Bhoomi Utsav 2022

A celebration of simplicity with the community, on October 2, 2022. A special kind of celebration indeed, celebrating simple joys of life that we may otherwise take for granted. Be it playing with natural colours we made, or clay, enjoying a concert with plants and being in their presence, exploring treasures of nature, seeing Gandhiji’s…

Is water simple?

The idea of simplification is idealised to an extent where we often tend to simplify what is purely complex. Take emotions: we think there is logic to it. The logic being simple and linear, we tend to think emotions follow the same rule too. Emotions are associative to a large extent. But how does simplicity…

Waste Not!

I was 15 years old when my friend told me “Choo, please promise me one thing. You will never throw any waste on the ground”. I remember feeling annoyed. What did he think of me?!  Of course I wasn’t littering or throwing things on the ground. But anyway I went ahead and made that promise…

Wells Talk to Us, Taps Don’t

In a small town called Vijaywara in Karnataka, farmers are using untreated wastewater and fecal sludge to grow mulberry leaves. On these leaves, silkworms thrive producing silk yarn, which is then woven into beautiful handloom silk sarees by the local weavers. Can there be a more productive use of city sewage water, which is a…

From Fast Foods to Past Foods

As children, we all recall enjoying going to the kitchen and lending a helping hand. I remember sitting on the cold floor mixing chapati dough. Putting all the energy that I had into kneading the dough, and then rolling it into kutti chapatis. The yummy aroma of the thadka and hot food would always draw…

The Unsung Metamorphosis

The moment I sat down to write about my experience of Inner-Outer Ecology (IOE), I recalled the first day when we were asked to bring elements of nature that we feel most connected with. I went out of Ananda Hall and picked up some soil, few leaves, a twig and a flower. The flower had…

Green Thumb Warrior

Several years ago, one evening I was helping my mother in the kitchen when she suddenly discovered we did not have curry leaves. She asked me to get curry leaves and I got annoyed. I went on a rant about how she would not stock up the fridge and it is not fair for her…

Ragi Kanji – an elixir

The townsfolk have a secret recipe,A mystic potion from years of legacyThis drink, with a mind of its own,Has the power to end wars alone The elders of this distant land reveal to you,the preparation of ragi brewCommence with boiling fresh water,In a vessel from the local potter. A pinch of golden dust, wild cinnamon,Known…

Gift of Feedback

Sorry for the bitternessThat I have carried this long,Must be because I was not ready back thenAnd maybe nor were you. I know you had good intentions for meBut the way you expressed got me confused.I could not see it as feedback then,It felt like you were just proving me wrong. Now that my birthday…

Seeding into the Medium of Growth

One good thing that Covid did was that it reminded people of the uncertainty of life. It made us pause, question our choices and reconsider the trajectories of our lives. Out of the many who started to look for alternatives, twelve stumbled upon the fellowship program offered by Bhoomi College. Uncertain of where this no-so-trodden…