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!

empowerment, religion & gender?

Overall, there is one thing, which is very important for every human being – empowerment… its something, which makes us all equal and gives us our rights.  But, who violates human rights the most? Other human beings…  and its really strange to see it this terrible way.  But, why then is empowerment so hard to come by?  Why does it take so much effort to be fair to another human being?  Insecurity…  need for power, it stops us unconsciously from willing to empower others.  We try to control so many things, so many resources.  And block empowerment in million different ways.  Of course, there are some people, who consciously try to be givers as much as possible.  

And religion is one way of blocking this empowerment.  Tie up a person in to some mythology and give them the belief that prayer is the biggest solution to overcome obstacles..  and you handcuff & tie a blindfold on their brain.  Their rationality gets submerged, and they will concentrate on praying to their fullest ability possible. 

Religion is the opium of the masses… quoted someone.  This bhakti, or devotion is in a way such an addiction.  Its like sleep, or some kind of distraction.  

 If you practice and practice, then you can learn to pray and get into some kind of trance.  It’s a nice state of mind, where you feel peaceful and empowered.  But, its just like the state of intoxication, after consuming alcohol.  The drunk person, feels great, invincible, confident..  but temporarily only.  Of course, prayer might not have physically damaging impact as alcohol has.  It can also give you a relaxed feeling.  

(one way to realize, how repetitive religious practice is what conditions a human being to firmly believe in one religion can through a question - how many believers do you know, who have embraced a religion, after accidentally coming  across, a holy book?  like in a book store, some person goes and sees a holy religious book and after reading it, accepted as his/her religion from then on?  - that doesnt happen..  it happens through years of conditioning, when we are children). (check out "doug stanhope" on religion - he is a standup comedian and you can find his video's on youtube).

But, imagine, all over the world, there are more religious people than non religious.  Most people have prayed most of their life, or for some part of their life.  But has the violence and hatred come down?  At that state, for that temporary period, they feel holier than thou..  and that’s it. 

And who prays the most?  Women or men? 

And why is that?

The people with least amount of empowerment are easy prey for prayer.  As the saying goes, a drowning man will clutch a straw, a person, who feels lost, least empowered, will clutch prayer beads with most ferocity.  And just like an alcoholic, they will deny their addiction.  Defend why they use it.  Bring god into it.  And if the person who’s trying to show them this addiction, being rational and logical, would give it up as a useless exercise.  Just like, most people would, after arguing with any addict. 

What’s the worst symbol of slavery?  Whatever you are supposed to wear.  The whole society force you to wear those symbols of slavery.  Your own kind / or your fellow slaves will also force you to keep those symbols on your body.  Of course, without realizing its symbols of slavery.  

Which discriminated groups am I talking about here?  In India, the lower castes had to keep many such things, such as a broom, to indicate they are of a lower caste.  But, that has changed.  Casteism lost its control over what each caste person should wear, to a large extent in India.  

But, what about women?  Especially women in India?  They are tied down to what they should wear.  Bangles and other such ornaments are another symbol…  you are supposed to look pretty and feminine.  Of course, immediate reaction would be, of denial.  I do it, because I love it.. . its my own preference..  

I often see those bangles as chains.  Of course, there is the golden chain around the neck..  sometimes more than one chain.  Of course, its made of gold, so its tolerable.  I guess maybe they’ve never heard, for a bird, a golden cage is still a cage.  Well, there will be a time in future, when just as one cannot distinguish the caste of a person, on the basis of their clothing / dress style in India now, similarly men and women will be indistinguishable as men.  Or a genderless society, as facebook now has as an option, while describing your gender ;)  Probably, then, there won't be any difference between which gender prays more?