Five busy days awaited the participants of our short course on permaculture, an alternative framework for living sustainably. The Shikha campus was the perfect experimental ground, where we could collect and analyse soil samples, construct a greywater harvesting system, build a vegetable bed and spiral herb garden. In between theoretical sessions about permaculture, the practical outdoor work kept everyone active and on their toes in heat of up to 45C.
Permaculture trainer Dharmendra Vepari from Andhra Pradesh also showed us valuable techniques, including how to build trenches for recharging ground water. Our group of 11 budding permaculturists was joined on the last day by children from the neighboring village, and we all enjoyed some hands-on messy experience with soil samples. According to Dharmendra, we were “the most diverse group he has ever taught”, as we translated back and forth between Hindi, Sambalpuri Oriya, English, and Indian Sign Language. We are ready for more of the same any time!