Navadarshanam: Building community through agro-ecology

Tamil Nadu— About 50 km from Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), in Gumlapuram village of Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, is a 100-acre lush forest-farm. Navadarshanam (new vision) Trust, the community that operates this farm, offers courses in permaculture, soil health and farming.

Jackfruit, banana and coconut trees are in plenty here; the land is rich in sandalwood trees – that sprouted naturally, thanks to bird-pollinators that are in abundance as the site is close to the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Short residential courses are attended by people from near and far. A small community lives on the farm; in the past seven years, this community has supported nearby farmers whose organically grown vegetables, fruit and grains are sold to customers in Bengaluru through the Community Supported Agriculture initiative. The experiment in community living began in 1990; in 32 years, what was barren land has turned into lush forest.

TS Anantu, founder-trustee of Navadarshanam, who currently lives in Delhi, explains that Gumlapuram was not always barren. Kenneth Andersen, 20th century hunter, wrote “The Spotted Devil of Gummalapur”, about a man-eating leopard, set in this region. What was once dense forest degraded, with repeated drought and villagers seeking two cycles of the ragi or finger millet crop using chemical inputs. “We knew that land, left alone, would regenerate,” says Anantu, and that was how Navadarshanam’s journey began.

There was fortunate coincidence too: In 1982, Chandi Prasad Bhatt of the Chipko Movement that saved forests in Uttarakhand was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award. Journalist Arun Shourie too won the award that year, and the two travelled together to Manila to receive it. When Bhatt later fell sick with a condition that was hard to diagnose, Shourie recommended that he try Ayurvedic treatment with a renowned practitioner in Coimbatore. Bhatt knew no Tamil, and was out of place in Coimbatore. Shourie asked his friend Anantu, then at the Gandhi Peace Foundation in New Delhi, but visiting Tamil Nadu, to spend time with Bhatt.

After spending time with Bhatt, though, Anantu could not return as the latest bus had left – at 6 pm. Given the activities of forest brigand Veerappan, who was killed by police in 2004, the roadways did not operate buses by night in that region in those days. That was how Anantu landed up at the ashram of Swami Sahajanand at Thally, to spend the night. At the ashram, he encountered fellow engineer Om Bagaria. The two would later be part of an IIT Delhi-Gandhi Peace Foundation study group that assessed society and politics. While initially deeply influenced by the Gandhian socialist Jayaprakash Narayan and the JP Movement named after him, the friends grew disillusioned with politics and the focus on power. Bagaria pushed for attempting to live out their ideals, moving to live together in a community and working the land.

With the help of Swami Sahajanand, parcels of land were purchased from farmers in the area to set up the nearly 100-acre farm. By 1990, the community moved there – Anantu and his wife Jyoti, Om Bagaria and his wife Pushpa, and a few other friends with their families. While that first generation of founder-trustees has now mostly moved back in retirement to their families in other parts of the country, a new set of families now resides in Navadarshanam, led by Gopi Sankarasubramani, who studied aeronautics engineering at IIT and worked in California for two decades before returning to work the land in Navadarshanam.

Anantu lists the five principles that were already in place when the first residents moved to Navadarshanam in 1990:

1. Nature heals itself; the job to undertake is only to enable that healing. Swales were dug on contour to slow the flow of water through the land, and groundwater gradually rose in response.

2. Food can be grown in keeping with the rhythms of nature and using the cycles of nature for revival and rejuvenation.

3. The buildings for living and work spaces were initially built with mud blocks. Since termite infestation was hard to handle, stabilized mud blocks that contain three to five percent cement was later used.

4. The community is self-sufficient in water and electricity; the idea is to use locally available and renewable sources of water and power. Rainwater is harvested, there are ponds on the land, some of which have been created artificially; there is also re-use of grey water. Solar power is used for all the electricity requirements and a biogas unit serves the fuel requirements of the community kitchen. What is noteworthy is that the electricity requirements of the community are also minimal – there are no air conditioners, fans or refrigerators; and visitors seldom miss these appliances while on the farm.

5. In healthcare too, the same principle as that used for soil health is invoked – periods of illness could be moments to pause and rest; nature usually heals itself, and the body could recoup, through either a diet recommended for a particular illness or through fasting. Allopathic medicine is avoided, as far as possible.

The principles that inspired the first generation of the community continue to inspire Navadarshanam, although changes have occurred with time. In Bangalore, Navadarshanam now represents a trusted brand of organic food. One can order ragi powder, chikki, chutney, cake and pickles from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) venture, which provides weekly baskets of vegetables to a set of regular customers.

Customers are not offered a choice of vegetables, and whatever is grown and available in the season is supplied. “Sometimes, if a batch of spinach is not perfect, it is still sold – if the customer had grown it at home, she would hardly discard it,” explains Gopi. A regular set of customers has been making repeat orders, and about 30 people from nearby villages now earn their livelihood thanks to the CSA. Annual turnover is about Rs 2 crore, and this has proven a viable livelihood for farmers in the vicinity who were earlier mostly marginal, dryland farmers with a precarious income.

Gopi explains that this work also serves to expand the palate of the consumer – if winged beans, for instance, are supplied as part of the seasonal produce, customers may not always be aware of the way in which it is cooked because this vegetable is seldom found in city markets. A short recipe may be provided alongside the weekly ration of vegetables.

CSA functions out of the premises of the trust, but is owned and operated by about 30 villagers from the region. Proceeds from the sale go directly to them. The community at Navadarshanam Farm serves as volunteers in this model, sometimes helping to aggregate demand and aiding with sale.

The work has occurred silently, without drawing too much attention. The bonds of community have extended further and further in ripples, as people visit from near and far and return with ideas of lifestyle changes that could go some way to tread lightly on the earth.

“This model cannot easily be replicated,” explains Anantu. Gopi Sankarasubramani too believes that it is essential to remain tied to the land, and to work with a scale that is manageable – there is no attempt to grow bigger or attempt to sell more.