Forests, Food and Friends ♥
Experiences in Auroville
The following blog is part of the running series called the ‘well-being journey’ where I discuss my healing journey. I write about my travel journeys, learning from cultural bearers, understanding the life of indigenous communities, and more.
Background: The past few years have been difficult for me in so many ways. I was living in places like Sonipat, & Gurugram (Haryana) and New Delhi. I faced numerous challenges particularly severe health and low immunity issues. The slightest change would cause an illness. I would dread seasonal shifts, travel, stressful events, or heated/ aggressive discussions. Being a sensitive person, it is a lot to cope with. I decided to prioritize my health and take time to learn about Indian cultural systems, and my body, and incorporate well-being practices in my daily life. My work at Leela Life inspired me to study ancient Indic systems such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Yoga (ancient India had numerous knowledge systems to offer). In the past year of immersing myself in indic systems, I only crave to know more and understand it deeply. To understand Indic systems, I started traveling from my current home in Gaya, Bihar (my father is in the Army and he is currently posted there - 2024). My curiosity to learn about the Indian knowledge system continues to take me to places.
🌱
I chose to come to Auroville - a place introduced to me by a close friend who had lived here. I first visited in 2022 however, I felt I already knew the place through his stories and experiences. I also observed that the space is green, surrounded by trees and human-made forests. Ecological ecosystems have always fascinated me and I aspire to deepen my understanding of it. As a result, I was naturally drawn towards Auroville and decided to come here in 2024 for a month. The India travel journey that started in March 2024 looks like this:
Gaya, Bihar → Delhi → Bangalore, Karnatkata → Auroville, Tamil Nadu → Trivandrum & Kottayam, Kerala → (Back to) Auroville (Current stop)
Auroville, is an experimental township, 11 kms away from Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu, based on the teaching and philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. I write about some of my most beautiful experiences here.
Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity (Source)
🌱
Mantrimandir is the centre of Auroville. The philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother is the spiritual foundation of the space. One is required to make a prior booking to enter and meditate inside Mantrimandir. As I don’t enjoy extended periods of meditation (beyond 10 mins), I found the visit to Mantrimandir stressful. Keeping all the instructions in mind was a lot for me. For eg: one is required to step out if one has to sneeze or cough. While meditation inside the Mantrimandir wasn’t a high point for me, the highlight of my visit was spending time around the Banyan tree (right next to Mantrimandir, part of the larger gardens). It was so peaceful, and calm- I just wanted to be there.
The first time I looked at the Banyan trees, I noticed how every extended branch is supported by the tree. It may have to go out independently for some time, but the tree supports all its branches. I felt this was so similar to life - I have felt the divine presence and feel supported even though I have to face challenges by myself and rely on my courage. However, things fall into place and work out for the best ✧
I realized that Auroville has so much to offer. However, I kept questioning myself what is it that I want to do or learn? I didn’t have a perfect answer to this. So, I let my curiosity lead the way - I began the explorations in Auroville by visiting the forests
🌱
Forests
I was informed that the Auroville region has a history of Colonial loot where they used all the forests and resources for their own needs. The area eventually became dry, and infertile. Everyone who had come to build Auroville in the early years was mocked and it was unimaginable to think of any form of natural life here.
Auroville now has multiple human-made forests and is moving towards creating a green belt safeguarding bio-diversity. I went on to go to one of such human-made forests ‘Pitchandikulam’. A friend (Shanti Ji in the photos below) invited me for a walk and I immediately said yes.
The scenery was stunning and full of learning experiences. I visited a medicinal plant garden right in the middle of the forest and a museum focusing on Indian history and the history of Auroville.
This was followed by tea at Shantiji’s house where she prepared fresh hibiscus tea from flowers in her garden. The entire experience is such a beautiful memory for me.
I enjoyed the Pitchadikulam experience immensely. I was curious to be part of more such forests and understand the ecology deeply. I got to know about a forest walk at Revelation, another human-made forest nurtured over 30 years. I was so excited that I woke up at 3 am, took a shower, and was ready to go. The walk was scheduled to start at 7 am.
It was a silent walk where we observed the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. The walk made me realize my deep love for natural spaces, trees, and the knowledge systems carried by them.
I was ready to experience the next adventure at one of the most popular places in Auroville - the Sadhana forests. On a Friday, I took the bus from Solar Kitchen to Sadhana Forest as part of a weekly curated experience (the tour happens every Friday). I was greeted by lovely volunteers such as Annette who took the entire group to the forest where we met another volunteer, Luke. He facilitated our forest walk and introduced us to the culture of the forest.
We saw community spaces, kitchen, and stay area for the volunteers. We also discussed the importance of water conservation as the first step toward painting a forest. There is a space for cows, space for learning, and work is shared among the community members. I loved how the entire Sadhana community was involved in creating the ecosystems.
One important learning was that nature values everyone and everything; the idea of waste doesn’t exist. It was commendable to see the efforts to nourish the forest by utilizing everything including human feces.
