Navadarshanam – An Exploration of Alternatives to the Modern Way of Living & Thinking
INTRODUCING NAVADARSHANAM…….
Navadarshanam (“New Vision”) is an exploration of alternatives to the modern way of living and thinking. Its origin can be traced to a Study Circle that used to meet in Gandhi Peace Foundation and the Indian Institute of Technology at Delhi in the 1970s and 1980s. A decade of study, introspection and discussion among these concerned individuals led them to the conviction that the urban-industrial way of life was leading to alienation of the individual from self, nature and the Creative Power, resulting in ecological destruction, increasing poverty, unemployment and unmanageable levels of social disintegration and violence. To get away from this vicious cycle, they felt the need to explore alternatives to the modern way of living and thinking. In particular, they felt the need to explore the possibility of a new kind of science and technology: a science that would recognize the realities of the spiritual dimensions, and concomitant technologies that would enhance rather than destroy ecology. Central to this way of thinking is the recognition that there exist forces which are invisible to our physical senses, but are nevertheless the centres of power in shaping our universe and in taking care of its ecological balance.
To give these ideas practical shape, in 1990-91 they created a Trust and bought 115 acres of land next to a small hamlet about 50 km from Bangalore. This land was completely degraded and unproductive at that time. On this land, they have conducted experiments in the following five areas:
Eco-restoration: Merely by preventing grazing, the land has been converted from wasteland to a nascent forest. Thousands of trees have appeared, planted by the mysterious forces of nature invisible to the senses. Soil conditions have improved dramatically.
Natural farming: On this improved soil, in limited and carefully selected areas, fruit saplings and a few vegetables and cereals/pulses have been planted with minimum disturbance to those trees and bushes which have come up naturally. No chemicals and pesticides are used, the faith being that a healthy soil will take care of all plants in its bosom. This process is aided by lots of mulching around the plants.
Health and food: Based on the principles taught by a Swamiji of a nearby Ashram, food items and cooking methods have been classified according to digestibility/acidity-alkalinity. Diseases are seen as `absence of ease’, caused by undigested food, which disturb the ecology of the body. The subtler (‘pranic’) forces responsible for restoring this ecology are encouraged to play their role more effectively by changing our food patterns such that digestion is easy and effective. Food items developed along these principles have been made available to our network of friends in Bangalore.
Energy: Because of the ecologically damaging nature of the technologies that generate power these days, and also their centralized and user-unfriendly administration, connection from the state’s grid has been shunned. Instead, all power requirements, including that for pumping water and for lighting, is generated through solar panels and systems, wind power and also from oil made from the seeds of honge, one of the trees that nature has brought up in a big way during the regeneration process. Gobar gas (methane from cow dung), charcoal made on the land and wood stoves are used for cooking needs.
- Housing: All dwelling units at Navadarshanam have been constructed with the help of alternative technologies, using eco-friendly concepts (such as compressed mud blocks). The philosophy adopted has been to combine ecology with economy. Thus, least amount of cement and steel has been used, instead the stress is on locally available material and labour. The house designs maximize the use of nature’s bounties – the breeze is such that no fans are needed even in the summer months, and no artificial lighting is required during day hours.
While the above five give an idea of the kind of work done by the Nd team, this represents only their work in the world ‘out there’. Their main stress has been on ‘inner work’ – purification of the mind. They wish to re-define ‘success’ and ‘progress’ for themselves in terms of inner work, rather than accumulation of goods or achievements at the worldly level, and hence constantly remind each other that it is freedom from the five passions – anger, sex, greed, attachment and ego – that is or should be their goal in life.
Those who will welcome you at Navadarshanam are Partap Aggarwal and his wife Sudesh, Om Bagaria and his wife Pushpa, T.S.Ananthu and his wife Jyoti, Swami, Lata, Manja, Yoga, Parvattama, Laxmiamma, Puttiah, Beeranna, Ananda and Chickamanja. Partap Aggarwal has a Ph.D. from Cornell, taught Anthropology at Colgate Univ., before returning to India where he pioneered natural farming concepts at a Quaker center in central India. Om Bagaria has a degree in Mech. Engg. from IIT Kharagpur, and has had 35 years of experience in R&D. Ananthu has a B.Tech. in EE from IITM, an M.S. from Stanford Univ, several years’ experience in systems engineering prior to switching to full-time work in the Gandhian field. His wife Jyoti has a Ph.D. in Sociology from TISS, followed by many years of teaching and research experience at St.Xaviers’ in Bombay and IIT in Delhi. The other ten are villagers who have become part of the Navadarshanam team
For further details, contact: Jyoti or T.S.Ananthu at phone no.
080- 6599-6024 or 08110-329201
or email jyotiananthu@gmail.com
or see the website http://www.navadarshanam.org/
Route to Navadarshanam:
Step1: Get to Anekal. The shortest way to do so from the city is to get on to Hosur Road, and 5 km after Electronics City turn right at a place called Chandapura. This turning is 5 km after Electronics City, and a short distance (about one km) after Narayana Hridayalaya. Distance from Koramangala to Anekal = 26km.Alternative route is to take Bannerghatta Road, go past Jigani and on to Anekal.
Step2: Drive to the market circle of Anekal (past the bus stand), keep going straight past this circle. This road will take you to Gumalapuram village, about one km after crossing the border into TN. Distance from Anekal to Gumalapuram= 8km.
Step3: Keep going straight through the village of Gumalapuram and just after the village is over take turning to right. The yellow board at this turn indicates it is the road to Navadarshanam via the hamlet of Ganganahally. Reach this hamlet (sticking to the tarred road, ignoring the mud paths) along this road. Distance = 2 km.
Step 4: Turn right at T-junction in hamlet where the tarred road ends. This goes through the cobbled path of the hamlet to a mud road, and a short while later you will see the Navadarshanam gate on your right. Distance= 1 furlong..