India #2

The Freedom of Neem

Mar 3, 2010

A couple of us the other day came across another Cobra snake. I was walking down the road and Jai Singh was pointing at something which I soon noticed was a Cobra right outside the farm. Jai Singh and Narinda picked up a big rock, and with 1 throw hit the snake on it's head where it soon perished minutes later. Crazy. This snake wasn't as big as the one I saw a couple weeks ago but I guess any Cobra is big. Sucks the sucker lost it's life but the locals did what they had to do so I just watched the whole process unfold.

Today I was gonna head to Mussorie for the day however yesterday I got myself a major sun burn all over my back. I'd say the worst sun burn I have ever had, but thankfully it's not blistered which would mean trouble. Ha. I am mending it with fresh plants, and aloe vera from the fields.
Yesterday I was in the Chamomille garden by myself listening to my headphones getting into the picking chamomille zone when I thought I would work with my shirt off-give my body some color..Well after a good 1 1/2 hours I put my shirt back on and within a couple hours I could already tell I had way to much sun. Last night, my sleep, and this morning have been definitely pain full but I am still keeping it going.
My trip to Mussorie may take place tomorrow depending on how well I heal today.

There is a tree here named the Neem plant which I have heard mentioned so much while being here.

Neem- In India, the tree is variously known as "Divine Tree," "Heal All," "Nature's Drugstore," "Village Pharmacy" and "Panacea for all diseases." Products made from neem have proven medicinal properties, being anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fertility, and sedative. It is considered a major component in Ayurvedic medicine and is particularly prescribed for skin disease.
Neem branches are also used here as tooth brushes my many.

We watched a documentary the other day named "Bullshit" which follows Vandana Shiva around on hyer talks, and travels, and focuses on the farm itself. In the documentary Dr. Shiva talks about how sacred the Neem tree is to her, as she, and others defeated the European Patent Office-who was trying to patent the tree- in 2005. To her the Neem tree represents "freedom". Ha. The name of the documentary was named "Bullshit" as a couple of years ago Vandana received the "Bullshit award" by a group of Free Trade Enterprisers who think that Vandana's cause for organic farming, and anti- GMO's is "Bullshit". Bullshit however is also used in so many day to day activites in India from building structures, stoves, buring the stuff for heat, and composting as well.

We'll it looks like Canada beat thee ol Americans in the Gold medal game of hockey. From what I have read, and heard it was definitely a game to see. Oh well. I'll be sure to catch the next Olympics-in 4 years!!!!. Ha

The other day we had a group of Japanese come stay on the farm for 2 nights which was nice. The entire group had smiles on their face the entire times, and during the evening we had a bon-fire where most the older Japanese ladies sang songs. During dinner I was sitting beside one of the fellows and he wasked where I was from so once Canada was brought up he asked if I knew who David Suzuki is which I responded "Oh yah!". Turns out this fellow named Keibo Oiwa is really good friends with David and co-wrote a book with him named "The Other Japan". Damn! I was pumped as he was buds with ol Suzuki which stoked me out. Keibo was saying he went to school in Montreal, and was in that area duering the Oka Crisis outside of Montreal. Keibo also mentioned he was really good friends with Ellen Gabriel who was the lead spokeswoman for the Mohawks during the Oka crisis and who know is the head of the Quebec Native Womens Association. He mentioned that he invited Ellen to Japan to speak and it was pretty difficult to get her to Japan as Ellen refused to get a Canadian passport, as she is not part of Canada but the Mohawk Nation. She made it to Japan and spoke at an World Indigenous Event.
This is what has been so cool about this farm as there have been so many interesting, smart people that have come through in the last couple of weeks which I have met, and talked to. All concerned about ecology and all trying to do their part to save what's left.
Talking with Keibo at dinner we started talking about authors, and the worlds great thinkers. Being here at the farm I have realized that most of the people I read are really Western based, as the last couple weeks I have come across names of thinkers from the East who have inspired many. Navdanya as a farm was formed after a model that this Indian thinker named Satish Kumar developed years ago. There has been many mentions of Satish Kumar's name here while in India and he is a "hero" to Keibo so I plan on leaning more about this fellow, and others from the area.

