Reforestation Volunteer Program in Southern India

사다나에서의 첫 날은 정말 힘들었다. 놀러 온 것 만이 아니라 발런티어의 역할을 해야하다보니 낯선 외국인들과 부대끼며 정신적 육체적 피로가 컸다.
하지만 3일 차에 접어들자 사다나 포레스트에 깊이 빠져드는 나를 발견했다. 낯설었던 규칙과 낯선 사람들이 부대끼며 보낸 시간 만큼 편해지고, 사랑스러워졌다. 다양한 국적의 사람들이 모인 덕분에, 어느새 같이 온 한국인 친구랑도 영어로 대화하고 있는 나를 발견했다.
계속 새로운 나를 발견할 수 있었다. 한국에서와는 달리 사다나에서는 ”혼자만의 시간“에 지쳐서 누워버리는 것이 아니라, 그림을 그리고, 새로운 영감을 얻고, 아름다운 소들과 교감하고, 내 몸과 마음이 건강하게 살아있다는 감각을 느낄 수 있었다. 나는 그 느낌이 너무 좋다. 내기 살아있다는 걸 느낄 수 있는 이곳에 오래도록 다시 찾아오고 싶다.
자연과 사람을 좋아하는 사람이라면 이 곳을 좋아할 것이라고 믿는다. 망설이고 있는 사람이 있다면 꼭 와보라고 권하고 싶다. 이 좋은 경험을 더 많은 사란들과 나누고 싶다.

대안을 실험하는 일은 언제나 어렵다. 없는 길을 가는 것이기에. 오랜 시간 초심을 잃고 지속하는 것도 쉽지 않은 일이다. 그런데 이렇게 오랜 시간 초심을 잃지 않고 지속해가면서 이만큼 많은 사람들이 드나들고 있다는 것 자체로 의미가 깊다고 생각한다.
아침과 오전에 세바를 하고, 오후에 자유로운 시간과 다양한 커뮤니티 활동을 하는 하루 일과의 구성이 좋다. 다양한 사람들을 만날 기회를 가지면서도, 사다나의 본래 목적을 한 발짝 한 발짝 꾸준히 실현해가는 지속가능한 방식이라고 생각한다.
처음에는 딱딱하고 엄격한 제지가 조금 당혹스럽기도 하였으나, 시간이 지날 수록 왜 이러한 규칙이 있는지 이해하게 되었다.
장기봉사자가 있기는 하지만, 대다수는 8일에서 20일, 길어도 6개월에서 1년 정도 머물기에, 이러한 방식으로 정말 마을을 이루고 살아가기 위해서는 어떻게 해야할까 고민이 든다.

일반적인 여행에서는 이만큼이나 많은 사람들과 교류할 수 없다. 그것이 이곳의 가장 큰 매력인 것 같다. 영어가 유창하지 못하더라도, 함께 땀 흘리고 일하면서 마음을 나누게 된다.

Sadhana Forest captured my attention as an intentional community when I watched a documentary on YouTube as I was browsing through a playlist on sustainable agroforestry, natural farming and permaculture practices. To me, it served as a great example of how conscious practice of the principles of regenerative living can cause transformation in an ecosystem where human beings are living in harmony with nature. I couldn’t wait to experience life at Sadhana Forest first hand. At the nearest possible time where I could make space on my calendar, I decided to pay them a visit. The official website https://sadhanaforest.org/ was a great resource in getting me prepared and oriented. Finding them on Google maps was simple enough, finding my way to Sadhana Forest was a lot more interesting as it’s nestled away outside the city limits of Pondicherry and getting there took me through some villages and deserted paths. All in all, the sight of the tranquil green space of Sadhana Forest cheered me up and so did the signs welcoming visitors in. Over the 3 days that I experienced at Sadhana Forest, some key elements really stood out for me. One of the most important elements was the spirit of service (seva) amongst the group of people who have been staying at and caring for Sadhana forest for years. Their sense of authenticity, compassion, leadership through responsibility and openness to learning, growth & contribute shone through in every interaction with members, volunteers and visitors alike. Another key element was the sense of feeling centered, grounded, connected to nature and people that we felt as we went about contributing in caring for the space: cooking meals for the community, cleaning & feeding cows in the gaushala, planting & caring for native trees, collecting wood for the kitchen stoves and so many more activi that constantly brought the group together. The food here was clean, fresh, organic and prepared with care and it was palpable in the effects I could experience. The impromptu workshops that were held here also brought in a lot of flavour to my experience here. I felt so much more energetic after a day of engaging with the group than I did at the beginning of the day in the city. I would certainly come back here again. And I would recommend that you visit Sadhana Forest if you are interested in sustainability, regenerative living practices, unschooling, volunteering, permaculture and the like.

A volunteer wrote "Let there be more forests to grow people." and this for me is an apt definition for Sadhana Forest and it's people. The sevas are very intense, there is so much work that on somedays it can push you beyond your comfort zones. It takes a lot to grow and maintain a forest, and at the end of the day, in sweaty t-shirts, getting through another day feels very cathartic... I come back to this place every few months, and every single time, I meet amazing people. The conversations that we have here are unlike any other place that I have experienced, it has burst all my bubbles and changed my outlook for life. There are so. many. amazing. people out there, it just blows my mind! Dear reader, if you feel like you want to connect with people who are challenging the system and showing us a way of sustainability, and of kindness to everyone we share this planet with, then this is the place for you.

