Help Sadhana Forest To Grow More Trees Worldwide

While striving to be a sustainable and contributing member of Sadhana Forest' worldwide movement we also encourage our clients to do so.

As from the Sadhana Forest' website:

Sadhana Forest started its ecological revival and sustainable living work on December 19th 2003.

The vision of its founders, Yorit and Aviram Rozin, is to transform 70 acres of severely eroded, arid land on the outskirts of Auroville. In a spirit of human unity, Saddhana Forests aim is to introduce a growing number of people to sustainable living, food security through ecological transformation, wasteland reclamation, and veganism. Our energy and resources are focused on the creation of a vibrant, indigenous Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF).

Sadhana Forest - Greening the Planet from the Grassroot with leadership support, Aviram and Jorid Rosin

Sadhana Forest won the third place in the Humanitarian Water and Food Award (WAF) 2010. The ceremony took place in the Marble Hall of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, on November 25th, 2010. Shri Ashok Kumar Attri the Ambassador of India to Denmark honored Sadhana Forest by attending the ceremony.

This award is an international recognition of the quality of the ecological and humanitarian work done by Sadhana Forest in India and Haiti.

Sustaining Members together with Donors provide constant and reliable support to Sadhana Forest. By making a donation we, you and us all allow Sadhana Forest to implement its goals. Read more about how to become a sustainable member on Sadhana Forest' website.

Additional information (from: Pondicherry Tourism)

Entry fee and Timings of Sadhana Forest

Sadhana Forest welcomes tourists all year round without any entry fee. You can come and visit this gorgeous 70-acre forest area anytime. However, if you plan to stay here, you must communicate with the administrative staff and pay for your stay.

Best Time to Visit Sadhana Forest

Since it is open all year round, you can plan a visit anytime you wish. However, we would strongly advise you to avoid the monsoon season from June to September since it is a coastal area after all. Summers can get sticky and humid. Winter is the best time to enjoy the quietness of the forest, from October to March. However, as volunteers, you are welcome anytime to serve the community.

Things to Do at Sadhana Forest

The Tour

The tour begins by demonstrating how to use the bio-compost toilets and the water-saving hand washing station. The team's dedication to conserving water and other natural resources is evident in all they do. Their kitchen includes a hand pump for drawing water as well as a water purifying system. The stove they use is a rocket stove, and it consumes 60-80 percent less fuel than ordinary wood stoves. The volunteer-driven bicycles power the blender/mixer.

#Trivia: They have three to four traditional large wood stoves that are an experience of their own.

They use wood ash and coconut fibres to clean the kitchenware that are later disinfected with vinegar.

The volunteers commute by bicycle and do most of their forestry work on a tricycle. They use bio-compost as a fertiliser.

Sadhana Forest is proud to be a zero-waste zone. Instead of "reduce, reuse, recycle," their mindset is "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or go without!"

Sadhana Forest in Puducherry is a vegan paradise. It is a deliberate choice, given that growing food for our omnivorous diet needs five times the amount of water that a vegan diet produces (and 2.5 times more than a vegetarian diet). They do not utilise any animal-based products in their meals, including milk, butter, ghee, curd, and so forth. Instead, they use organic vegetables purchased locally from farms such as Solitude Farms and others.

Having vegan cuisine does not prevent them from serving delectable meals, such as certain Indian sweets made without milk, ghee, or refined sugar. The thali is one of the most incredible dinners you'll ever experience.

Did you know?

Not long ago, the coastal stretch from Visakhapatnam south to Tamil Nadu was thickly forested. The woods cut down over time, leaving nothing more than deteriorated thorny thickets. It resulted in a significant drop in the water table over time.

Over 27,000 trees have flourished ever since the project was initiated 15 years ago. The vast majority of these have survived and are growing slowly but steadily.

Sadhana Forest adheres to the "unschooling" ideology, which promotes self-directed learning. Watering the gardens, painting, drawing, cooking, building, playing games, and planting trees are popular activities among students. They have a tiny kitchen where the kids may prepare fruit salads or make chapatis, laddus, and other treats.

The outdoor play area includes tyre swings, a beam balance built of discarded tyres, a hurdle climb, and tin box drums. They also have a large hut to conduct daily meetings and discuss novel ideas and initiatives. As far as electricity is concerned, they are able to charge their mobile devices only once a day, for not more than a couple of hours. This is possible thanks to the seven generators installed in the premises.

Visitors may go for a trip around the forest and view the water conservation initiatives, tree planting, solar system, and houses made from local natural and repurposed materials. They may also have a complimentary vegan dinner and vegan tea and visit the Goshala (cow shed) and the children's playground made of recycled tyres.

Sadhana Forest offers a full tour, a documentary screening, and a vegan meal every Friday for free. This event is free to the public, and no reservations are necessary. At 4:30 PM, a community tour begins, taking visitors through the sustainable facilities and the forest while outlining the project's objective, accomplishments, obstacles, and future goals.

Participants might volunteer to share their knowledge and hold free courses. It might be anything from Mongolian poetry to the construction of solar cookers, depending on the varied skills and interests. On weekdays, you will usually see them huddle in the afternoon around 2 PM.

How to Reach Sadhana Forest

From the Airport: You can take the Perengalathur route 10km southwest of the airport and go to the bus station outside the airport to take the bus to Perengalathur. Once there, request a bus to Pondicherry via Tindivanam.

From the bus stand: Take buses to Pondicherry through Tindivanam that will take you around 3–4 hours.

From the Railway Station: The forest is 10km from the railway station and can be reached with the help of a taxi or a rickshaw.

You can also book a private cab from top car rental companies in Pondicherry to reach the forest easily.