We all came back to watch a movie called Healing Through Food (Part 1, 2). It was a movie showcasing the importance of food in healing oneself. It further focused on a vegetarian meal or whole plant-based food for a healthy life. I resonated with the thought process.
I was surprised to learn that the connection between food and health is unknown in Western countries. The same trend is now being adopted and can also be seen in India. We are forgetting our food heritage and lack of knowledge associated with traditional food. At a personal level, I noticed that my love for cultural heritage and aspiration to learn about food heritage became stronger.
I felt a deep sense of community, where everyone was welcomed & encouraged to work toward creating a forest. A big appreciation to the Sadhana community for welcoming everyone and creating a movement towards sustainability :)
🌱
Forests are our lifeline. I had the incredible opportunity to witness life in a forest and experience diversity in the plant kingdom. I realized what we know about nature in the modern world is a minuscule part of our bio-diversity. As I realized my passion for food, I continued my explorations. I was curious to learn the knowledge systems behind the food we eat and how can I be more conscious about it.
🌱
Food
My curiosity to understand the connections between forests, herbs, and food led me to a Herbalist in Auroville. Her name is Parvathi Nagrajan. She comes from a family of traditional healers & herbalists; and has documented more than 500 plant species in Auroville over 26 years. I joined her course on Herbs to understand the ancient concept of food. Please find a detailed blog on it here.
Course with Parvathi Nagrajan- ‘Food is medicine’: The Herbal course focused on understanding the connection between plants, and the various benefits they can provide to humans to live a healthy life. As per ancient Siddha knowledge, ‘food is medicine’ and that is all one needs for your internal and external consumption. As I continue to learn about natural systems, herbs, and food, I have begun to understand the strong connection between them. I feel a sense of empowerment that I am getting an understanding of how our human body interacts with the food and ecosystems deeply. The course provided me with insight into various herbs (many of them are found in our kitchen) and how can they be consumed in our everyday life (as per one’s body) to live a healthy life and get rid of diseases. I realized how this is the foundation of our health however we are never taught any of it. I felt a deep sense of discouragement about our educational system. However, I am happy that I was introduced to Indian Knowledge Systems that focus on important aspects of our life, environment, food, and the human body. I further aspire to understand about my body & ecosystem.
🌱
After the herbal course, I would often try to identify trees around me. One morning, I started going around and what started as a 5-minute walk turned out to be an hour-long morning walk in a human-made forest. I had a beautiful time walking and experiencing life slowly. I had a deep appreciation for witnessing the collective efforts towards building a living ecosystem that is today known as Auroville.
My love for food took me to places that are built on the Indian philosophy of sustainability. My favorite place for lunch is the Solitude Cafe by Krishna McKenzie. The food comes directly from Solitude farm created by the founder growing traditional and local ingredients.
🌱
Excited by all the adventures, I began to realize the importance of traditional food cooked at home. This inspired me to cook more. I enjoy cooking but haven’t been able to create time for the past few years. I wanted to utilize my break to enhance my food knowledge and eating right practices. I didn’t start with anything fancy but simple food that I would eat at home. I love the basics of Indian food- eating simply, showing gratitude for food, focusing on seasonal items, eating slowly using our hands & sitting cross-legged on the floor, and enjoying the process
🌱
No experience is complete without people. A journey of forests and food helped me make a lot of friends. The section below covers meeting lovely people and being part of beautiful communities who I call friends
🌱
Friends
I got an opportunity to house-sit in Kalpana society and it was a beautiful experience. As a gratitude, I hosted a night to invite all the special people, part of the Purnam community for a gathering.
🌱
I was also part of an incredible experience hosted by Nirmala & Naresh. They welcomed me to a heartful meal as part of their initiative ‘the Kindness Kitchen’
🌱
My stay in Auroville has been special. We all dream of a society that is kind and supportive; however, experiencing this generosity feels magical. I have been truly moved by my stay here and wish to be more intentional about my life choices going ahead. Some takeaways from the last few months of travel and being in Auroville are as follows:
We (humans) are part of nature. Ancient practices focused immensely on nurturing our relationship and considered nature as the greatest mother. However, we (people in the modern world) have mindlessly extracted from nature without contributing back. It has disrupted our ways of living, thinking, and well-being; the disconnection from nature has a direct impact on us and is evident in our lifestyle.
Food systems were a representation of the beautiful relationship humans shared with nature/ ecology. Food wasn’t just to fill our stomachs; it was a source of nutrition, energy, and the biggest medicine for our body. We have lost this connection and knowledge completely.
We keep polluting our ecological systems- by what we eat (Junk food), what we wear (fast fashion), what we apply (cosmetics), and the language we speak (forgetting all indigenous cultures) - this has a gigantic impact on our knowledge systems.
I had a deeply emotional experience here. While I don’t have the answers as to how to solve the massive challenges, I want to focus on learning better. I have decided to engage with the ecological & spiritual systems as part of the community living in Auroville. I am excited by the journey ahead and hoping for lots more surprises, learning about sustainability and living consciously. Stay tuned!
‘Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!' 🌱🌱🌱