Je suis resté deux semaines en tant que bénévole à sadhana forest, c'était vraiment une expérience unique qui prônent de belles valeurs comme le véganisme, le minimalisme, le zéro déchet. Le but premier est de planter des arbres et de conserver l'eau.

On se réveil à 6h pour faire quelque étirements et participer à la vie communautaire, certains vont planter des arbres, d'autres vont couper du bois, s'occuper des repas, de l'hygiène des différents lieux. On travaille environ 5h avec une pause pour le petit déjeuner.
L'après midi on est libre, il y a souvent des activités artistiques que les bénévoles proposent. Il y a aussi un mudpool où on peut se baigner, c'est un lieu très apprécié.

Il m'a fallu quelques jours pour m'adapter aux conditions de vie, car même si je savais peu près a quoi m'attendre, c'est différent de le vivre mais au final je m'y suis fait assez vite.

Il y a des bénévoles venant du monde entier, ce qui permet de voyager tout en restant au même endroit.

Je recommande vivement a tout le monde de venir et faire son expérience, la participation est de 600 roupies par jour pour pouvoir payer les repas, ce qui équivaut à 7€ environ.

J'y reviendrai très certainement.

Sadhana Forest to me is a home with open doors. A sustainable vegan community with warm hearts and an intention to engineer compassion in every thought process. A day in Sadhana Forest starts at 6:00am where we join in for the morning circle and then choose our sevas (selfless service). Morning sevas could include planting trees in the forest which is so much fun with our community friends. We dig trenches, discuss about native trees and learn so much from the Forest Manager. Another seva I love is the Gaushala where we have so many cows who are all rescued cows. Feeding and brushing them just brings me so much joy! We shower them with love and care so that we can take away any memory of abuse in their past. Other sevas could include kitchen hygiene and cooking meals for the community where we all sit at the kitchen table chatting away as we help the chef. The meals are completely unprocessed, vegan food that will make you crave for a second and also third serving! After breakfast, we choose sevas that help with the general upkeep of the community, like accomodation, compound, toilet cleaning etc till it's lunch time. Afternoons are mostly relaxed and we hang out with friends, attend fun workshops to learn new things or go for a dip in the amazing mud pool. I personally love to curl up in the hammocks and read for a bit till it's 4:00 pm and delicious vegan tea and laddo is served at our tea hut! I have changed for the better and my life will never be the same again. I will always have Sadhana Forest in my heart wherever life may take me. I urge everyone to pay a visit to understand kinder ways to exist on this planet which is our only home.

Sadhana has changed my life in the ways I cannot imagine. Excited to find myself in this beautiful vegan forest with delicious food, amazing community with people from all walks of life and various countries around the globe.
I highly recommend Sadhana forest to anyone who wishes to spend time close to nature and live consciously.
We have beautiful days doing seva(selfless service) at the community in Auroville. We spend the afternoons exploring the nearby areas with friends from the community and also engage in workshops and discussions around interesting topics that are core values of Sadhana forest. Community living experience is something that I cherish here.

My experience in Sadhana Forest was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life! It’s been nearly 6 months since I’ve been staying in Sadhana Forest, Auroville. I met a lot of incredible people from all over the world, every individual I met broke the monotony of my life, so many interesting stories and experiences were shared.

My favourite part of living in Sadhana Forest are the values of compassion, gift culture, natural learning, veganism, and seva that encompasses all aspects of living in this wonderful community!

Waking up every day early morning and listening to beautiful bird sounds, and getting ready to do seva in morning is just blissful, my favourite seva in the morning are gaushala, forest, and breakfast cooking.

My favourite second/afternoon seva was accommodation, I loved taking care of and maintaining the huts!

My best time in Sadhana Forest will always be in the gaushala. Previously, in my life I had never touched a cow until now. I remember when I brushed Hari, a friendly white bull, for the first time, I broke down into pieces realising how cruel the world is for killing animals for meat, leather, and other products

It’s been a great journey interacting with 9 cows/bulls and 3 calf’s….everyone have different character and personalities
For example Devi, Lucky, and Rosie prefer to be alone and take their time to understand us.
Happy, Vishnu, and Hari are starting to trust humans and love getting brushed.
So far I’ve experienced how Vishnu connects with every individual who comes to the gaushala!
I remember when one of our volunteers, Gargi, came to gaushala. I remember leaving Vishnu to Gargi to spend time alone and I was being with the kids in the children’s land to play with the other cows, then I saw Vishnu licking Gargi and this alone made Gargi decide to stay for 1 year just for Vishnu! The connection they formed in such a short time was truly incredible and touching!

You never know how one person’s emotions can make a great change in another person’s life.

The Tea Hut is a one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life, it’s a cafe where we give coucunut milk and vegan laddu to any neighbours, local villagers, visitors, and volunteers as a gift, for free, and it was the best culture moment of my life. This idea of giving for free without any expectations really changed my outlook in life.

After spending time with lot of short-term volunteers staying for 4 days, most of them wish they stayed for more than 4 days. I would highly recommend anyone to come and live in Sadhana Forest for at least 7 days-21 days to fully understand the core values of Sadhana Forest. I also highly encourage families and kids to come stay in the forest, kids will certainly enjoy being free to play in nature and it adds a lot of liveliness and joy to the community!