Wishing all our readers a very happy and prosperous New Year 2024 and I truly wish that this year brings all happiness and joys to each one of you.

Today, I bring to you yet another exciting but a different kind of journey I took to end the 2023 year. This was my first trip alone with Sarah, i was excited yet nervous to be entirely responsible for her for next 9 days.

In the heart of Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India, hidden from the mortals of the world, the forest named, Sadhana Forest began its journey in 2003 as a desolate 70-acre plot when Aviram and Yorit Rozin, hailing from Israel, arrived here with a noble vision: to breathe life into this barren land. They were both doing meditation here, but later decided to make their mediation more action oriented that would pay homage to the Earth in the form of creating a forest. Thus, Sadhana Forest took shape. Today this forest is a volunteer-driven organization which aims to work on Reforestation and water conservation along with ecological restoration, sustainable living practices, and community engagement, aiming to create a thriving ecosystem while providing education and inspiration for sustainable living.

I arrived here on Saturday. The place is approximately two kms inside, off the bustling highway. In fact, my cab driver offered ride to a walker on the way to these forests. The person happened to be Mr. Sirish (a 65-year-old man from India with white beard), who had been a volunteer here for the last 6 days. During my stay here, I did get a chance to talk to him later and found out he is such an adventurer at heart and had done numerous treks and the 3000-kilometer ‘Narmada Yatra’ on foot. Even before I got talking to him, I felt an aura of serene peace. Witnessing his humility in every task undertaken as a volunteer (Seva) stirred a desire within me to embody similar humility, grounding, and personal growth.

I was welcomed by Mr. Amartya (LTV). After the initial greetings, I asked if I could use toilet, to which he asked, “Pee or Poo”. I never knew it could be someone else`s business what I wanted to do in the toilet. But I told him I need to pee, so he showed me the washroom, and showed me the Indian commode where I could pee and not poo. For Poo, they had another whole dug and they were making compost of human poo. Yeah I know what you are thinking (read this as ‘Poo compost Seva’).He gave me a brief 20-minute tour which acquainted me with the premises. Subsequently, I met Mr. Abhilash (LTV) who took the deposit amount from me to stay at the place. He also asked us (me & my daughter, Sarah) to deposit any food that we were carrying from outside (the same can be collected on the last day) as no outside food was allowed inside the premises.

Initially, due to the unavailability of private huts, we stayed in a 22-bed dormitory, a structure crafted from bamboo with a tin-sheet roof made from recycled tetra packs. Now, being a Punjabi, coming from Delhi it felt a bit odd to be staying in a common dorm (for men and women). The absence of doors and the trampoline at the back for changing clothes felt unusual at first. One must knock at the trampoline to check if anyone is inside, before barging in. It all felt a bit too odd. Yet in few days, the communal lifestyle quickly normalized these unique features, reflecting the community ethos of Sadhana Forest.

They supplied us with two mattresses, two pillows, two pillowcases, and four bed sheets (two to take on the top); the bed sheets and pillowcases had to be washed by me on the last day of our stay, it was a rule! The place is totally off grid (not connected to electricity or water supply), the main hut (where everyone gathers for all three meals and kitchen) are the only two places that have electricity – which are powered by solar panels. One is not supposed to use phone or electronic devices in either of these areas. There is a small technology area where electronic devices can be charged from 9 am to 4:30 PM (the only place where devices could be charged). The whole atmosphere and rules are designed in such a way to encourage immense human connection and avoidance of electronic devices. From Monday through Friday, our community schedule was as follows:

Any volunteer was free to choose any of the below mentioned sevas:

1. Forest Seva – The idea is to plant more Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest species of trees indigenous to South India. Once the saplings are planted, it is hard for them to survive on their own due to the low moisture content in the soil. So, volunteers are needed to plant the saplings, dig trenches in front of the plants (so that rainwater is accumulated), and remove the excess mud from these trenches. The entire work is done using old methods, such as using a sickle and digging tool, to minimize the impact on the earth. The dugout mud is accumulated at the bottom to create a smiley shape so that the water can further stay in the sloped regions.

2.          Kitchen Seva – Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Preparation: At the time I stayed, a total of 120 volunteers were staying, so around seven people were generally needed at a time to prepare meals for all. This included cutting fruits, chopping vegetables, preparing salads, peeling, grating coconuts, making dough, and all miscellaneous tasks for cooking. It used to take three hours for seven people to cook one meal for 120 people.

3.          Kitchen Cleaning – Before every meal preparation, the kitchen needed to be cleaned by two to three volunteers to ensure it was always neat and clean, maintaining proper hygiene.