This morning I went for a walk outside of the farm in one of the suround fields. Both Lucy, and Badu (dogs) followed me on this walk which was neat. All 3 of the dogs here on the farm are quite interesting. They all really know the farm, its grounds, and its area (boundaries of the farm). Walking with the 2 this morning in another field they were both just super relaxed, and chilled but I know they knew when we were back on Navdanya propterty that they were back in their territory which they protect. On the farm they are always on guard and yesterday while I was picking Chamomille there was a huge dog fight between the 3 and a stranger dog. The fight took place near Pinkies 6 puppies which she had last week so I am not sure if this other dog was hungry, or just getting to close. Here in India with the dogs you just never know as there are thousands of em-most of them wild.

Wow! I just cheked this website for a festival in San Diego that Metric is playing whom I will be touring with when I get home and this band Far who I love, and saw a handful of times in about 97 are playing too. Yah! It turns out Metric is also playing with Flogging Molly (whom I have toured with) in Tempe, AZ. Fun times await.






Seed Sovereignty

Feb 27, 2010

Haha. I am sitting here in some small internet cafe in the middle of rural India right now watching a live score feed of the Slovakia/ Canada hockey game (currently 3-0 Can) and in a way wish I was home watching the festivities. Haha. Oh well. Rural India it is which isn't bad.

So the last 5-6 days have been just "another day" on the farm but still fun, chilled, and relaxed. In the last 3 days the farm has had a course entitled "Seed Sovereignty, and Seeds of Freedom" with about 50 people total including Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Benny Haerlin from Germany, Dr. Salvatore Ceccarelli from Italy, a lady named Debbie from the Center for Food Safety in the US, a handful of documentary film makers doing thing, and many Indian farmers/ seed savers from the country.

Genetically Engineerewd Organism's (GMO's)/ Genetically Modified (Engineered) Food's are something I first heard about during the WTO protests in 1999 in Seattle where there was a big outcry of such procedures. GMO's refers to the alteration of genetic material and when it comes to food GMO's is taking one trait from one organism and through technology insertionng this trait (gene) into another organism.

At first I think most scientists/ genetic engineers thought that they were doing a good thing as there was much talk (in the world) that GMO's would stop world hungry/ feed the hungry however through much research and just common sense when you actually start messing with the fabric of life you start heading down a treachourous path.

Now I am no expert on India but from what I have gathered ere in India with 1.3 billion people food/ poverty is a major issue. At some point in the 60's (or around then) there was a "Green Revolution" happening in India where the Govenment focus was put into feeding everyone and policies were adapted through loans/ and aid. When a country as such starts accepting loans/ aid from the outside they then have to essentially play by the rules so India has been forced to adopt certain policies some of which include changing their agriculture policices including GMO's. Right now the only GMO crop in India is BT Cotton but there is a current struggle to get BT Brinjal (Eggplant) into the system here.

Another crucial fact that I just heard in these past couple of days is due to the policies adopted which basically strangle small famers/ and make them adopt policies which they normally wouldn't (the use of pesticides/ adopting GMO's) there has been something like 150 000 farmer suicides in a certain area of India where some of these farmers have actually drank the pesticides they have been forced to purchase.

So the last couple of days in the class have been spent talking about GMO's, talking about organic faarming, we were shown how to cross breed plants (naturally) and then yesterday was spent talking about strategies in the struggle against GMO's.
Most of what was discussed in regards to GMO's and their effect on the planet have been things I have heard but everything which was discussed and focused on around India I didn't really have a clue.
It's not every day that I just meet, and talk to scientists from around the planet which was the best part of it. The other morning Daniel, and I were in the back of the compound and had a huge discussion with Salvatore who is from Italy but living in Syria where he is working with farmers in that country and has many experiments/ farms set up in the Middle East (Iran/ Jordan). There was something he was talking to us about which was quite interesting. Ants for example. People see ants in their field and they want to get rid of them when these ants actually help the plants out tremendously in certain areas. DUe to the ants traveling underground, and making tunnels when it rains the water actually is able to travel down these tunnels made from the ants and feed- water the entire plant. If these ants were not there, the water would moisten the top layer of the soil, and never make it down to the root which is where the water is really needed.

