Guide to Sadhana Forest

Sadhana Forest is a place of community and compassion. It truly is a place beyond caste, creed and religion. Everybody is welcome and treated equally. The month before I went to Sadhana Forest had been a difficult one. I had experienced religious bigotry and I had lost my joy for life. The first night I was here was tough. I never thought I would find someone’s snoring comforting but I did, lol. Gradually over the next two weeks of spending time in the forest, living in a community, doing seva, making new friends, spending time with my old friends, Monisha and Srijan, being away from my phone, talking and laughing, I found my joy back and I am ever so grateful to this place for that.

Sadhana Forest is located on the outskirts of the township of Auroville, in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It is about 3 hours away from Chennai which is the nearest airport. A bus from Chennai (CMBT station) till the Morattandi toll gate can be taken for 150 Rs. Someone from Sadhana Forest will come pick you up at the toll gate. Sadhana Forest was a project undertaken by its founders, Yorin and Aviram  Rozin to convert the 70 acres of arid land into a growing forest. More volunteers joined these two people as the days passed by and Sadhana Forest became a community. In the spirit of human unity, as practiced by the township of Auroville, the aim of Sadhana Forest is to introduce people to sustainable living. The volunteers at Sadhana Forest practise seva (selfless devotion), veganism, indigenous reforestation, water conversation and ecological transformation.

 

Sadhana Forest accepts people on volunteer basis. People can choose to volunteer for a minimum of 2 days (for Indian citizens)/ 1 month (for foreign nationals) to a maximum of however long they wish to stay. People can show up at any time of the day, at any time of the year, and they will find a place here. Though I recommend staying for a duration of at least two weeks to fully experience and understand what Sadhana Forest is about. It is an off grid, community living, devoid of the usual luxuries (like hot water for bathing and a commode!). So the first few days of living here were challenging for me. But once I got used to it, I began my experience in self healing. It is compulsory for every volunteer to do sevas twice a day on the weekdays. The weekends are free to do whatever they want to. Many choose to go explore Auroville, eat out at a restaurant or spend a quiet day at the Forest itself. Sadhana Forest takes from its volunteers an amount of 600 Rs everyday for the meals.

This is what my first weekday at Sadhana Forest looked like,

5:30 am – I woke up, brushed my teeth (only biodegradable toiletries are allowed here) and made use of the compost toilet. The compost toilet here is something that takes the most getting used to. It is a dry, squatting toilet. There are separate holes for peeing and pooping. The human waste is collected and then composted to be used as fertiliser for the tree plantation the forest.

6 am – We all gathered for the morning circle. We stretched, did a few basic exercises, after which the first sevas were divided. After the morning circle ends, people hug the people around them and wish them a good morning.

6:15 – 8:15 am – The first seva is for two hours. I was part of the breakfast team in the community kitchen. I chopped up potatoes, onions, papayas, tangerines and pomegranates for two hours. Some other sevas include joining the plantation process, working in the tea hut and more.

8:45 am – Breakfast is served in the main hut. All community activities happen here. That day it was porridge with jaggery sauce and cut up fruits. After two weeks of stay, I fell in love with the bland porridge with jaggery sauce. No sarcasm.

9:45 am to 12:15 pm – The second seva starts after breakfast. I was part of the vegan laddoo making team. It was a lot of fun. Other sevas that people can choose are, lunch cooking, goshala (cowshed) team, zero waste management and more.

12:45 pm – Time for lunch in the main hut! The lunch was daal (lentils), rice, cauliflower and beetroot.

After lunch till the time of dinner, volunteers are free to do whatever they want. They can take a bath (the bucket for bathing has to be filled and carried inside the shower stall), take a dip in the mudpool, wash clothes, read a book or anything. Between 4-6 pm people can go to the tea hut outside where they can indulge in vegan chai and laddoos. Dinner is served at 6 pm. After dinner, depending on the weekday, there is usually a community activity. Like sharing circles and non talent nights. Oh non talent nights were so much fun! I looked forward towards it every Wednesday! People sang, danced, told jokes and stories and played games (non competitive of course).

 

A layout of Sadhana Forest 

The main hut has two entrances. One for the visitors and one which is near the community kitchen.

I loved spending time in the main hut! People play instruments, read, talk to each other, participate in the community or spend time alone. People are discouraged from using their gadgets in the main hut.

Charging points are activated between 12-4 pm everyday.

Beware of the mosquitoes!!!

Regular toothpastes contain many harmful ingredients like sodium fluoride and hydrated silica! So at Sadhana they provide a natural and biodegradable powder for brushing teeth.

Iodine and vinegar is mixed in the water for washing hands. Vinegar is a natural sanitizer.

Solar energy is the main source of electricity at Sadhana Forest. Solar panel cleaning and turning are also sevas.

Taking a dip in the mudpool was so refreshing. It gets dried up in the summer months though.

It is quaint, little hut shaped like an igloo. I experienced my first sharing circle here. Sharing circles are like catharsis .

Most of us looked forward to pot lucks for the bread 😀

 

Travel Tips for Sadhana Forest :

• Carry mosquito repellants sprays and ointments! Can’t stress this enough!
• Carry a torch or more preferable a head lamp for maneuvering your way to the toilet at night.
• If possible, bring a sleeping bag. For extra cushioning.
• Bring only biodegradable toiletries and sanitary napkins.

 

Stay tuned for more Sadhana Forest stories!

 

“May there be more Forests to grow people.”