Balendu Singh
I grew up in a family of hunters and gained knowledge about wildlife in the field.
Hearing stories of shikaar and hunter-turned-conservationists like Jim Corbett instilled a protective instinct towards our wildlife and forests in me. Once we hunted for the sport. Now we still hunt, but with a camera and not guns. Owning and operating a jungle lodge permits me to share my experiences and the beauty of Ranthambhore with my guests.
I have been in travel business since 1984 as a study leader and tour manager and have worked with the best and most prestigious travel luminaries and institutions around the world. I have led tours for alumni associations, non-profit organisations, museums and special interest groups like Yale Alumni, Harvard Museum of Natural History, WWF, San Diego Zoo, Smithsonian Institution, Asia Society, Museum of Modern Art, Society of Architectural Historians etc, to India, North Africa, Turkey, China and Tibet.
Most people I travelled with had great interest in environment matters and conservation. Staying in lodges with these special interest groups made me create a lodge to cater to the needs and comforts of a specialised wildlife tourist, yet confirm to existing vernacular architecture and not pretend to be a quaint and fashionable facility in the forest. The experience I gained during my travels have been put together in Dev Vilas as a comfortable wildlife lodge where world travelers can gather around a small fire and share their sorties and tales.
Dev Vilas is built in Indo-Saracen style of architecture followed by many old hunting Lodges in Rajasthan. The design helps in energy conservation and blends in the Rajasthan landscape. A visitor staying at Dev Vilas becomes a member of our family and is not isolated from other lodgers.
The focus at Dev Vilas is to provide personalised service and encourage responsible tourism.
We provide employment to local community members and encourage visitors to interact with them during their stay with us. We try to share our natural heritage with our guests rather than just provide a facility for them to see it.
Small details like using only harvested wood to furnish Dev Vilas do not go unnoticed by our guests. Dev Vilas is the only Jungle Lodge in India that is specifically designed for the physically-challenged and has wheelchair access to all public areas. Water harvesting practiced by the Lodge has helped neighbouring farmers by raising the water table of the area.
Dev Vilas is built on 10 per cent of three acres of land. There were only two trees on the property when we started in 2003. Now, there are more than 1200 trees of endemic variety, 23 species of birds nest on the property, two mongoose families and several species of reptiles and insects thrive in the safe environment that has been created on this otherwise barren land.
Owning and operating a wildlife lodge is not a lucrative business. One has to have passion for nature and a desire to share the love for our natural treasures with visitors. Average yearly occupancy at our Lodge is around 20 to 25 per cent and we manage to pay our bills.
We discourage people from hosting conferences at wildlife destinations if they do not focus on environmental issues. Our focus is on providing knowledge and good wildlife experience to our visitors. Most visitors come from around the World to see and observe our wild wonders.
Dev Vilas supports conservation efforts by providing complimentary accommodations to scholars and researchers in the field of wildlife. The Peregrine Fund in their annual report for 2006 has acknowledged the contribution of Dev Vilas for the 'Asian Vulture Crisis Project', where we provided logistical support to their scientists.
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