Exclusive Interview | Ashwani Khurana, Founder CEO, Karma Lakelands Golf Resort
/“For the birth of Karma Lakelands, I would like to give the entire credit to my mentor, Shri Nekchand ji, who instilled a love for Mother Nature in my heart. If not for him, I never would have planted over 10,000 trees in my initial days.”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the concept of Karma Lakelands and how it aligns with your personal values as an environmentalist?
For the birth of Karma Lakelands, I would like to give the entire credit to my mentor, Shri Nekchand ji, who instilled a love for Mother Nature in my heart. If not for him, I never would have planted over 10,000 trees in my initial days.
From there, the idea of sustainability took shape, and I started land banking in 1989 to plant trees. Today, Karma Lakelands follows several sustainable practices, has five forest grooves and has emerged as an exemplary destination for both business, leisure and living.
Sustainability is a core principle at Karma Lakelands. How do you integrate eco-conscious practices into the daily operations of the resort, and what impact do you hope to achieve in the larger community?
Sustainability is at the heart and helm of everything we do at Karma Lakelands. I feel it is only a matter of firm decision. We grow our own food, use solar panel for electricity, segregate and decompose or recycle our waste. Have banned single use plastic at the resort. If we generate plastic waste through packaging, we ensure to make eco-bricks that go to support animal shelters and benches.
We have a proper management system to treat water and waste sustainably channeled into our day-to-day operations. We have our own mineral water plant.
The end goal of all these practices is to enhance the quality of life, increase the longevity of natural resources and reestablish our lost relationship with nature.
It is now in the DNA of our team members; residents and all our patrons have come to love us and choose us repeatedly for our strong ideologies and idyllic way of life.
Balancing luxury and environmental responsibility can sometimes be challenging. How do you ensure that Karma Lakelands maintains its high standards of luxury while also staying true to its commitment to sustainability?
We view it as an opportunity to innovate and lead by example. Each practice that we adopt in our operations is aligned with the comfort of our guests. If we have over 2 lakh trees inside our property, then they are enhancing the beauty of the resort and experience of the visitors at large.
Our experiences are crafted with care and Karma Lakelands is equipped with all the modern-amenities that sufficiently meet the world-class standards of holistic living and hospitality. So, sustainability never becomes an excuse to cut off luxury and comfort.
As a successful entrepreneur and environmentalist, what advice would you give to other business leaders who are looking to incorporate sustainability into their ventures without compromising profitability?
My advice to entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to embark on this path is multi-faceted, focusing on long-term gains and intrinsic value creation. They should ensure that sustainability is embedded in the core values of their business.
A strong foundation in values leads to consistent actions and decisions supporting both environmental and business goals. Furthermore, they must look forward to innovation in their products, services and operations that drive efficiency, reduce waste and create differentiation in the marketplace. Lastly, implement systems to track the effectiveness of your sustainability initiatives and use this data to optimize processes. The key is to view sustainability not as a cost but as an integral part of a successful, forward-thinking business strategy.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the future of Karma Lakelands? How do you envision the resort evolving to further champion sustainable living and redefine luxury in the years to come?
As we look forward to the future of Karma Lakelands, our aspirations are guided by a vision of deepening our commitment to sustainable living while continuing to redefine the parameters of luxury. We aim to integrate more cutting-edge, sustainable technologies into every facet of our operations. We also plan to significantly increase our green coverage, not just in terms of landscaping but also through restoring native habitats and biodiversity. As a responsible company, we aspire to strengthen our engagement with the local community through more comprehensive CSR initiatives focusing on education, environmental conservation and sustainable development.