There is so much happening in our world and so much that goes un-noticed by the general citizens which is quite disheartening. We all need to stop swimming on the surface and actually take a dive, and go underwater as there is a lot happening which needs attention.
The fabric of life here is being manipulated through computers, and scientists. Our world, and food has survived for thousands of years in it's natural state and is now being destroyed by major corporations (ie-Monsanto).
I remembed years ago reading about a tomtato which has been spliced with a gene from an artic fish to stop it from freezing during frosts. There are certain foods spliced with proteins from nuts which is scary as some people have nut allergies and may eat this modified food which isnt a nut, but has a nut protein in it and have a reaction.
Another scary thing with all of this is it's not out in the open. For example here in India there has just been a law passed that you can receive a fine, and or jail time if you speak out, or label food that is made with GMO's. Most of these laws have been passed, and forced upon due to the parents of these policies namely the WTO (World Trade Organization).
In the US/ Canada there is no law in which GMO food has to be labeled although there has been struggles to get these laws passsed but when your dealing with major corporations/ industries/ and lobbyists in the government the chances of winning are slim. Also most of my familiarity with GMO's came from living in the US and actually just did some internet searching and it looks like there is tons of food in Canada as well which has been altered.

GO ORGANIC!!

...So Canada just beat Slovakia 3-2 in the semi finals, whcih means Canada now faces thee almighty US of A in the gold medal game. Kick some American ass Canada!! HaA!

So I think in the next couple of days I am going to take a day or 2 away from the farm and head up to Mussorie which is a town in the Himalaya's whcih you can see from our farm, and where you can actually see further into the Himalaya range which would be nice. I had planned on going there tomorrow but on Mar 1st there is a holiday named "holy" which I have been told all of the buses will be full. The farm is starting to emoty out, as last week the 2 spainards left, yesterday Daniel left, last night Geeta and her Mum went to DElhi (to return back), and Carrie/ Tunvie took off for a couple of days into the mountains.
My trip is slowly coming to an end as my departure date back home is getting closer and closer. It's gonna be nice to get back home although I don't have an official address (home) and I will only be home for about 5 days before I head to AZ for tour. Another chapter, with some more adventures.

Feb 26, 2010

So I just got online for the first time in a couple of days and the first thing I did was check the Olympic hockey scores. Last time I was online Canada was about to play Russia in where whoever won this game would continue, and who ever lost would pack their bags and head home. My cards were thrown completely behyind Russia (and Sweden) and I am now seeing that both teams are out which means Canada does now have a shot at gold. Damn!.




Nothing like bare hand and a fresh cow loaf!!

Feb 20, 2010

Today I woke up bright and early-6:45AM- to go into the Lecture Hall and do some yoga. The morning temperatures here at the farm have been changing in the last couple days and warming up. The first week or so while being here the mornings have been quite chilly and definitely stopped me from doing yoga as I only have shorts due to leaving my long-johns in Delhi. At home I don't think I would ever wake up at 6:45 unless I absolutely had to..ha..but I must say it's definitely really nice although I am usually sleeping by 9PM so....

A couple of days ago I was doing some yoga which I then followed with some crunches when I hurt my back pretty bad. My back has been pretty tight here since my arrival but the other day it came to a tipping point. It's crazy how much your body, and the way it feels affects your vibe/ mood. For the first couple of hours I was definitely not pumped and kept all my movement to a minimum but then slowly regained my spirits and dealt with the cards I had. May back is still not anywhere being better but it currently feels way better then it did.

Since thee ol spine was injured I haven't done too much work here. Listening to tunes, reading my book, and just taking in life in rural India has been the routine.

