The road towards Uruli Kanchan, around 30 km from the city of Pune, is lined with a row of nurseries—mostly of all kinds, but prominently roses in reds, yellows and pinks. The village has a Gandhian legacy, having birthed the naturopathy centre, Nisargopchar Ashram, established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1946; it draws from the five elements of nature to offer therapies for everything from skin, respiratory, to gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and endocrine disorders. A more famous offshoot is the BAIF Development Research Foundation, renowned for its pioneering research in agricultural development and whose late founder Manibhai Desai—who also steered work at the ashram—was deeply influenced by Gandhi’s holistic and sustainable solution for self-employment.

Nature flows in the veins of Uruli Kanchan.