4.          Kitchen Deep Cleaning – Once a week, two to three volunteers were needed to ensure all the kitchen cabinets were wiped with a wet cloth and then with a dry cloth to ensure proper hygiene.

5.          Accommodation Seva – All the vacant huts needed to be cleaned to ensure there were no cobwebs, and the hut was nice and clean for new families to stay.

6.          Campus Cleaning – All the main pathways in the campus needed to be cleaned to ensure the pathways were cleared of from fallen leaves, and all the water stations needed to be filled with water.

7.          Toilet Seva – The Indian toilets needed to be cleaned with a brush. The bum wash drums needed to be filled with water, and the drum for sawdust needed to be refilled with sawdust.

8.          Composting Seva – The composting bins needed to be emptied, and all the kitchen waste needed to be taken to the composting dump. The leftover cooked food was fed to dogs. The leftover peels were fed to cows. The drums needed to be cleaned and kept in the proper place.

9.          Zero Waste Segregation – The drums needed to be emptied and cleaned, and segregated waste needed to be taken to the zero-waste hut.

10.        Cow Shed Seva – The rescued cows used to be let loose. So, the cow dung needed to be picked up. Hay needs to be filled in sacks. The cows were fed with hay, and the cows needed to be brushed to make them feel loved.

11.        Tea Hut Seva – All the tables and tabletops needed to be cleaned with a cloth. The whole floor needed to be mopped and washed with water. Tea needed to be prepared and served to the visitors. Also, a volunteer working here should try to talk to visitors and answer their questions regarding the work being done in Sadhana Forest.

12.        Firewood Seva – All the fallen branches needed to be collected. The dried branches, sometimes trees, needed to be cut to be used for firewood, which in turn would be used to cook meals in the kitchen.

13.        Human Poo Composting Seva – Never in my wildest dreams, did I imagine myself doing this. Here, the big drums containing human poo and sawdust (6 months or more older) needed to be emptied, and the pile needed to be moved from one place to another using the sickle. This was hard-core physical work. Strangely, it did not smell at all. And surprisingly, it was one of my favourite sevas. It made me happy to see compost being created from something which is considered absolute waste. Usually in the evenings, post dinner, there used to be various sessions as detailed below:

Monday Core Value Talk (7:30 PM – 9 PM)

A discussion about one of our community values. During our stay, the topic was “Substance Free Living”. It felt wonderful to listen to the views of so many people who use to consume, alcohol, cocaine, smoke, non-veg food and how they came around to leave it all to lead a simple life. And few even has been living for months and years in Sadhana Forest and have become vegan and don’t miss any of the substance at all. Different people have different views on how they came about to quit these to follow better choices in life.

Tuesday Sharing Circle

A safe space to share what is going on in your life, get to know your fellow community members, and practice deep listening. This stuck with me the most. In this session, we sat in a circle in the meditation hut. Everyone was given a chance to share whatever they wanted to share. No one was allowed to interrupt, even if anyone cries. There was no cross-questioning or cross sharing of thoughts. This was more to practice the art of listening and also give enough time for people to speak their heart out without the fear of any judgement.

Wednesday Open Stage

A time to share your talents and non-talents with the rest of the community. You can sing, dance, play a game, share a story – no talents required! What a wonderful session it was, people coming together from all over the world showing their talent in their own beautiful way. From a rock show to a semi classical dance to magic show to juggling to poetry and many more, we saw it all and enjoyed it the most. The best part was – it was hosted by Ritwik (ten years old) and Kiara (12 years old). They would often forget to announce the next participant and audience had to remind them. The experience left us in fits of laughter.

Sarah also performed dance on Saiyyan song

Thursday Night Out

A chance to coordinate your visit to nearby places in Auroville and Pondicherry with other volunteers. No dinner is prepared on Thursdays.

This was probably the most hectic day for me personally as I had three sevas in a day (twice a week, we are assigned three sevas). My third seva was in tea hut. After serving tea in tea hut, I came back to prepare Aloo parantha(s) for around 15 people in the kitchen. Main reason for making parantha was because I wanted Sarah to have a meal to her hearts content. She struggled with the food there and all I wanted was that she enjoys Thursday’s dinner. But as I started making the parantha, a lot of friends came around to help me. From making dough to boiling potato, peeling them, mashing potato, cutting onion coriander, to rolling the dough, everyone was invested in helping. I particularly loved to roast the paratha on the firewood. A warm feeling just held me together. Many of them had the hot paratha served to their plate as this was the only day they could eat while sitting in the kitchen. All of this reminded me of my mother. How we use to sit around her in winters in the kitchen when she would cook food for us. I don’t know, weather I felt the warmth of hot rotis served or the warmth my mother generated while serving us. But that day, I had the same feelings. I hope I showered some love to the people (along with Sarah) on that day. Manish chopping coriander, Tushar chopping onion, Phelix rolling parantha and standing with Gopi roasting Parantha, talking with Mohan – everything had my heart.