Manulo, Daniel, and I went into Dehradun the other day to have a day away from farm life. I must say I always enjoy getting on a local bus, which are usually quite rickety (here at least), loud, dirty and in a completely foreign country (very foreign) non the less. After the bus, we jumped into a bik-ram (a taxi but not a car-taxi...kind of a motorized carriage) and headed to the center clock tower where the main market was.

India is such a populated country it's pretty hard to wrap my head around. There is 1/6 of the population of the entire world in this country and it's something that you can't really escape unless you travel in rural India which is where Navdanya is located.

The main market of Dehradun was jammed pack with people/ shops, horns from bikes/ cars, and a lot of dust/ dirt. We didn't really have a set mission to our trip except to get off the farm for a day, plus we had all discussed having a beer, and buying beer to bring back to the farm. It's quite funny as Manulo had gone into town the day before with his girlfriend Naomi, and Carrie but he said all they really did was shop so when Daniel, and I mentioned we were going into town, and gonna grab a beer Manulo instantly said "Im coming to". We bought our beers, and headed to a park to enjoy the sun and our nice semi cold Fosters. It was nice to go into town, and change the scenery a little bit but I must say that I was looking forward to returning to Navdanya back to the peace and quite.

So 2 nights ago after we had returned from town with 9 beers for everyone else at the farm we ate another wonderful dinner, and then head to our lil hang out spot which is behind the rooms we all sleep in and it's somewhat located behind the main area. A little party had begun, the beers were brought out and most everyone gathered there for a lil hang session before bed time. While we were sitting there Geet (who is a genious, an herbalist, a handyman, and an all around good guy) came over to me, and said "Tomorrow. You will build a bench" as everyone sitting around were just on chairs and the bench that did exist was only 2 bamboo poles.

Yesterday I took on this mission of building a bench, and recruited Daniel, and Manulo as my partners in crime. First we decided the plan of attack on how we were going to build such a bench and I then went to get some tools from Satya (another handy man/ chef extraordinaire/ and another person connected to the local indigenous agriculture from the area) and brought them back to begin the work. Our plan on building the bench needed wood planks to be cut so we tried to do this with the saws provided but all the saws they had were way to fragile for the job. I think all of us thought "this is gonna be a long day" as we tried to saw our way through a plank or 2 which was a very hard thing. Geet then came over, and said "you can use bricks" which instantly changed the plan of attack and made Manulo, Daniel, and my mind ease as we wouldnt have to use these weak saws again. We were then told we could use, wood, bricks, concrete, and or cow dung. Concrete was chosen as Manulo had worked with concrete in the past and would be the one handling this task. We gathered more items and started to build "the bench".

After about 45 mins of digging, laying bricks, running to refill concrete, and laying this concrete Carrie came by and told us we should use cow dung. She had actually told us this earlier saying "Dont use concrete. Concrete is bullshit. Use Cow dung" which I would have been into but concrete was chosen. So when Carrie came by I responded "yes" and took on the cow dung as my mission. I found Gunga (chef/ handy man) so he could help me out making this cow dung and intitally getting the mix right. We grabbed a bucket and I followed him to the back of the farm where the seed bank, and cows find their home.

Gunga went right up to the first cow and picked up the pile of its fresh poop from behind him. This was a definite first and since this was my mission I was going full force ahead so I went over to the next cow, grabbed all of its fresh poop-with bare hands non the less- yah!- and continued taking all of the poop from the cows, and the manure pile. Gunga has a cyst in his arm so he showed me the intial "what to do" and I then proceed to do the rest. After our bucket was filled with cow dung we walked back to kitchen area, put a couple of huge chunks of clay dirt in the bucket as well and then proceed to make a cow dung for our new concrete substance.

All the walls of the buildings here, the stove that our food is cooked on, an oven outside, and most any other structures here are made with cow dung.

