Mor Mitti – A team of young entrepreneurs building a sustainable space in Jharkhand

Mitti does not discriminate, it treats everyone equally, and it’s where life, death and everything in between lies. 

Village Square: What is Mor Mitti? And how did you come up with this interesting name?

Mor Mitti: In fact, let’s start with the name – Mor Mitti. Why did we choose Mitti? 

Mitti represents soil- after about every ten kilometers the color and nature of soil changes, but it still essentially remains soil for everyone, it is important for everyone. Mitti does not discriminate, it treats everyone equally, and it’s where life, death and everything in between lies. 

So we wanted to create a space based on the principle of inclusion. We chose the word ‘Mitti’ to indicate the inclusiveness aspect. In Jharkhand it would be called Mor Maati. But we modified it slightly to Mor Mitti as we want this idea to reach every corner of India. 

But the word ‘Mor’ will also always remind us where it all began, in Jharkhand. In a way Mor Mitti also conveys our story – our journey from Jharkhand (Mor) to all of India (Mitti). 

Village Square: How fascinating! You have refrained from categorizing Mor Mitti as a cafe or a restaurant or a recreational space, why is that?

Mor Mitti: So Mor Mitti is a space with various aspects to it – training, food or recreation are part of it too. Fundamentally it stands for three things – art, culture and entrepreneurship.

So we prefer to call it a space rather than define and limit it. Since it is up to your perception, it can be a space for everyone. You give it meaning and that is the beauty of Mor Mitti.

Village Square: Many would associate a concept like Mor Mitti with urban areas. How did you choose Simdega, Jharkhand as the place to launch Mor Mitti?

Mor Mitti: This will need a bit of background about me (Biswa) and my partners. So I came to Simdega as an Aspirational District Fellow in 2018, my first partner joined in 2019, and by 2020, our fourth and final partner joined.

Since we all met in Simdega and have been here for some years, we know this place well and know what it needs. It is said that you learn to swim faster if you start at the deep end.

A lot of people in the industry told us that your idea will succeed in metro cities, but we took it up as a challenge. We are pitching this idea pan-India, and we want to prove the strength of how it’ll be suitable across India, and for that we thought Simdega was the best place to start.

Village Square: And what has been the reaction to Mor Mitti so far?

Mor Mitti: The response has been great. 

We are getting a really high footfall. We have tried to promote localization in the context of art, culture and entrepreneurship. Our initial estimation for this project was over Rs 2 crore, but we ended up creating this instead in 25 lakh.

I believe there will be a time when people will know Simdega because of Mor Mitti. We are already on the right track, this place is growing well and fast. We have basically tried to connect those with land (local landowner), those with money and those with ideas (us) to create this ecosystem. 

It is said that Jharkhand doesn’t have a formal sector, there are only jungles here, so we thought why can’t the jungles become the formal sector? Everything that we serve is from Simdega, it’s an organic model- the products, the people, everything. 

We plan to expand while keeping the principle intact. So if we open at another location, in another state, then we will make use of the local resources there. 

Village Square: So, you are a team of four co-founders, how did you all come together behind this vision? 

Mor Mitti: After completing my BTech (Biswa) I completed my Masters in Social Work, Aseem is an Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) alumni and has previously worked at Rurban. Deepali has completed her MPhil in English, so her communication and HR skills are strong. Dr. Minashree has completed her Phd from JNU in social health, which means she has specific knowledge about local foods and nutrition.

So all of our education and experiences have helped in bringing Mor Mitti to life.

Village Square: What is the most fulfilling aspect of running Mor Mitti?

Mor Mitti: Local people tell us that those who wouldn’t step out of their homes earlier are coming out and interacting with each other. At Simdega, everything goes quiet in the evening. That is slowly changing, people are coming out and getting to know each other at Mor Mitti. So I think facilitating these interactions in Simdega has been really fulfilling. 

Village Square: And what is the most challenging part of running Mor Mitti?

Mor Mitti: So Mor Mitti is an open space, and keeping it functional in all weathers, especially during thunderstorms has been a challenge for us. So we’ll keep on making improvements as the time goes to address challenges as they come. 

Village Square: What would you like to say about the World Localization Day event that Village Square is celebrating on June 20? What do you hope to take away from the event?

Mor Mitti: Our concept is wholly based on Localization, so having an event like this is important as more people, those in the capital will get to know about Mor Mitti. So far only people in Simdega know about it. 

At Mor Mitti we want to welcome people with diverse mindsets, and encourage the flow of ideas, the exchange of cultures.