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Meet Diveakssh Schae: Founder of Jungli, The Nomad Village
I recently connected with Diveakssh Schae, the founder of Jungli The Nomad Village at Vietnam Nomad Fest. I decided to interview him to learn more about the story behind this magical 150-acre rainforest sanctuary in India dedicated to digital nomads, travelling artists, and nature lovers. In our chat, Divi opened up about ancestral roots, building intentional community, and what it means to live and work with purpose.
Scroll on below to read through our interview and learn more about Divi's journey with Jungli.
Let’s dive right in! What is Jungli The Nomad Village?
Jungli The Nomad Village is 150 acres of rainforest dedicated to digital nomads, travelling artists, entrepreneurs, and nature lovers to come and live their dream life. Our mission is to handle the little things from homemade meals to laundry - to give people back a currency that everyone is running out of: time. With that time, we want them to use it on what matters to them, be it rest, creativity, or deep work. This is run on ancestral land that my family and I have had for more than 70 years.
What’s the story behind this ancestral land?
In 1955, my great grandfather, Lal Bhai Patel, who was a freedom fighter for India, had mines and then decided to build a ferroalloy factory. In fact, it was Asia’s first. He took out a lease for this land and built a factory that did very well. In the '70s, that gave birth to beautiful bungalows nestled amongst rainforest and rivers. The factory operated well until 2001, when it came to a close due to reasons outside of our control. What my family was left with was a big industrial expense without the industrial income this place once incurred. So, my community and I decided to turn it into India’s first Nomad Village. Watch the story of the land in this podcast I recorded with my father.
Who is Jungli for?
Jungli is for people that come with their batteries charged. It’s for a mix of nomads, artists, entrepreneurs and nature lovers. I believe a strong community is a diverse one. I’ve seen digital nomads work in the day and then chill out in the evening, only to be entertained by a travelling artist. I’ve seen aerial yogis hang upside down while an accountant tells them how to improve their taxes. Jungli is for people who enjoy living in nature and want to reconnect with their inner selves.
That mix sounds like a lot of fun. Have any special stories come out of Jungli?
It’s been magical to see how Jungli has come about. One extraordinary story happened right in our first month. A friend of mine from Amsterdam, an interior designer, reached out after I announced Jungli was live. She said all she wanted was to fly over and redesign our bungalow. When I asked what kind of trade we should set up, she said she wanted to do it for absolutely nothing - just the joy of giving. So, for the first time in my life, I looked up a flight from Amsterdam to Hubli, which made me laugh in itself. This amazing woman, Tenielle, came over, lived with us for a month, and transformed our home from a forgotten family bungalow to a communal space ready for the modern nomad.
How does Jungli support first-time foreign travellers to India?
When I went to Bansko Nomad Festival, Bulgaria, I noticed a lot of pain points foreigners face when coming to India for the first time like safety concerns, food and water hygiene, infrastructure questions around power, internet, roads, and transport. Jungli is an end-to-end, seamless solution for the modern foreign traveller. We pick people up straight from the airport. They’re added to a WhatsApp group before they land. Solo female travellers are added to a special community just for women, so they can help each other navigate India. Our food is home-cooked using generational recipes from North Karnataka and Goa, and the water is filtered river water. It’s fresh, safe, and a soft landing for a first-time visitor.
What about Indian remote workers?
In my two years of backpacking across India, I noticed cities are becoming less livable, and remote workers are becoming more free. At Jungli, we’ve created independent bungalows for long-term living alongside our co-livings. If you’re a remote worker, you can rent a bungalow with two bedrooms, jungle views, high-speed Wi-Fi, power backup, your own kitchen and hall, fully furnished. Just bring your bags.
It’s clear community is a big part of Jungli. How do you craft one that benefits both locals and travellers?
I didn’t want to build Jungli alone, and with ‘the founder's bias.’ With my community management experience at Uber, I created a WhatsApp group with our target audience. Every decision from pricing, gym equipment, to internet speed continues to be surveyed with 300 nomads and artists. We then run those ideas past our team of 40 local legends to see if they’re feasible before implementing.
Tell us more about the surrounding community.
Jungli is based near the town of Dandeli. We were among Dandeli’s first employers, alongside West Coast Paper Mills. The town has grown around us and is now booming with domestic tourism thanks to white-water rafting and wildlife safaris. It’s tourist-friendly and attracts people from across South India. One of my favourite parts is seeing different communities come together to do activities both inside and outside the campus; immersed in the local culture.
What kinds of retreats happen at Jungli?
While I love building and hosting my community, I also love when others bring theirs, whether it's yoga retreat facilitators, digital nomad meetups, or meditation retreat organisers. This land is my family’s, and we want it to be used positively. There’s nothing that makes us happier than seeing people arrive for a retreat and leave as better versions of themselves.
Let’s rewind. What inspired you to start Jungli?
After five years at Uber Australia, I thought back to my roots in Dandeli. I was like Mowgli growing up, climbing trees, so I decided to return to nature. I sold everything I owned, bought a campervan, and started writing music while living in nature. After a year, I backpacked solo across India, building a community of nomads and artists online. But I didn’t find any place in India built for people like us. So, I made a list of everything we needed to thrive and that’s how Jungli was born.
You've got a pretty cool story yourself, tell us about your music.
I’m part entrepreneur, part artist. Music came to me in dreams while I was working at Uber. Out of frustration, I learned music production and started turning life stories into soundtracks; like movies for the ears. This became my debut album Moments of Clarity, now available on all streaming platforms.
What’s your vision for Jungli’s future?
In the future, Jungli will host up to 100 people. We’ll have both premium and affordable co-livings so no one’s excluded due to price. There will be retreat venues and independent bungalows with one and two bedroom options. I see a thriving nomad village where people move around on electric cycles, co-existing amongst fascinating wildlife, and exploring both nature and their inner landscapes.
If someone wants to join Jungli, what should they do?
Just head to www.junglithenomad.com and click the big ‘Apply to Stay’ button. We hand-pick our community because we want people to come with an intention. That way, we can co-create with the jungle to help them fulfil their intention.\
And That's A Wrap!
It was an awesome experience connecting with Divi at Vietnam Nomad Fest and hear about how he grew the Jungli community into one of India's leading digital nomad hubs. I truly wish Divi all the best in his journey building Jungli and hope to have more collaborations with him in the future. I hope his journey inspires you to check out Jungli one day - I'll see you there!
