<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru accounts for the highest number of professionals signing up to work from India’s first ‘digital nomad village’ in Sikkim. People from Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai have also shown interest.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yakten, nestled in the foothills of Pakyong district in east Sikkim, was declared the country’s first digital nomad village on July 14. It aims to let professionals work remotely while immersed in nature, and to create year-round economic opportunities for the local community. The project is a joint initiative by the Sikkim government and NGO Sarvahitey.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An application system has been put in place to vet those interested in exploring slow, sustainable living. In the past 10 days alone, the village has received 56 enquiries from Bengaluru, says Prem Prakash, founder of the NGO.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Half of the applicants from Bengaluru have opted for a month-long stay (Rs 15,000), and the rest for a week (Rs 6,000). The shorter stays are mostly from those testing the waters before committing for longer,” he adds.</p>.Samay Raina announces nationwide tour post 'India's Got Latent' row, first show to be in Bengaluru.<p class="bodytext">These Bengalureans are mostly IT professionals in their mid-30s, in semi-senior and senior roles. Some are on sabbaticals or between career transitions. Most are solo travellers; only one application so far is from a family with a child, shares Prakash.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eight homestays have opened their doors to remote workers. These are located in a tight cluster on a hillside in Yakten and are surrounded by pine trees. Together, they offer 18 rooms and are run by local Limbu and Sherpa families.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Designed for remote work, each room comes with a work desk, 100 Mbps WiFi, and backup Internet support. The cluster also features three co-working spaces.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Many leads have already been converted into bookings. We are almost sold out for August. We have enquiries well into next April,” adds Prakash.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idea of setting up a digital nomad village came to Prakash after a visit to Pai, which is a hotspot for remote workers in Thailand. Today, his own team works remotely. “Half the team is in Bengaluru, including my cofounder Arpit Bansal. The rest are spread across Delhi, Yakten, and Bangkok,” he shares.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru accounts for the highest number of professionals signing up to work from India’s first ‘digital nomad village’ in Sikkim. People from Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai have also shown interest.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yakten, nestled in the foothills of Pakyong district in east Sikkim, was declared the country’s first digital nomad village on July 14. It aims to let professionals work remotely while immersed in nature, and to create year-round economic opportunities for the local community. The project is a joint initiative by the Sikkim government and NGO Sarvahitey.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An application system has been put in place to vet those interested in exploring slow, sustainable living. In the past 10 days alone, the village has received 56 enquiries from Bengaluru, says Prem Prakash, founder of the NGO.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Half of the applicants from Bengaluru have opted for a month-long stay (Rs 15,000), and the rest for a week (Rs 6,000). The shorter stays are mostly from those testing the waters before committing for longer,” he adds.</p>.Samay Raina announces nationwide tour post 'India's Got Latent' row, first show to be in Bengaluru.<p class="bodytext">These Bengalureans are mostly IT professionals in their mid-30s, in semi-senior and senior roles. Some are on sabbaticals or between career transitions. Most are solo travellers; only one application so far is from a family with a child, shares Prakash.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eight homestays have opened their doors to remote workers. These are located in a tight cluster on a hillside in Yakten and are surrounded by pine trees. Together, they offer 18 rooms and are run by local Limbu and Sherpa families.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Designed for remote work, each room comes with a work desk, 100 Mbps WiFi, and backup Internet support. The cluster also features three co-working spaces.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Many leads have already been converted into bookings. We are almost sold out for August. We have enquiries well into next April,” adds Prakash.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idea of setting up a digital nomad village came to Prakash after a visit to Pai, which is a hotspot for remote workers in Thailand. Today, his own team works remotely. “Half the team is in Bengaluru, including my cofounder Arpit Bansal. The rest are spread across Delhi, Yakten, and Bangkok,” he shares.</p>