As Head of Seva (pro bono) of Mahavatar Babaji TadEkam Foundation, I led the transformation of a forgotten village into India’s newest bouldering and rock-climbing destination, in synergy with the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Indian Mountaineering Foundation. The theme ‘Climb in Culture’ aims at protecting and promoting local culture.
The strategy culminated in the first Kangundi Bouldering Festival and Kangundi Climbing Cup in January 2026. We are working to host this again in January 2027.
Investigated and recorded
By slogan, selfie stand, history video and more
32 homestays, 2 restaurants, 100 guests
Festival of January 2026 put on the map using social media
When Mahavatar Babaji TadEkam Foundation began its seva in Kuppam in January 2025 — the assembly constituency of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Chandrababu Naidu, two hours from Bengaluru Airport and four from Chittoor and Chennai — the brief was narrow: protect a fading local culture through homestay-based bouldering and rock-climbing. What followed was closer to building a tourism business from zero, inside a village most of India had never heard of, home to Valmiki and Yanadi tribal communities whose 1,000-year heritage risked disappearing entirely.
Local officials spent six months testing whether we could actually deliver before committing support. We used that time productively — mapping local history, scouting tourism assets, and earning community trust. We chose to self-fund rather than wait on that process, inaugurating the “I Love Kangundi” selfie point on 15 August 2025 — the first visible signal of change the village had seen in generations. The line itself became a grassroots movement: a simple fist-pump “I Love Kangundi” gesture spread through the village almost like a friendly infection, crowding out two entrenched local problems — open defecation and clutter from unauthorised flex banners — faster than any municipal order could have.
As Head of Seva, I committed ₹1.2 crore of TadEkam’s own funds to Kangundi — including ₹60 lakh for an Olympic-standard indoor climbing gym — against a matching ₹60 lakh from the Andhra Pradesh state government: private seva capital deployed at nearly twice the rate of government investment through the project’s critical early phase, when momentum mattered more than scale.
We sent four local youths — Gopi, Ranjith, Seshu and Lakshman — to train under a professional coach in Pune, using an Army camp environment to build discipline alongside skill. In parallel, we mapped over 300 boulders and rock faces across six sites, published Kangundi’s first climbing guidebook, and built the full brand infrastructure — website, souvenirs, promotional video, and a documentary on the village’s history — well ahead of the main festival.
A core part of our strategy was deliberately anchoring the destination in its existing spiritual economy rather than building around it. Our spiritual guide, Swami Dattapadanand Ji, announced the Kangundi Inselberg’s standing as a significant Shivling in November 2025, with the neighbouring Basava shrine sitting beside it in the traditional role of Nandi, keeper of the shrine. Standing at that site in early 2025, I set myself a one-year internal deadline to deliver a successful festival — we beat it by weeks. Today, the festival’s signature climbing route — an advanced 8A boulder problem opened by climbers Adarsh and Khing, and named by Adarsh “Shiva’s Carrier” — runs as the physical link between the Inselberg and the Basava shrine, a striking, deliberate join between elite sport and living heritage that has become one of Kangundi’s most photographed features.
The Indian Mountaineering Foundation, through its President Colonel Vijay Singh and Honorary Secretary Keerthi Pais, partnered to host and judge India’s first Kangundi Climbing Cup, drawing competitive climbers nationally. Over two weeks, we hosted 100 guests across 32 homestays, our own team living and dining in the village throughout. The Chief Minister, unable to attend the festival itself, came a fortnight later for a three-hour visit — impressed enough to cite the ‘Kangundi Model’ in a public address in Kuppam the next day.
We also restored the village’s visual identity, repainting 100 homes in traditional motifs to give Kangundi a heritage-destination look. In my briefing to the Chief Minister in August 2025, I informed him of the absence of a state homestay policy; it was issued on 8th October 2025.
In the twelve months from January 2025 to January 2026, Kangundi gained a Nature and Adventure Society, four climbing coaches, 32 homestays, two restaurants, 72 local jobs and ₹27 lakh in village revenue. It now has a functioning climbing economy that is moving to independent local management. The second festival, in January 2027, is designed to be the year Kangundi no longer needs us — freeing the foundation’s full attention for its next, larger mission: rejuvenating Maa Godavari.
My experience with Major General Sanjay and Tadekam Foundation in Kangundi has been truly inspiring. His selfless efforts transformed our village’s outlook towards tourism, homestays, bouldering, and our rich local heritage. He worked passionately to preserve archaeological monuments, promote local handicrafts and culture, and identify Kangundi’s unique tourism potential. Most importantly, he awakened confidence and enthusiasm among our youth. What touched me most was that he expected nothing in return. To me, he is truly a “Yogi in Jeans” — disciplined, selfless, and driven by a genuine desire to serve society. His vision and ability to break inertia have created a lasting impact on our community.
