Nature as Healer

Gavin de Souza, Managing Director - Writer Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, and CEO - Dharana at Shillim, on the regenerative vision behind his beautiful wellness property.

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Driven by a mission to create Asia’s foremost wellbeing destination, Gavin de Souza, Managing Director - Writer Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, and CEO - Dharana at Shillim, has carried forward his family’s legacy - a dream seeded decades ago by his father and uncle to conserve the 2,500-acre Shillim Valley in Maharashtra. What began as an ecological restoration initiative evolved into a pioneering model of sustainable luxury, where environmental stewardship and human wellbeing co-exist.

With three decades of diverse expertise, Gavin has shaped his career across global and local operations. He began in the family’s relocation business, learning under the mentorship of his late father, William de Souza. In 2003, he ventured into boutique real estate development, blending precision with innovation. By 2011, as Managing Director of Writer Realty, he redefined luxury living through transformative real estate, hospitality, and wellness projects—merging exceptional design, cutting-edge technology, and life sciences to elevate lifestyles sustainably.

Excerpts from the interview:

Dharana at Shillim is rooted in your family’s vision of conservation. Tell us more about it...

The idea behind Dharana at Shillim is deeply rooted in my family’s long-standing commitment to conservation. It began back in the 1980s, when my father and uncle discovered the Shillim Valley in the Western Ghats and were moved by its raw, untouched beauty. What started as admiration soon turned into a mission. When they saw the damage caused by unsustainable practices like slash-and-burn farming, they knew they had to preserve the land.