Like I just mentioned you take fresh cow poop, clay, add water, and mix together with.....your bare hands. Haha. Manulo, Daniel, and I were all quite amused and they both picked me as the one who would deal with the dung. No problem! Ill handle it! Where is the TV show "Dirtiest Jobs" when you need em. Ha. So I stuck my hand, and arm into the bucket and proceed to mix-well-this cow poop, clay and water until it was all mixed, and ready for laying.

Here we are, laying bricks, and using nothing but cow excrement/ and clay as concrete. Truly Genious!! Part's of the world as such are considered "Developing Countries/ 3rd World Countries, etc etc" which are word's used a description but also this description sometimes is used negatively, and used by some for their own good. The other day I was thinking about the farm, and the term "development" in regards to India. Being here in India, and specifically this farm which is the coolest place I have come across (due to the self sustainability) I think of the term "development" not in the sense of "catching up to the West"...Developing into a country with western structures ....but developing into something that is opposite, and more sustainable then the west. Yes there is the craziest population I have ever come across here in India, and the infastructure is sometimes weak-but by whose standards I guess?- but the population also contributes to this. There is 1/6 of the worlds population here.

So back to the cow poop...a good story always usually contains the mention of poop...So for most of the day yesterday I was picking up, mixing, and spreading this cow dung all over the bricks, laying more bricks, and spreading more dung.

When it was lunch time I did my best to wash off my hands before I consumed my lunch with this once poop covered hands. Haha. Here goes some grossness but hey it is what it is but while I would bring my food closer to my mouth I would get a nice whiff of cow manure. A little addition to this lunch. I figured that my string bracelet wasn't going to get clean and thought this may be the home of the smell so after lunch I cut it off, and went back to making our bench.

The bench was a success, and it's not going to break down any time soon as once the cow dung dries today it will be solid for a long long time.

That's really been the last couple of days. Not to much of anything else but farm life.

I have been here for a week now, and have been having alot of fun with all the locals who live, and work here. I do not know much Hindi-well non except for "Goodnight" which is "Shubha Ratti"/ "Thank you" "Dhanyavad" and am slowly learning some more but I have felt they have all been stoked on me which is fun.



Black King Cobra Snake!!!

Feb 15, 2010

Well it's been 4 days now since I have been living, and working on the Navdanya Biodiversity Conservation Farm and thus far it's been the first time I have experienced life as such, and up to this point in my life it's definitely been one of the coolest experiences in my life.

It's really the first time in my life that I have truly worked with the land-I mean I have spent many hours running in fields, and building forts- with only my 2 hands. When you are working on a farm as such there are no tractors, or huge farm machinery you would find in a big-business-agri-farm. This farm is big, but still small enough to work without mechanical machines. No fuel, no diesel, no engines.

This is also the first time that I have been on a schedule as such and it has been nothing but great. I usually wake around 6:45AM naturally from the coming day light, and the sounds of the birds outside. Breakfast is served around 8:00AM when they ring the bell. Lunch is then served at 1:00PM, dinner is served at 7:00PM and then everyone usually finds themselves in bed between 9-10PM to do it again the next day.

The work on the farm is really nothing but a learning experience. The volunteers here work really when they want to work. Some people work sometimes, and some people don't but everyone does do their part. Like I mentioned the first day there was no work at all. The 2nd day I was here I sifted through rice, and seeds and then weeded a couple gardens.

Yesterday Naoma and myself continued weeding the gardens we had started the prior day. Weeding the garden was quite fun and coming across many different insects non of us had never seen was interesting as well. The mornings are usually really cold-cold enough to see your breath- but once the sun is above the day turns into a cooker. So after some weeding the bell rang, so we headed to the dining hall for lunch where we had a couple of visitors pop in for lunch. Gita had brought up a story about snakes (Cobra's) and I instantly said "Around here. What happens if they bite you?" in which she responded "You die". Haha. So I sat there at the table for a couple of minutes thinking about the weeding we just did and how we were picking up all sorts of things with our bare hands, and we had no clue what was underneath.

