🌿 The Realities of Buying Land in Rural India

What began as a dream to live closer to nature became an emotional rollercoaster of land laws, local politics, and learning to trust the process.

We began our search for farmland in the monsoon of 2021. By August, we had narrowed our focus to the Kamshet region—a beautiful, semi-rural area that aligned perfectly with our vision of a slower, more nature-connected life.

Toward the end of that year, we visited a plot in Nesave village, about 11 kilometers from Kamshet. There was something about the place—the terrain, the view, the feel of the land—that felt just right. Within a month, we decided to move forward with the purchase.

But as we would soon discover, deciding is one thing—sealing the deal is quite another..

🌾 Navigating Land Ownership & Legal Access

We identified two adjoining land parcels:

·       🟩 Mahesh’s: ~2 acres, with access road (owned by Tata Power), ~900 meters from a public tar road.

·       🟦 Ganesh’s: ~2.5 acres, abutting the serene Indrayani River.

Mahesh introduced us to Ganesh, who eventually agreed to sell—at a slightly higher price as he had a river front plot.Our lawyer did a detailed title check dating back to 1930. Thankfully, everything came out clean—at least on paper

We proceeded with basic registration in February 2022. But at the last minute, Mahesh demanded a higher price than initially agreed. It was frustrating, but we agreed—mainly because the two parcels were critical to our plans.

 

🧩 The Paperwork Maze

There were issues on both fronts:

Mahesh’s parcel: 

• Name of  one of the co-owner who has passed away was still showing on the 7/12, it likely means mutation has not been completed.

• Tata Power’s name appearing in the 7/12, means they may have Lease or ownership of part of the land thus to clarify their exact landholding was important.

Ganesh’s parcel: 

• A loan was pending against the land

• The land had 14 co-owners. All would need to sign the agreement for it to be valid.

Despite the red flags, we chose to proceed — cautiously, but with hope.

Our lawyer advised us to get an official government survey done and clearly mark the boundaries with fencing.

The farmers asked us to fund fencing ourselves—something we resisted due to the high cost. We focused instead on completing the survey. We paid the 'Tatkal' fee hoping for speed—but ended up waiting over a month. Apparently, ‘urgent’ is a relative concept.

📍 Then came the first curveball.

Ganesh and Mahesh suddenly insisted on obtaining an NOC from farmers owning land through which the approach road passed. One parcel—number 216—did not have Tata Power's ownership noted in the 7/12, creating doubt about access rights.

We sought help from a Tata Power official, who confirmed the road belonged to Tata Power but couldn’t provide it in writing due to internal company protocol. For parcel 216, he acknowledged the missing ownership entry and promised to escalate it—but said it may take a long time.

We decided to settle the matter directly with the owners of parcel 216, which required multiple meetings and a negotiated payment for road access.

📍 The Deal Unravels

Mahesh’s co-owners were on board, but Ganesh’s situation was far more complex—his land was co-owned by two families, a result of his father having two wives.

We had already been worried about dealing with 14 co-owners, and this new dimension only made things more tangled. Just when we thought we were navigating choppy waters, the tide turned murkier

April 2022 arrived, and Ganesh still hadn’t secured confirmation from other family members. Mahesh, under pressure began urging us to complete at least his half of the deal. But we stood firm: we would buy both parcels together or none at all.

Then, out of the blue, our Mumbai home turned into a Panchayat meeting. Ten people—yes, ten—descended upon us, including Ganesh, Mahesh, and even the village sarpanch, all crammed into our living room like it was an emergency Gram Sabha.

 "They relentlessly pressured us to pay an advance—apparently to fund Mahesh’s brother’s wedding!"We stared at each other. Was he really asking for a wedding advance—in our own home?

We smiled politely, nodded awkwardly… and silently panicked.“Is this how land deals work now?” we whispered to each other later, “Buy land, sponsor wedding?” It was absurd, but by then, absurd had become our new normal.

Ganesh offered to sign a Sathe Khat agreement committing to sell only to us, but we weren’t convinced that it held legal weight without signatures from all co-owners.

"Eventually, we signed an MoU and handed over 10% of the amount to Mahesh—with a carefully worded list of conditions, of course. But let’s be honest: by then, we were already halfway down the rabbit hole. It was less a strategic decision and more a silent surrender to fate. Like boarding a flight you’re not entirely sure is going to land. We had invested months of effort, emotion, dreams—and now, finally, money."

📍So Close, Yet Suddenly Far

After what felt like an eternity—we finally got the call in June 2022. It was Ganesh, sounding far more relaxed than we felt. The registration date was fixed.

We looked at each other, hearts racing. Was this really happening?After all the waiting, second-guessing, and wedding-advancing, it finally felt like we were nearing the finish line.

I stayed overnight with the kind couple who had helped us discover this land—eager to reach early and close the deal.

The next morning, we waited. And waited.Ganesh arrived hours late, casual as ever.He casually informed us that one co-owner had gone off on a temple visit—without informing anyone.

I was devastated.

“I said: unless all sign, I will not proceed.”

I had reached my breaking point.I was in tears. I told Ganesh to leave

The legal complexities were one thing. But it was the human behaviour—the unpredictability—that shook us.

It was disheartening. Our dream—of living close to nature began to feel distant

Ganesh remained evasive, and to make matters worse, the co-owners of plot 216—whose signatures were crucial for the road easement—began playing games. They skipped scheduled appointments, made last-minute excuses, and created deliberate confusion, pushing us deeper into uncertainty

What was meant to be a soulful shift to rural life began to feel like a trap.

The dream wasn’t just delayed—it was under threat.

🧭 The Turning Point

We stayed in touch with Ganesh but emotionally distanced ourselves for sanity’s sake. When asked, Ganesh admitted his family didn’t even trust him to pass on the money and some were demanding more than the deal was worth. We asked to meet them directly and explained we were willing to pay them individually, but things remained stuck.

Between June and November 2022, six long months drifted by in limbo. We consoled ourselves with the thought—if the land was meant for us, it would happen. If not, so be it

In December, Ganesh proposed something new—he wanted to sell us an additional 1.25-acre parcel (part of 216) to raise funds to pay off co-owners. We were sceptical but open—only if the road easement was finalized.

To our surprise, progress followed. Ganesh confirmed one owner was ready to sign for the road easement. The third co-owner wasn’t required to sign—he had acquired the land via resale, not inheritance. Our lawyer confirmed this.At the time, we didn’t realize just how crucial that piece of information would turn out to be. But later, in another unexpected battle, it became our saving grace

📍 Resolution at Last

We agreed to buy the additional land and become co-owners of parcel 216. With that, the road access was finally formalized—and suddenly, things began to move swiftly. Maybe the time was right. At long last, our land deal became a reality.

🌿 Final Thoughts

This journey taught us more than just legal procedures—it revealed the complexity of rural dynamics, the fragility of trust, and the power of persistence. Despite months of stress and moments of despair, we held onto the vision.

·       We learned that land ownership in rural India is rarely simple.

·       That paperwork can look clean, but social dynamics are messy.

·       That trust must be balanced with legal safety nets.

·       And that persistence—driven by purpose—can turn any tide

Today, as we walk this land and listen to the river nearby, we know it was worth every challenge.

Stay tuned for our next blog:“Never Say the Land Deal is Done… Until Every Signature is!”

A behind-the-scenes look at the twists, turns, and lessons we learned while finalizing our farm land purchase. Because in land deals, it’s not over till it’s really over.