At Sadhana forest, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu

A blog from someone about experience of staying in Sadhana forest, towards last quarter of 2013..   An eco-friendly, organic, vegan community, living few kilometers away from Aurobindo ashram (part of aurobindo/auroville), where a community of 50 to 60 people live together, to reforest that area and develop ground water levels.  (sadhanaforest.org)

It would be possible to stay there for 2 weeks – starting every Friday evening.  The cost is per day Rs. 300/- per person.  Do not take any non-organic, non-eco friendly products/food with you, when you go for this stay.

Schedule

Wake up at 5.30 am – warm up exercises at morning circle for half hour.

From 6 am to 9am – first 3 hour volunteer work (tree planting, or help to cook breakfast, maintenance work)

9to 9.30am – breakfast at main hut (together with everyone)

930 to 1230 – second 3 hour volunteer work (as above)

1230 to 130 pm – lunch time

From 2pm to 630pm – free time; various workshops are conducted – those interested can attend. 

630 to 730 – dinner time

Food – everyone sits around the main hut, and some volunteer to serve, and give a plate each to everyone.  After everyone has their plate, a moment of silence is observed, then only you start eating.

The food is vegan – i.e. no animal products are used (similar to vegetarian food, except, no milk products are used).  Products which use artificial fertilizer, animal products and artificial products to process are also not used.  While cooking, salt, oil, spices are used sparingly, and focus is to cook as healthy food as possible is maintained.  Brown rice, unprocessed salt, herbal tea etc. are used.  Interestingly, a bicycle powered mixer is used in the kitchen.

No coffee or cola etc are used.  There is also a strict ban on tobacco, alcohol, & such drugs.

Of course, from the kitchen area, one can get banana’s, in between meals, these are called as banana breaks.

During the food time, after you finish your plate, if you want second helping, then you have to go out, wash your hands, and then take up that dish and go around serving it to all who want second helping – and then you take it as well.  But there are many, who voluntarily take up the serving second helping as well.  It’s a community which is based on cooperation, and it rubs off on everyone, even the new comers surprisingly quickly.

While I was there – during mid November 2013, there were volunteers from about 15 countries living together.  There were people from, USA, Puerto Rico, Denmark, India, Korea, Japan, Israel, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Ireland, England, France, New Zealand etc. 

It’s a 70 acre campus, and with only bamboo huts for staying.  There are no electrical connections from outside, but solar panels provide power to electricity in main hut and kitchen area.  There is wi-fi available, but between 12 to 4pm only, at main hut.  There is library with books in various languages. 

The toilets here are unique, with focus on recycling.  The toilet pit is to be covered with saw dust.. and this is very effective, as there are no smell or flies there, and this saw dust can be used as compost later.

For washing hands, a mug with a key hole is used, which pours water down through this narrow hole.  It takes probably few more seconds, but consumes very less water.  There are organic soap for bathing and washing clothes is also provided. 

For bathing and washing, one has to walk about 30 meters, with a bucket and get water from a hand pump.  This ensures, only necessary amount of water is used.

Another rule, in Sadhana forest is – no competitive games are played.  Trust and cooperation is the focus and living together as a community is practiced by everyone. 

There is a free-store, where SF people keep their clothes and other things, which can be taken for use by other SF people – and it functions without greed.

There is a corner, where lost & found things are kept – and as it would happen in a high trust area, people forget things everywhere and get them back with same regularity. 

All these seemingly unreal community is no flash in the pan, as SF will be celebrated its 10^th anniversary in January 2014.  They have vastly improved forest cover & ground water levels in that area in these years!