After lunch I headed back to the garden which Naoma and I were weeding when all of a sudden I saw a big pure black snake slithering under a walk way due to my presence. HOLY SHIT!! Ha. I didn't freak as there was no immediate danger but I quickly told some of the farmers near me who came over to check it out. The snake had disappeared under the stair case but we did find old skin which the snake was shedding which was good cause after I saw the snake I thought to myself "Wait. This is crazy. We were just talking about it and everyone is gonna think im nuts" haha. It turns out the snake was a Black King Cobra and if they bite you, your body soon becomes paralyzed, and then you go into cardiac arrest and eventually turn into soil-meaning you die!!!. So after the spotting of the snake I, and the rest of us just chilled out in the sun, read, I did some yoga, and waited for dinner.

So the food here has been nothing but incredible but every meal-3 a day- has consisted of white rice, and lots of it. 4 days in plus my time spent in Delhi I am feeling the rice catch up to me which is weird as at home I consume tons of rice, but not 3 times a day. I have been doing yoga here almost daily but laying on my stomach I can really feel the rice, and feel very bloated so from here on out I am going to have very little rice if any at all.

Today I set my alarm for early in the morning as I was going to join Gita in the lecture hall for some early morning yoga but the bed got the best of me. I have been having some really amazing sleeps while at the farm which is intersting as I am sleeping on a cot which my back normally doesnt like but its due to the really cold air, plus the huge blankets that I use to cover me in my sleeping bag and use for a cushion. So I chose to stay in bed for a couple of minutes until the breakfast bell rang. After breakfast, and cleaning up a little I went into the fields with Shella (she works in the seed bank) and spread piles of cow poop/ soil/ compost around the area. Ha. It's not everyday you get to get your hands covered in dirt/ compost which has just come from the bowels of a cow. This is traditional sustainable organic farming and this is what it entails. Afterwards Sheela, Naoma, and I walked through another plot of land recovering all of the roots which turned out to be tumeric root. We removed bags and bags of them which we would then hand over where others would separate the roots- to grow more- and use the rest to make into tumeric. I have used tumeric many times in my cooking and had no clue it was a root type plant from the ginger family. After we had separated the 2 we then cleaned off the roots in the water, and they are still outside drying right now.

This was pretty much the extent of the work today as we have 16 guests from SLOW food university in Italy. Slow food is a non profit organization-member supported- eco-gastronomic organization. So since they are hear there are tons of lectures, and the scientists are here to show them what is being done here on the farm. Another productive yet very relaxed day. I have really enjoyed working with the land, in the dirt, in these elements. This is something which really puts many things into perspective from the way, and what we all eat, to the way this food was produced, and who is really benefitting from all of this.

There is nothing like being the middle of nowhere where really the only sounds are from the farmers, the surrounding farms and the sounds of the birds. I have also noticed personally that my walking here at the farm has been a lot slower then it would be lets say back home. No where to be, and no agenda except farm life. All of the farmers here also are some of the smartest people when it comes to knowing the farm, the food, and the land. It's incredible. Truly. A first time I have ever witnessed a true connection as such. This knowledge has been passed on for generations and generations of "mountain people" as this is what the locals are being at the beginning of the Himalayas. Ha.

Speaking of which the last 3 days now the sky has been perfectly clear and in the distant you can see the beginnings of the Himalayas. It's just the beginning of them so its really only small mountains but just letting your imagination run wild and imagining what lies beyond these hills is quite thrilling.

Alright. It's almost dinner time. OH! On a quick side note about farm life. When you are in India you eat with your hands, your right hand as your left hand is typically used to clean your pooper. Anyways working in the fields, spreading cow shit around, it getting your hands, and nails filthy and then going and eating lunch, and dinner with your semi clean hands is something that.....is farm life!!!...Hahaha. Fun times!!!


Vandana Shiva in the house!!!!!

