The property owned by the Singh family stands in stark contrast to the acres and acres barren and brown land that can be found next to it.
A video recently produced by Mongabay India allows viewers to see just how the acres of land that makes up the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve once looked next to the empty farmland located next to it in Rajasthan, India.
The tiger reserve acts as a green forest of hope that can be found in the heart of the barren land on all sides of it.
Aditya and Poonam Singh explain that when they first purchased the land it was not much different than the other land in the area. The couple then allowed the land to grow wild.
Aditya said while speaking to Mongabay India for an interview that he only removed plant species that he considered invasive after purchasing the property. He said other than that he left the land alone and allowed it to recover on its own. Twenty years later, the land Aditya and his wife purchased is a patch of lush green forest that is frequented by a variety of animals throughout the year. Guests have included members of the leopard, tiger, and wild boar species.
Aditya spent much of his life working as a civil servant. Poonam is the operator of a tourist resort. The couple says that in life you will sometimes need the forest to grow first in your heart. The couple explains they decided to relocate to the area from their last home in New Delhi after making a visit to the reserve in the area.
Poonam told the Mongabay that the first thing she saw when she visited the reserve was a tiger mom accompanied by three cubs on a hill. She says she was convinced she wanted to live in Ranthambore instantly upon experiencing that magical moment. Poonam says she asked her husband if they could move to the area during the car ride home.
The couple began to purchase the land adjacent to the tiger reserve in 1998.
Aditya says the land came as a bargain due to the fact there was no road you could use to access it. There was also no electricity. Aditya explains it was not possible to grow anything on the land.
Aditya and his wife went on about their lives and forgot about the land not long after they purchased it. They did take the time, however, to put up a fence around the land.
The couple purchased another 35 acres of land in the area over the next 20 years and let it grow wild also. However, they did find it necessary to take measures to guard against animal grazing and people in search of trees to cut.
After a bit of time, the ability of the land to regenerate itself began to become apparent. Major water holes and small trees began to develop on the land. And the day would soon come when the shrubs and trees located on the land purchased by Aditya and his wife were as plush as the land at the nearby reserve.
Not long after, the forest was filled with both animal life and newfound hope for the future.
Aditya explains to Mongabay that money was never the object for him and his wife when they began purchasing land in Ranthambore. He says it was the love for would nature that he and Poonam share. He also says he is receiving lots of questions from others in India who want to replicate the success Aditya and his wife have had with the land they purchased.