Friday Eco Film Club

A walking tour of Sadhana Forest, followed by a documentary and a late dinner around 8 PM. The films were nice. And the walking tours were good. But I guess we had already seen/known most of it by the time this happened. So, I, Tushar, Lepaksh, Falguni, Manish were just standing at the back talking. Sometimes all you need in life is a good conversation, some heart touching conversations. It makes up a good day.

The best part for Sarah on this day was the vegan chocolate cake. Probably it tasted even better than any truffle cake she ever had. I wish I could get that cake on my birthday too. Somebody please help!!!

Saturday – Inner Child Therapy session

On Saturdays and Sundays, no regular seva schedule is followed, and no lunch is prepared in the community, so things tend to be a little quieter.

On Saturday morning, Utsav, Kevan, and I ventured for a leisurely five km run. The experience felt somewhat peculiar, Kevan, who is in his 60s and seemingly aligned with his life’s purpose, free from the constant concern about sustaining within the monetary circle. Meanwhile, Utsav, in his 20s, appeared to be freshly navigating the responsibilities of life, striving to carve out a promising future. I hope Kevan achieves his aspirations with Mother Earth, perhaps delving into proper composting and soil nutrient testing. I cherished listening to both during the run and found solace in their distinct perspectives. It’s no surprise that running brings me immense joy.

On Saturday, I attended the Inner Child Therapy session. This session blew me away. We were nearly 11 people in a circular hut sitting together. Each one of us had a chance to speak out and share if we had any traumatic childhood (alcoholic or abusive parents) or anything that haunts us till day. None of the participants are supposed to comfort others during their turn of speaking. Nine out of 11 had absolute traumatic childhood and those nightmares of the past haunted them till day. From alcoholic fathers to suicide in the family, to parents fighting, not loving the child enough, to emotional blackmail, people shared so much and many cried while sharing. And the worst part of it all is, most of the people here did not have anyone to share it with and felt the fear of being judged. This session shook me to the core. For a moment, I felt even out of place in the session and felt the guilt of having a beautiful childhood and loving parents. I hope I take some learning from this session and can provide a safe place for somebody so that they feel comforted while they tell me their heart-breaking stories.

On Saturday night (post dinner), a movie is also played on the projector in the main hut, which was Sarah’s favourite. She loved the movie nights. There was something about watching a movie with so many people lying on the floor. It felt like being part of the community.

Sunday – Sound Bath session

I attended the Sound Bath session – We are supposed to lie down in a position where we don’t move for the next 45 mins. In addition, some different sounds were played by Annet. It is supposed to be a deeply relaxing session. But for me, as the first gong hit, I slept only to wake up at the last gong. For many others, they had beautiful experiences with this session, so it varies.

Mud pool

Now I was very sceptical of this. For the first 2 days, despite many people asking me to go there. I just couldn’t think of covering myself in mud and water with total strangers. But on the third day, I saw Shweta going and I gathered the courage to go see what the hype around mud all is about. Sarah also agreed. When I reached the place, I was amazed to see the place. It oozed peace. It seems like a perfect setting with wonderful trees all around. The water seemed so relaxing. Soft mud touching your feet, therapeutic water caressing your body, the sunrays kissing your forehead. Moreover, your ears are treated with the magical sound of waving leaves because of the wind. It all seems too perfect. We would spend 30mins playing in the water, then would apply mud and would cover the body with mud and sit outside in the sun for nearly 30 mins (to dry it off) before jumping back into the water to wash it all off. Mud pool was love. It also made Sarah feel so comfortable with water, she tried to learn floating. She loved to ask riddles to people during Sunbath breaks. It just seemed too perfect. In addition, after the two hectic Sevas, this is the only place which made sense, and which felt like heaven. Every day we all just waited to go there.

The above pictures don`t even do 10% justice to how much we loved being here. But again, the best things in life cannot be captured in lens.

Vegan Food

Only yummy vegan food is served in Sadhana Forest

Sadhana Forest Layout

Random Pictures

Notes :

LTV – Long term volunteer( living in Sadhana Forest for more than 6 months)
Seva – An act of serving without expecting anything in return

Pitcure Credits – Lepaksha, Shweta, Priya, Ash, Utsav, Falguni and Jyoti. And a big thanks to Manish for facilitating the same.

Hope you all enjoyed reading the blog as much as I did writing it! Please do comment your thoughts, queries, questions if you have any. Till then, take care and we shall meet soon.