Feb 13th, 2010

I left Delhi 2 nights ago around mid-night on a night train for Dehradun where I arrived the following morning around 6AM. Before I left Delhi I ate one last meal before my trip and started talking to this Australian couple about our travels, and our lives back home. One thing we talked about was the trains here in India which I had heard so much about and they were telling me their story of waiting 14 hours for a train so I wasn't sure what adventure lay ahead.

I hopped in a Rickshaw, and headed to the train station where my train would depart. With-in 5 mins of my arrival (45 mins before train departure) the train arrived, and I thought to myself "We'll it's here. Will it be on time?" I jumped in, found my sleeper berth and got my things ready for an all night trip. There was a mum, and daughter from Israel plus a dude from Japan in my Berth so we all chatted for about 5 mins until we all hit the sack.

I woke up around 4:00AM when everyone in my berth was getting off at their stop, and a couple hours later my train finally arrived ON TIME in Dehradun. Funny as it was my first train trip here and it ran as smooth as it could. I jumped in a Rickshaw and headed to Navdanya.

The ride to Navdanya was definitely something else as I was on about 3 hours of sleep, the sun was just coming up, it was extremely cold, and I was a completely new place in India that wasn't a huge city as Delhi. The scenery was also quite nice to see as all I had seen up to this point was a big over populated city but now here in Dehradun which is right where the Himalaya's begin there was tree's, small hills, and plenty of farms outside of the city.

After a very cold 30 min rickshaw ride I arrived at Navdanya which I was super excited about. The rickshaw fellow drove me down the drive way, through a big mango orchard-part of Navdanya- and up to the front gate where I saw no sign of life, but I knew people were here- somewhere. Haha. It was early. It was around 7:00AM. There was someone outside smoking who I walked over to but he didn't speak much english so pointed in another direction which is where I went. I dropped my bags off in the "registration office" and continued searching around the front area for someone. I heard some noise in a room, so I walked into it which ended up being a kitchen where the 3 fellows motioned me to come in which I did. There was no one else around but I was quickly served a plate with chapati bread, and this green dip type substance which was made from coriander leaves, garlic leaves, salt, chili's, and lemon juice. While I was eating everyone else working, volunteering on the farm started showing up for breakfast, and I met Gita who is the head cordinator here.

There is a Spanish couple (Canary Islands), 2 girls from the US, a girl from Korea, a lady from Canada but she left after breakfast for the weekend, and a fellow from Germany here.

Gita who is from California but has been living/ working on the farm for about 6 months brought me into the office, had me fill out some paper work, and then gave me a tour of the farm.

This place is insane. IN SANE!! It's a 20 acre Organic farm which focus's completely on food security, bio-diversity, and conservation. In the front of the property are the dorms, the registration area, the dining hall, the kitchen, the lecture hall, and the library. After getting a tour of this area she took me into the fields which was many, and into the back of the property where the seed bank, the vermicompost- which we went over which we uncovered to check out the cow poop/ worms- the compost, and the cows are.

After my little tour Gita said everyone was going to a temple in a couple of hours for the holiday and that I should go. So I filled up my bucket with some warm water, went into the shower stall and washed off. We all then walked to the main road, waited for the tourist bus and away we went. The holiday was Shivatta (spelling) which is for Lord Shiva and everyone-mostly womyn- were dressed in very brightly colored dresses, shawls, and scarfs. Beautiful! We jumped off the bus and proceed to walk-in the middle of the country- for about 45 mins until we reached the temple. On the walk, while we were walking through the forest a monkey went running by about 10 ft in front of us and then actually tried to attempt to intimidate us. After a little yelling the sucker took off but he did seem like he wanted some trouble. Ha.

After sometime we found the temple which was packed with people wearing very bright colors all waiting in line to pay their respects to Shiva. Again when I say temple it wasn't this huge elaborate temple as one would image because we were literally in the middle of now where. We spent most of the day here taking in the worshipping, and most of us-myself included- joined a all womyns singing, clapping, drumming circle which seemed like it had been going on for hours, and would continue to. After all was said, and done we all hopped in a rickshaw back to Navdanya for the night and to eat dinner.

