eventually finding my path in Digital Marketing.
Life here continued with farming and cattle rearing. My father grew older, and his habit of smoking finally took his life a couple of years ago. It is a loss I carry quietly.
While I have been settled in Kochi, I always loved building something aesthetically appealing from whatever limited resources we have. So I renovated our old hill home into something liveable — keeping a small farm around it, producing pepper, clove and coffee, and selling on Amazon and our own store.
It's actually a bit secluded. Calm. The house sits halfway up a hill, giving some views of the valley and hills around. It's surrounded by our cocoa trees, and I have cultivated many lilies around to keep this place elegant. All around, there's a lush pepper plantation — for someone who loves a bit of farming.
We have a ground on top to spend some playtime, and a cattle shed that I have converted into a small café and dining area — a space to sit, read or simply stare at the hills.
"I'd love you to come here, read a bit, work some, enjoy the nature. Have a downtime that's actually yours."
The house is my family's history, rebuilt with care. Come and be part of it for a few days.
We want to grow this slowly and thoughtfully — adding more farm walks, collaborating with more local homemakers for food, and perhaps eventually building a small library and reading corner. We want every guest who comes here to leave feeling genuinely rested, not just checked out of a hotel.