Meet Janak Palta McGilligan: Padma Shri awardee who built a home with no electricity bill, solar cooking and organic farming

Janak Palta McGilligan’s journey towards sustainable living began long before she became known for creating a home that can largely function independently. At the age of 17, she survived a near-death experience and underwent open-heart surgery.

The experience made her determined to dedicate her life to building a healthier future for people as well as the planet. Her commitment to environmental causes became even stronger in 1992, when she attended the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. After the event she reached the scale of global environmental problems and motivated her to adopt a lifestyle that was more sustainable and environmentally responsible.

Turning Her Home Into A Sustainable Space

A major change in Janak’s life came in 2011 after the death of her husband, Jimmy McGilligan. She moved into their home in Sanawadia village near Indore and decided to fulfil a promise she had made years earlier to live in greater harmony with nature.


Over time, she transformed the property into a sustainable and largely self-sufficient home. Her approach focuses on producing her own food, generating clean energy and making use of materials that would otherwise become waste.

A Home With No Electricity Bill

One of the most striking features of Janak’s home is its approach to energy. Her household reportedly has no electricity bill because a windmill installed on the property generates power.

The windmill does more than meet her own requirements. It also supplies electricity to nearly 50 neighbouring homes, allowing the renewable energy generated on her property to benefit the wider community.

Growing Her Own Food

Janak has also created a productive organic garden around her home. She grows vegetables, pulses, rice, wheat and spices herself, reducing her dependence on commercially purchased food.

Her property is home to around 160 trees and 13 different crops. By growing much of what she needs herself, she has created a system where food production and everyday living are closely connected to the land.

Solar Cooking And Newspaper Fuel

Cooking at Janak’s home is largely powered by the sun. She uses solar cookers to prepare her meals, reducing the need for conventional cooking fuels.

When sunlight is unavailable, she has another unusual solution. Old newspapers are turned into makeshift fuel bricks and used in the kitchen, giving discarded paper a second purpose instead of sending it to waste.

A Zero-Waste Approach To Everyday Living

Waste management is another important part of Janak’s lifestyle. Kitchen waste is composted rather than thrown away, while other everyday materials are reused wherever possible.

Her home also produces items such as soaps, shampoo, detergents and jams using natural and homegrown ingredients, according to reports. This further reduces her reliance on packaged, store-bought products and helps limit household waste.

Taking Sustainability Beyond Her Home

Janak’s work extends well beyond her own sustainable household. She is the founder and director of the Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development, an Indore-based non-profit established in memory of her late husband.

She also previously served as director of the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, which she and Jimmy founded in 1985 to support and empower tribal and rural women.

Through these initiatives, she has helped spread knowledge about sustainable living, particularly among young people and rural communities.

Training Thousands In Sustainable Living

Reports say Janak’s programmes have trained more than 150,000 young people and over 6,000 rural and tribal women from more than 1,000 villages in areas such as solar cooking and sustainable living. Some more recent reports put the total number of people trained through her work even higher, at around 1.8 lakh.

Known affectionately as "Janak Didi," she continues to welcome students, farmers and visitors to her home, where they can observe her sustainable practices and learn how simple changes can reduce dependence on conventional resources.

Her work has also earned her the title "Queen of Sustainability" because of the influence her efforts have had in the region.

Padma Shri Recognition

Janak Palta McGilligan’s contribution to social work and environmental conservation was recognised nationally in 2015 when she received the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours.

She was presented with the award at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, marking a major recognition of her decades of work in sustainability and social development.

Continuing Her Sustainable Journey

Now in her mid-to-late seventies, Janak continues to live in and maintain her sustainable, zero-waste home in Sanawadia.

More than a decade after beginning the transformation, her home remains an example of how renewable energy, organic farming, recycling, composting and mindful consumption can come together to create a more self-sufficient way of life.

[With TOI inputs]