I could easily say that the stay at Sadhana was one of the best experiences in my life. Saksham enjoyed there a lot. He loved being amidst the greenery and had fun as there was ample space to run and explore. I was totally at peace with the surroundings and my mind was free from all sorts of tensions.
Sadhana is a community oriented organisation and it runs on the strength of its volunteers who can choose to stay as long as they wish . A few long term volunteers are there to guide you through. Though Sadhana is a part of Auroville, it is located pretty far off from it.
A typical day at Sadhana begins with a soft wake up bell, followed by circle time. They play some non-competitive games and hug each other to begin the day. This is followed by everyone moving to their pre-allocated Seva (service in Hindi) area. It could be working in the forest, watering the saplings, helping with breakfast cooking, general area cleanup etc. This seva runs till 0845 when a the people who have cooked breakfast get it into the main hut and everyone assembles here. Everyone sit and a group of volunteers serve you food, which you have post a moment of silence. Meal timings are when everyone gets together and is the time for announcements. New volunteers are welcomed by a Chorus " Name" Welcome. It feels good I must say.
Food at Sadhana is vegan (no animal products). Neither is any processed or non vegan food allowed within Sadhana. Every effort is taken to make the food healthy and nutritious. Breakfasts generally is porridge with millets and a bowl of fruitts, while lunch has rice, dal and some stir fried vegetables. One of the best hot chocolate that I have ever had is at Sadhana, cooked by Yorit with coconut milk. Food is cooked to cater to the majority of the population, hence is bland and not spicy. Leftover food goes to a compost pit, so nothing is wasted. Post breakfast is a shorter seva. Afternoons and evenings are free. There are many interesting workshops conducted by volunteers in the afternoons.Worth attending!!
Sadhana is a zero waste and totally eco friendly community. It has electricity only in the main hut which is generated by the solar panels within the campus. So cloudy days means no electricity in the main hut. That is when volunteers get on the pedal generators to generate power. The mixie also runs on a similar contraption. This lights up the main hut, 2 bathroom stations and the kitchen.
Coming to water, there are no running taps anywhere. Water is pumped out of by a hand pump. To take a shower, you need to pump out water and carry them in heavy steel buckets for a distance. This ensures that you take what you need. Hand wash stations are very unique as well. There is a steel mug at a height with a hole in it, you scoop out some water from a container and put it into the mug. You wash you hands with water that trickles down. Surprisingly, that is enough to clean your hands. Used plates have a unique way of washing, thereby using the least amount of water.
Poo and pee are also useful at Sadhana. You are allowed to pee anywhere, as they say it has ammonia and nitrogen needed for plants to grow. You poo into special containers and its not washed off. Instead saw dust is generously put on it and left for sometime. Later it is used as compost.
There is a recycle hut which takes in all other stuff which could be recycled like plastic bottles, cartons etc. As Sadhana practices gift economy, there is a store, which houses many things like used shoes, clothes, baby basket, and everything else. Anyone is free to pick anything from there and leave anything that's not of use to you in a good condition.
Sadhana has a vibrant community of volunteers from different walks of life. While I was there I met so many interesting people and learnt a lot about other cultures. Every wednesday is an impromptu cultural performance day, when people are free to sing, dance, recite or do anything. My first day at Sadhana was a wednesday and got to witness some wonderful performances from our own Bharatnatyam to recital on Khamoos (harp like Russian instrument), a Swedish folk dance, a French song by a mother and her kids, a group of Korean kids who presented a song and acro yoga by Shalev (Aviram & Yorit's second daughter).
Looking forward to an opportunity to go back to Sadhana.
Sadhana is a community oriented organisation and it runs on the strength of its volunteers who can choose to stay as long as they wish . A few long term volunteers are there to guide you through. Though Sadhana is a part of Auroville, it is located pretty far off from it.
A typical day at Sadhana begins with a soft wake up bell, followed by circle time. They play some non-competitive games and hug each other to begin the day. This is followed by everyone moving to their pre-allocated Seva (service in Hindi) area. It could be working in the forest, watering the saplings, helping with breakfast cooking, general area cleanup etc. This seva runs till 0845 when a the people who have cooked breakfast get it into the main hut and everyone assembles here. Everyone sit and a group of volunteers serve you food, which you have post a moment of silence. Meal timings are when everyone gets together and is the time for announcements. New volunteers are welcomed by a Chorus " Name" Welcome. It feels good I must say.
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| Our hut "Muffin" at Sadhana. Isn't it so beautiful |
Sadhana is a zero waste and totally eco friendly community. It has electricity only in the main hut which is generated by the solar panels within the campus. So cloudy days means no electricity in the main hut. That is when volunteers get on the pedal generators to generate power. The mixie also runs on a similar contraption. This lights up the main hut, 2 bathroom stations and the kitchen.
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| Solar panels that generate electricity |
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| Any number of plates could be washed with these 4 containers of water |
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| Hand wash station, Pour water into the steel mug, wash your hands with the water that trickles out |
Poo and pee are also useful at Sadhana. You are allowed to pee anywhere, as they say it has ammonia and nitrogen needed for plants to grow. You poo into special containers and its not washed off. Instead saw dust is generously put on it and left for sometime. Later it is used as compost.
There is a recycle hut which takes in all other stuff which could be recycled like plastic bottles, cartons etc. As Sadhana practices gift economy, there is a store, which houses many things like used shoes, clothes, baby basket, and everything else. Anyone is free to pick anything from there and leave anything that's not of use to you in a good condition.
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| Recycle Hut |
Looking forward to an opportunity to go back to Sadhana.
