About Us
Read about our story. Meet the team.
Our Story
Sundarlal Sundaram
Founder & Managing Director
APPAVU SUNDARAM had a vision… and a dream too!
In the early 1970s, he acquired some land at Thenmala near Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and Kallada Dam. Many thought that acquiring land in close proximity to the forest was a foolish decision. This was land where elephants, wild bison, monkeys, wild boar and deer freely roamed – hardly a place suitable for commercial activities.
He paid no heed to the naysayers and painstakingly developed the land to make it a rubber plantation – which it remained for the next 40 years. He would often tell his children: “You will not get land like this anywhere else”. It was only after the rubber trees had crossed their tapping age that his vision for the place could be realised.
His younger son, Sundar Lal Sundaram, had plans to trade the land for an early and peaceful retirement. However, he was so struck by the beauty of the place and the spectacular views it offered that he tossed away his retirement plans for good. He realized that conducting routine commercial activities on the land would be a complete waste of potential. Instead, he undertook the challenge to create something valuable that could be shared and enjoyed by others! His father’s vision was finally taking shape.
The mission was doubly challenging because he decided not to engage traditional experts and consultants to develop a master plan. When asked about his plans he would often say, “How can I show you a rigid plan when change is the only constant? Exciting new ideas compel me to constantly update the master plan.” A significant part of this project – right from the land development, road paving, cottage construction all the way to the fish pond digging and landscaping was done based on his natural intuition and instinct.
The other challenge Sundar (as he likes to be called) took on was to work with local workers, although they were inexperienced in working with environmentally friendly materials. The team built mud and wooden huts without having prior experience in the field. Many saw fly-ash bricks for the first time when they came all the way from Bangalore where they are manufactured.
After three years of untiring effort – the restaurant, hall, dormitories and about ten cottages are ready from where you can comfortably enjoy nature and all that it offers. ‘Thenmala Ecoresort’ is now open to the world.
Sundar’s vision is to make Thenmala Ecoresort a fifty-room space where people can unwind with nature and practice sustainable living. He also hopes that his initiative will benefit the local population and put Thenmala on the world tourism map!
APPAVU SUNDARAM’s vision and dream lives on…
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