The train back to Delhi was a lot
more enjoyable than on the way up, probably because we didn’t have to wait on a
dirty station for 5 hours in the middle of the night but also because we were
joined by two lovely ladies from Umang, Pooja and Basanti who kept the journey
entertaining. It also meant that I got a chance to show off my newly found
knitting skills.
On arrival in Delhi, watching the
ladies haggle the hell out of the rickshaw drivers was entertaining and the
event developed into a comedy sketch when we realised that they had negotiated
for the four of us, all with big bags to go in the same 2 seater rickshaw. In
hindsight I don’t know why we were that surprised as anyone who’s a fan of that
great philosopher, Alan Rickman, will know that Indian drivers definitely
follow the thought stream of “There’s always room for one more!“ Everything
just about squeezed in, with Lenka and a few bags on my lap.
We spent a few days at the Delhi Haat,
Fair trade art’s and handicrafts festival which gave us an overview of the
products from many different NGO’s from across India. We also met with a
graphic designer, Nilima, to discuss thoughts and ideas for the Umang
catalogue. This was very useful and gave us a different perspective on how the
range could be taken forward and simplified.
After a few days in Delhi, which is
always enough – its one crazy place, we took a flight to Chennai in the South
of India. Lenka’s Yoga course was held at a resort called Joe Beach close to Mamallapullen,
a bustling temple town with a backpacker vibe. I spent a few days checking out
the temples and getting use to the heat (30 deg C – every day). Feeling happy
that Lenka was safe and comfortable and settled in to the course with the other
Yogi Bears, I headed to Auroville.
Auroville is only 100km south of Joe
Beach, 2- 5 hrs away depending on how you choose to get there. Unfortunately I
choose the latter and was feeling rather hot, sweaty and hungry by the time I
arrived. Auroville is a relatively confusing place when you first arrive as
there are very little signs (some of the locals don’t like to encourage
tourism) and just dirt roads going in all directions through the forest. The
place was also pretty devastated after the recent cyclone, with fallen trees
everywhere, so many of the routes were blocked. After getting pretty lost I was
eventually picked up by Roman, an Austrian chap who was volunteering on the
farm.
On first impression Sapney Farm
wasn’t at all what I was expecting; scattered wooden huts with thatch style
banana leaf roofs, hap-hazard vegetable plots and a kind of traveller / hippie
sort of community vibe. It didn’t however take long to get into the swing of
things and I really enjoyed working on some of the rebuilding. I spent a few
days working with a French chap to re-wire all of the huts as the electrics had
been damaged in the cyclone. When we took the old cables out, we weren’t
however that surprised it wasn’t working, as a strong fart would have probably
burnt through the existing cables, they were as thin as shoe laces! During my
time at the farm, I also resurrected my boy scout knowledge of a square lashing
and used it to repair stairs and build new doors where necessary.
Whilst in Auroville I visited a new
forestry project (http://sadhanaforest.org/). The project is only 7 years
old and thus the work already achieved is quite staggering. By banking of the
earth they have managed to hold water in the area for longer and thus tree
growth has been rapid and the landscape has been transformed from a desert
waste land into a thriving forest. They gave us a great meal and we also watched
David Suzuki’s Autobiography film, Force of Nature, which was quite inspiring,
I definitely recommend you check it out. I also visited the Auroville Earth Building Institute
and found out quite a bit about building techniques with earth bricks. Some of
the structures were very impressive and likewise the plethora of different
shapes, sizes and configurations of brick moulds.
After Auroville I was planning to
head to the nigirili hills to do a bit of trekking but on my way to the bus
stop I had a change of heart and I decided that I was actually missing my
lovely wife, so changed my mind and caught a bus back to Joe Beach. I spent the
remainder of my time in the south of India there, relaxing on the beach with a
book and with Lenka in between yogi bear lessons.
We flew back to Delhi at the end of
the month and spent a few days there. Primarily as I needed to renew my Passport
at the embassy, which turned into a bit of a nightmare but we won’t go into
that. We also did a great tour by a former street child working for the Sallam
Ballak Trust. This was quite an emotional experience but gave us a little comfort
that there is some hope for the many children we have seen begging on the
streets of Delhi. It was reassuring to know that the charity turns no children
down and is constantly being able to help more and more (currently 4000 odd
children). At the end of the tour we met some of the children and played some
games. They also loved taking pictures (see pic).
We are now back in the serenity and
fresh air of the Ranikhet hills, working at Grassroots. We plan to stay here,
with the exception of a few weekend trips until we leave in April.
Book of the Month:
The One Straw Revolution, Masanobu Fukuoka
Delhi Belly Update:
No fireworks in delhi again which was a great success. The change of diet in South India, did get to me for a few days so I suppose that makes the scores 2 - 2.
Future Plans:
In early April we are off to the
Washington DC for Sam’s wedding, via a short stop at mum and dad’s in Buckingham
to change our pants. After the wedding we are planning to head south through
Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and possibly Florida, with the
intention of combining some WWOOFING (Worldwide opportunities on organic farms)
with some backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. In early June we are currently
intending to go to Haiti to volunteer at a forestry project (which is an off
shoot of Sadhana Forest, which I visited in Auroville) and also participate in
a permaculture design course. The course finishes in early August and we are
currently leaving are plans open for what happens after that.
