A working farm, not a resort.

Chetna Farm has been operational since 1989. It sits in the Chalsa block of Jalpaiguri district, North Bengal — at the edge of the Himalayan foothills, close to the borders of Bhutan and Sikkim, and near Gorumara National Park.

The farm keeps two bee species. Apis cerana — the indigenous Indian honey bee, smaller and more adapted to local flora than the European honeybee. And Tetragonula iridipennis (the stingless bee), kept in log hives the way they have been kept in this region for generations.

There is a tea garden within the farm. The wok-fired green tea here is made by a tea professional with four decades of experience — hand-rolled, pan-fired, no machinery.

The Neora River is a 10-minute walk. The Neora Valley National Park is close. On clear mornings, the eastern Himalayan range is visible from the farm.

The people behind it

Chetna Farm was built by Hiren and Buna Mittra. Hiren spent four decades as a tea planter in the Dooars before turning to this land. Buna holds a PhD in Economics from Allahabad University and chose to work the farm rather than pursue that path. The farming knowledge, the patience with the land, and the decision to farm without chemicals came from them.

Their son, Siddhartha Mittra, now runs the farm and the beekeeping programme. He returned after years in corporates. He is the author of Return to Roots: An Illustrated Introduction to Vrikshayurveda and advises the West Bengal Agriculture and Horticulture Department on natural farming.

The farming approach

Chetna Farm follows natural farming principles rooted in Vrikshayurveda — the traditional Indian science of plants and soil. No synthetic fertilisers. No pesticides. Jeevamrutha is the primary soil input: a fermented preparation of cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, gram flour, and native soil that restores microbial life to the land.

The transition to natural farming began in 2017. The knowledge comes from Vrikshayurveda texts, local farmers who have been practising this for decades, and close observation of the land since then.

Meals served at the farm come from the kitchen garden or neighbouring farms — vegetarian, seasonal, sourced as locally as possible. Vegan and gluten-free options are available on request.