We Left Our 9-5 City Jobs to Adopt a Farming Life in the Hills: What We Learnt

Everyone dreams of moving to the hills and living a quaint life. Preeti and Lovepreet made this dream a reality. 

In 2012, the couple left behind the city life to move to the village of Ramgarh in Uttarakhand. 

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It all began in 2006, when during a trip to Shimla Lovepreet was thoroughly charmed, and couldn’t wait to return. He started waiting for his holidays to drive to the hills. After exploring many locations in Uttarakhand, the couple yearned for this life, and each time, they wouldn’t feel like leaving.

“I wanted to free myself from the clutches of a 9-5 corporate job. My hectic job at an MNC left me with very little time to enjoy and appreciate much else. Besides, I wanted to live in a healthy environment with clean air, food, and water. I was done with the rat race, and wanted something that could resonate with me,” says Lovepreet. 

So in 2008, Lovepreet quit his job and took up freelancing opportunities so he could travel. During one such trip, he rented a house in Uttarakhand and decided to shuttle between Gururgam and this house.

Preeti and their kids would visit the house during holidays. After many such visits, she was ready to move there permanently.

In 2012, they bought land in Ramgarh, Uttarakhand and built a house there. 

Today, they run a YouTube channel called Punjabi Trekker to narrate and capture their experiences of having left a “regular” life behind, what it’s like to live in the hills, and so on.  

Due to limited options for entertainment and spotty WiFi, they started farming as a way to keep themselves engaged. They spend their time now growing fresh fruits and vegetables and selling them to earn their living. Their quality of life and health have, as a result, improved, they say. 

“The hills are our gym. We feel more energetic,” says Preeti. Lovepreet says that they experience “unparalleled joy” everyday.

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What joys does a life in the hills have to offer? Watch Preeti and Lovepreet set an example: 

Edited by Divya Sethu, Image Courtesy Punjabi Trekker/ Instagram