From Cob to Concept is Rural Mod

In a Rishikesh hamlet, two city-born brothers have built a hut that looks like it belongs in a fantasy film set

- RISHABH THAKUR

Two kilometres beyond the last motorable road in the Garhwal Himalayas, a story unfolds that feels plucked from a half-remembered fairytale. Here, hidden deep within oak and pine, a house rises from the earth—its walls swell and bend as though shaped by wind, its roof catches sunlight like a glaze. To the locals, it's known simply as the 'mud house'. But on Instagram, it's a wizard's retreat, a set from a fantasy film, a portal to somewhere slower, quieter, softer. For Delhi-based architect brothers Ansh and Raghav Kumar, it is none of these and all of these. Built over three years, it's more than just a home. "It was never just about the house," says Ansh, co-founder, Tiny Farm Lab. "It was about changing the way we live."