India is a land of vast culture, languages and practices. The things that may happen here may not be found anywhere else in the world. Each and every nook and corner of this country is unique in its own sense. During our visit to Dehradun and Mussoorie on our latest trip to Uttarakhand, we wanted to break from the mundane let’s stroll on the mall road kind of weekend-getaway and do something different. Our tour guide for the trip suggested us to visit Sainji – The Corn Village of India near Mussoorie. During the second day of our trip while we were in Mussoorie we moved a bit farther from the Kempty Falls and reached Sainji.

Best Time to visit Sainji:
The best time to visit Sainji is from March to June.

If it is your first visit to this village, be prepared to be greeted with immense love and hospitality. While on the way to Sainji from Mussoorie we could see lush green farms with crops harvesting as it was the peak season. The route from Mussoorie to this place is a traveler’s bliss. We took almost 1 hour to reach Sainji and as soon as we reached the entrance of this village, we knew what we were in for. The village entrance is marked by a huge gate like structure, all covered with corns, showing the importance of corns in the village. The village houses and all buildings are covered with corns and it is being used as a piece of art in every house.

Why is it known as the Corn Village?
The natives hang these corns on the outer peripheral of their houses to dry them for the next season. Since the growth of these crops is so good in this area you would literally see corns all around you. The plentiful use of corns as the daily staple gives this name to the village.

The natives of Sainji:
The natives of the corn village of India are very simple and humble human beings. The way they treat you can actually help you understand what hospitality means in today’s world. From one of our experiences, while we were busy shooting the corn village, one of the ladies walked up to us and asked us if we need some water as it was quite hot. We didn’t expect it but really liked the fact that even though we were in their home and doing our work, they cared for our well being. We happily accepted the proposal and went to her house to get some water. While talking to her we came to know a lot more about the history of this village. Another family approached us offering lunch as it was noon. The lunch was simple Makki-ki-roti and chutney, freshly prepared and full of love. She gave us a tour of her house, allowed us in her kitchen and also showed us around the village.

We were at the corn village for a good two hours and totally enjoyed being a part of their life. The people of Sainji are so simple yet loving that they would always be happy to host you. They really enjoy when someone comes to meet and greet them. The warmth with which they treated us made us feel like staying there for a few more days. However, due to our strict schedule, we could not spend more than a few hours there. This is one place where we would definitely like to go again.

Would you like to visit this corn village of India? If you have already been there, how was your experience?

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P.S.: Our trip was sponsored by Pacific Hotels Dehradun, however, the views expressed in the post are solely of the author and have not been influenced by the brand in any way.