Ex-CEO Builds Jungle Home From Bamboo, Recycled Wood

Mangal Shetty's bathroom has a coconut tree growing right through the middle, and that's exactly how he wants it.

The 59-year-old former CEO left Bengaluru's corporate world in 2007 to pursue a dream that seemed impossible to most. He wanted to build a home where nature wouldn't just surround him but flow through every room, every wall, every breath.

After years of searching, he found his spot in the Aghanashini estuary along Karnataka's coast, where one of India's last virgin rivers meets the Arabian Sea. The dense mangrove forests and rich biodiversity convinced him immediately. But the thick vegetation that attracted him also presented his biggest challenge.

Mangal gave architect Ajith Andagere a simple brief: build in nature, by nature. No trees could be cut. The natural ecosystem had to remain undisturbed.

The solution took four years to perfect. The home now rises on stilts around existing trees, with roofs designed to accommodate trunks and branches. When visitors walk past, they often miss the house entirely because the forest camouflages it so completely.

Recycled acacia wood from fallen branches became the flooring. Cane and bamboo form the walls. Laterite stone shapes the bathrooms. The three-bedroom property includes a main house, guest studio, chef's cottage, and caretaker's quarters, all distributed across the land so nothing feels confined.

That coconut tree in the bathroom? The water from showers feeds its roots directly. It's this mindfulness repeated throughout the home that makes the space special.

Mangal moved in with his wife Ambika in 2017, but his work extended beyond personal comfort. In 2012, he founded the Panchabhuta Conservation Foundation, an NGO that partners with local communities to develop green businesses while protecting the estuary's environment.

The Ripple Effect

Mangal's home proves that luxury doesn't require destruction. Local communities now see a working model of sustainable construction that creates jobs while preserving forests. The foundation's green enterprises show villagers they can profit without compromising the landscape their ancestors protected.

Birds nest in the rafters, trees grow through decks, and the sound of the river filters through open walls. Visitors leave inspired, realizing that modern comfort and wild nature can occupy the same space.

Today, Mangal measures his home not in square feet but in flow, movement, and harmony. When people ask about the size, he simply says a home like this cannot be confined to numbers.