Once a barren drought struck village overlooking the Sattal lake, Suriya Gaon was a parched wasteland, abandoned by its inhabitants in the early 1990's. This is when Naveen Budhraja, a young mountain loving engineer, chanced upon the area and instantly fell in love with its natural landscape, wide-open spaces, meditative energy and abundant fauna. It was decided then that he would settle there and bring vivacity and life to the deserted hill top.
To lead a comfortable lifestyle in the mountains, has conventionally been looked at as a challenge for most people and for this reason the broad outlook has been to tap in to the wealth of the mountains and take away its forests and minerals. Naveen's approach however differed and he understood that to live peacefully amidst nature, it is essential to respect and nurture its wealth. His efforts were directed towards planting trees over acres of barren land, while bringing in basic requirements such as water, electricity and a motor-able road into Suriya Gaon, without the felling of a single tree. He single handedly developed a wasteland into a natural green paradise with strict adherence to ethical business practices and devoted his life to the betterment of the village by donating lands for of the construction of a primary school and tirelessly working towards eradicating the caste system.
His Civil engineering degree from BITS Pilani helped with the establishment of Alka Projects, specializing in making beautiful and sustainable homes for those who opt to lead a peaceful life in Suriya Gaon.