Benazir Suraiya
If you go by literal terms, ‘Sadhana’ is a means of accomplishing something. At Sadhana Forest, I attained salvation, peace and my relationship with nature!
Today on World Earth Day, let me ferry you through the eco-friendly and vegan paradise – the magnificent Sadhana Forest.
A few months ago, I decided to explore my true self and reach out to places that relate to my existence. Sadhana Forest in the outskirts of Auroville, Pondicherry was just the apt destination.
Spread across 70 acres of land, the forest does justice to its name. The trees stood tall, the air was pure and the entire atmosphere was translucent. All taken care of by its volunteers from across the globe!
Founded in 2003 by Yorit and Aviram Rozin, the ultimate aim of Sadhana Forest is to show a way of life to people by sustainable living, food security through ecological transformation, wasteland reclamation, and veganism.
In the middle of the forest, there was a community hall where all the volunteers gather for their meals, discuss important issues, watch documentaries and show their talent (or no talent).
The forest believes in eco-living and so it runs on solar energy. But even on solar, it conserves electricity as only the community hall and the kitchen had a couple of lights. There are no fans, so the mud pool is a big savior during summers.
Water conservation is another issue that Sadhana Forest focuses on.
The hut that I lived in had a unique beauty in itself. Made up of bamboos and coconut leaves, the simplicity of the hut was mesmerizing. After a tiring day, a hut like this was all I wanted to rejuvenate myself.
The forest was home to many birds and animals. The view from my hut was a flock of dancing peacock.
A day at Sadhana Forest included yoga and sevas (services). In sevas, I chose plantation, cutting of firewood, cleaning the forest and cooking a vegan meal.
Sadhana Forest taught me the true meaning of giving. We take so much from nature and how often do we return our gratitude! It was a lifetime experience that I would want to live again and again, and want to give again and again.
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