ecojames

Happy New Year everyone! What an exciting busy year it has already been! The year started off in Mumbai India’s most populated city (population 22 million) at a friends wedding!
It was such great fun for Rebecca and I not only meeting amazing people but getting amongst the city slickers of this huge city.
Mumbai can be exhausting to be in and by the end of our stay we’d had a blast but were ready to smell some country air again.
On our second last day in Mumbai we received a phone call from Aviram (Sadhana Forests founder) asking us to meet him in Madhya Pradesh to support him in meeting with the state government for discussions regarding possible water harvesting projects we may be working on.
So of course we agreed and headed up to Central India to meet him! Thankfully we were able to spend a good few days in Omkareshwar a holy city on the Narmada river whilst waiting for Aviram. This city/town is really special with many temples, ghats,baba’s and all that jazz so we enjoyed the cultural atmosphere.
We then made our way to Bhopal the states capital to meet with Aviram and to meet our host for what was going to be an intense 3-4 days of driving, meetings and looking at sites.

Very little top soil remains on this site and the water table is very low

The next day we hit the road, the region we were headed to is called the Bundelkhand.
The Bundelkhand is in the north of the state and comprises a several regions of the state; These regions suffer from heavy erosion, overgrazing and all in all desertification.

We finished up in Madhya Pradesh somewhat saddened by the state of the place but at the same time excited and optimistic about the opportunity for us to help this region and the people.

Stones in this site show the severity of erosion

It was really a great feeling to see the hope and eagerness to learn from the people who lived in and around these areas and the government workers posted there.

A village leader showing hope and gratitude regarding the possible work Sadhana Forest will engage in, in the region

Rebecca and I headed back on a 25 hour train journey to Pondicherry in which we were looking forward to getting back into the swing of things in community life.

The day we returned to Sadhana was a beautiful sunny but moderate day. So much had happened in the community since we had left from our new compost toilets being constructed to a new clay built children’s kitchen.
It was great to be back in nature and to be back with our friends.
Since returning I have become involved in our water conservation work in the forest. This has involved working with all the volunteers in repairing of bunds, construction of new bunds, digging of silt traps and working with the A-frame. The A-frame is a tool that we use to measure the contours on the sites we work on. This ensures that the work we do is on contour and that erosion and breakage will not occur. The volunteers I worked with in the past few weeks have done an amazing job and the pictures you see here are some of the examples of awesome bunds  constructed.

An almost perfect bund

The swiss dam

A bund in need of some work due to erosion

Our display bunds

I received the news today that a few volunteers and myself will be heading back to Madhya Pradesh for 4 months! Each of us will be working in different regions of the Bundelkhand this is to ensure that we are able to cover the 1100+ sites.
Rebecca will be coming but will be posted in a different region, we have both spoken about this and decided that we are so comfortable in this relationship that it doesn’t matter how long we are apart. So I suppose you could say things are going pretty well for us! 🙂
Trees around our hut are doing well! The banana plants are waist high now and I think it will be no time at all until we have fruit. Planning to create a reverse garbage garden using pots pans and other items so that too is exciting but will have to wait till I return from MP.

Something that is very important for me to add in this post is a big THANK YOU!! to the people who have contributed financially to me in the past month or so. The money contributed so far is going to be a huge help in supporting me in achieving the work I do, you know who you all are….

I am so happy with life and work at the moment, I am constantly being inspired by the people I meet, work with and the activities I engage in.
I just want to encourage all of you out there to try and make the most out of your time. The world in my opinion is in crisis socially and environmentally; I feel its really important to get out there and do your part no matter how small it is.

Well thats it for now. Please feel free to leave a comment any advice, feedback or questions would be great!

If you like what I am doing and want to help you can! All the work I do is only made possible by people like you! To survive here in Sadhana Forest is only 4 Australian dollars per day which is the cost of a bottle of coke. Click on the link below to give your support thanks again! -James

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