Ragisudhish Guruvaywoor, 42, a microbiologist, in the vegetable gateway she and her husband created at Green Heaven Farm and Camping, Sharjah. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The couple created the site to evoke the nostalgia of rural Kerala for the UAE's Indian diaspora.
Sudheesh Guruvaywoor and his wife Ragisudhish want their visitors to experience something of their homeland, Kerala, which is known for its lush greenery, paddy fields, bodies of water and age-old traditions.
A woman enjoys a nostalgic Kerala experience at Green Heaven Farm and Camping in Sharjah.
Because many people could not travel back to India because of Covid, Sudheesh created this unique space, where visitors can enjoy the nostalgia and educate their children about South Indian culture and heritage, including farming techniques.
Planting seeds at Green Heaven Farm and Camping, Sharjah.
A visitor treads a large water wheel over a small stream used for irrigating the paddy fields at the site, an ancient practice from India.
Rice grown at Green Heaven Farm.
A little girl feeds a cow at the farm.
The tea and traditional snack stall at Green Heaven Farm.
A family taking photographs at the swing at the main entrance to the farm.
Another photo opportunity on a traditional wooden boat in a pond at Green Heaven Farm and Camping.
Visitors can experience a little bit of Kerala at Green Heaven.
Grinding spices with a large traditional mortar and pestle, still used in many parts of India.
Watering is essential for the vegetable section of the farm.
Views like this make it hard to believe one is in Sharjah, and not Kerala.
Doves at Green Heaven.
Sudheesh Guruvaywoor has always had a keen interest in farming and opened the site in January 2022. He still works on the farm most mornings.
Young visitors draw water from a well using a rope and bucket from a well, similar to the experience of their peers in Kerala.
