Joyful Times at Happy Villa Farms

Here is an animal and nature lover who surpasses all challenges to emerge a victor, holding her own sense of belonging, living a life of harmony balanced by spirituality and inner strength

- Farzana Contractor

What can you say about a person who has the good fortune to be living at a farm, high up on a hill, with pets and animals for company, and helpful villagers for neighbours. Where you own ample land, green and cultivated, where you take your evening walks within your own boundary and if the mood gets you, you step out of your gate to walk along the narrow winding road which ambles to the top. The top, which is called Table Land, a small part of which even gets counted as your own private property! In my book, it’s called real luxury.

But then let’s face it, the woman we are talking about, Jaymala Suryavanshi Patil comes from a royal lineage, that of the Holkars of Indore. Her maiden name was Preeti Ranjeet Singh Holkar. Indore is where she was born, where she grew up, studying as a boarder at St. Mary’s Convent in MHOW. Jaymala proudly nurtures a legacy left to her by her great grandfather, Tukoji Rao Holkar 2nd, the sitting 13th king of Indore.

Happy Villa is situated in Dandeghar, a tiny village spread over a hillside of Panchgani, just before you hit town. It is a family estate that belongs to the family Jaymala is married into. Over two decades ago, Jaymala and Jaydevrao, who descended from the Sisodia Rajput clan, decided they would move from their joint family home, Desai House, situated in the heart of Panchgani, to Dandeghar and build for themselves a happy place. Jaymala tells us the story, “My husband, who hails from Sangli, where they had acres of vineyards, and who started growing strawberries at their fields in Bhilare, was always a farmer at heart. He envisioned a home for us, a farm with ducks and dogs and cattle. Of growing fruits and vegetables and grain for our own needs. So we decided to build a little cottage on this two and a half acre property to see how we feel about moving here. We did that and loved it, the vibes were so great. But Dandeghar was a bit far for my two little children who were studying at