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Weblog for India: Sustainability in Practice at Auroville - Fall 2005

 
 

another hot day in India

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today the sun is hot but the breeze is cool and strong enough to make wind chimes kiss. We've been visiting so many communities, farms, etc. this week as we view possible internship sites. Tomorrow we will have to solidify our plans for the faculty and most of us have decided. A few are still oscilating between what might be fun to do here and what might be more aligned with future ambitions. Personally, I believe...

MORE...

... that any internship opportunity here will help us all along this path called life. This whole program is preparing us in so many subtle ways for whatever is next.

Tuesday night we met Wim, our other faculty, for the first time. He came down with a flesh eating bacteria on his hand just a few days before we boarded planes to fly to Mother India. He was on his own rollercoaster ride of surgeries and recoveries. He will need one more surgery and a week in the hospital but that won't be for a few days. Bindu, our other faculty, along with the rest of the staff have been so awesome in juggling schedules and holding together a very strong program in his absense. Needless to say, since Tuesday, we have all been meeting/greeting/embracing this mysterious man called Wim, often represented in our group by a tiny Ganesh statutue until now.
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Here we all are with Wim

Okay, words are escaping me... so here are some photos to satiate your palette.
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cows in the roadway

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Tamil woman with goats

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Here we are with Krishna learning about Solitude Farm -- at least three or four of us will be interning here.

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Interns will work aside these two Tamil women at Solitude.

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Peanut field at Solitude

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Amy gets a close view of some cooking at Solitude

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Katie trying to keep cool in the hot India sun

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Some last minute Q and A with Krishna before we take off to lunch.

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Lunch at the visitor's center

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Then we cycled to AuroAnnam farm to talk to Dr. Lucas about EM (effective microorganisms), Biodynamics, and Cashews.

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coconut tree lined path at AuroAnnam

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Bindu at AuroAnnam

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Brendon sitting in a cashew tree

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break time. Bindu and Dr. Lucas are in the foreground

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EM -- you can fertilize your crops, clean your house, wash your face, or drink this stuff!!!!

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Kristen and I at AuroAnnam
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Don't pet the dogs, we are advised. Dogs roam the streets, villages, communities, they are everywhere with either large testicles hanging low or with tiny week old pups hanging from their swollen teets. Over population is not only an issue for people, but dogs too. Dogs are mangy and often you'll see them with a lame leg dragging on the ground. but often, you'll see dogs with collars too... just as mangy and always roaming. You can definately tell the difference between a dog that is kept as a pet by a villager compared with those kept by Aurovillians. regardless, it's hard to resist the temptation of petting -- most of us can't resist!

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some 3-D doodling by yours truely.


Posted by: Jules Berner on Sep 22, 05 | 12:11 pm


[2] comments (3305 views)

 
 

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