Imagine waking up to the cacophony of peacocks and the faint sound of waves crashing on sand. The weather is already humid, but the tall coconut trees around offer respite. The tiny hamlet of Kumta, 30 km away from the now popular Gokarna in Karnataka, is already up and ready with men loading equipment on their fishing boats lined up along the virgin Nirvana Beach.
Right in the heart of this expanse, lies the Panchabhuta Conservation Foundation (PCF), which welcomes environmentally conscious guests. “The PCF’s vision is to conserve the environment and promote sustainability,” says founder Mangal Shetty, who returned to his roots after selling his New York-based tech company. The PCF has been instrumental in standing strong with the local fishermen community to resist the construction of a private port near the Aghanashini Estuary as it threatens the livelihood of the fishing community and the nesting sites of Olive Ridley Turtles.
Their effort has helped the estuary receive the coveted Ramsar Site title, which resulted in over 250 acres of mangroves being saved in these areas. Sustainability is at the core of Panchabhuta, wherein the rooms are constructed using local and recycled materials like laterite, bamboo, Cuddapah stone, terracotta and reclaimed wood. The restaurant’s open-plan kitchen and bar, the bamboo-lined conference room and the open spaces that seamlessly merge into the built area are a tribute to Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa’s Lunuganga Estate.
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