MEET THE ECO-ENTREPRENEUR WHO IS GROWING A FOREST FOR DELHI
Delhiite Ashwani Khurana has been planting trees on a 300-acre land, which will become the Capital’s own green spot
The year was 1989 when the headlines read, ‘Ashwani Khurana: The Highest Income Taxpayer in India’. But that was clearly not the path this Delhiite wanted to stick to. For him, the pursuit of happiness lay in practising as well as passionately promoting the concept of responsible living. Cut to 2023, the then ‘Lottery King’ of NCR is now ruling the jungle while winning the battle between humans and Nature.
“I met Padma Shri Nek Chand (the creator of the Rock Garden of Chandigarh) at the age of 19,” recalls Khurana from his visit back in the day, adding, “When I was around 25, I got my first piece of farmland on the outskirts of Delhi.” This is where he not only started planting trees, but even gave himself a “personal affirmation of 10 years time” with a target of planting 10,000 trees a year.
On the outside, he might just appear as the one helming the project of Karma Lakelands in Gurugram. But, delve deeper and his vision of creating a oneof-a-kind eco-friendly golf resort unfurls. “It’s a no-smoking zone with a few smoking points. No single-use plastic is allowed on the premises. If golfers or visitors want to grab a drink, on the go, we tell them to take the glass or cup and one of our staff members will collect it later.”
“I’m a man of ordinary intelligence,” he says, making it further intriguing to know how he changed the game with his approach of keeping social causes before profit-making. No wonder he has reaped the benefits in abundance. Is that why the name of the resort reflects his ideology and belief in ‘karma’? “Absolutely, yes! We are driven by karma, to be more inclusive. In my business life, I used to sell 20 million lottery tickets a week. When I decided to use the reverse side of the lottery tickets for advertising, I chose social advertising over commercial. This gave Sikkim Lotteries such credibility that we were soon selling 50 million tickets a day! It’s my karma that has made me what I am today,” he adds.
When on the path to reform, there’s no stopping, and such is the case with this crusader as well. “In the next 10 years, I see this project as a billion-dollar one, which will have at least 1,000 families living here and it would be a very successful golf course as well as a golf resort. We will be a model for conscious and responsible living,” Khurana concludes.
My dream is to show the world successful, sustainable, responsible living without the pursuit of profits and conducting life using your highest karma as a driving force. This is the biggest key to a successful life versus a life wasted only in pursuit of limited financial success. Luck is very important, but your overall karma is paramount. ASHWANI KHURANA, ECO-ENTREPRENEUR AND GOLFER