Okay. NAVDANYA!!!This place is incredible. Absolutely incredible. I really do not know where to begin as there is so much. This place is 100% sustainable. 100% I have actually asked the cooks a couple times "Everything came from this farm? really?" That answer is...."Yes". Yesterday I was walked Gunga (one of the cooks) make Chapati bread and he went into this huge barrel to get some flour which was made from the wheat here on the farm. The 4 cows in the back are used by the farm for milk, and for plowing the field. When the cows decided to poop, that poop is used in the vermicompost, and then also thrown into a huge tank-underground- where water is then added to it so it can ferment over time which then makes bio-gas. The stove that our food is cooked off of uses this bio-gas but there is also a propane tank for the quick stove. All of the water which is used to wash the dishes in the kitchen gets drained outside to a trough which collect in another tank which is then used to water the fields and so on. Now 20 acres doesn't sound big at all as 20 isn't a big number but when you are actually on a 20 acre farm in the very back- or wherever- it's absolutely huge. Big enough to sustain whomever is here volunteering, all of the farmers/ workers which number around 20 plus this farm also supplies schools in Dehradun, and Delhi with food.

Dr. Shiva has an amazing, inspiration, must see example of a self-sustainable farm, and a seed bank to keep this food secure.

This morning this girl Nori, and I went to the back of the farm to the seed bank to help out there. On the concrete deck/ platform we poured out 2 huge sacks of red beans, 2 huge sacks of mixed seeds, and about 4 huge sacks of rice. Big sacks. For the next 3-4 hours we just sat, knelt or whatever position was comfortable and slowly inspected the contents to remove any rocks, plastic, leaves, or anything else which shouldnt be mixed in with the seeds. Unfortunately the 2 big sacks of red beans we poured out got infested with bugs due to the rain this area had a couple days ago whcih made the beans bad. With-in about 4 hours there was literally thousands, and thousands of these bugs crawling all over these beans. It sucked to see so much food/ beans being destroyed as these beans would have lasted me personally (the way I eat beans) probably 1/2 a year. There was that many.

Lunch time came around which was nice as both Nori, and my backs/ bodies were super sore inspecting all of these seeds for the unwanted. There are 3 meals a day which have all been extremely delicious again with everything coming from the farm. You want chamomille tea? You walk outside a get chamomille. This morning Gunga walked outside, cut some lemongrass, threw that sucker in the water, and made me some tea. You feel ill here there is an herbalist-whom I have't met yet- who will mix together something for your aiements. There is also a soil studies building here where the scientists on the farm are doing studies on different soils/ plants. It's the real deal. On the buildings in the front of the compound there are solar panels, and near the front gate there is 4 real big solar panels.

We'll I am going to end this here as I will be at this farm for another couple weeks, and there is going to be many other thoughts/ and words. Oh yah! Ha. Vandana Shiva came to the farm today!! Haha. I didn't talk to her as she was ina conversation while I was walking by to do yoga in the lecture hall but she is returning this weekend as we-the farm- are hosting 16 people from Italy who are involved with SLOW food so they are coming here to view the farm.

Frig this place is everything I expected plus so much more as most of us truly do not think deeply about our food, the environment, and the politics behind both. If we all even had 1 sec to see/ view/ experience a place as such our world be a different place.



Bach, Subash and Gang

Feb 11, 2010

We'll today I woke up with an incredibly sore back, which was expected but I need to try and continue to be on my physical routine although am not sure how often this is going to happen. About a week before I left I didn't have time to go to the gym as I was busy moving out of my damn house, into a storage unit, and now that I am here-without my yoga matt of coure (woulda added that much more weight) I haven't done anything physical and am sleeping on a hard bed too. Booo!. Oh well. Its part of the gig.

I wrote about my cab ride from the Delhi airport into the city and how it was definitely an interesting experience. What I didn't mention and what made it even more interesting was the dude and I were just cruising, and in the middle of nowhere the driver pulls over on some dark street, hops out of the cab, and then some other guy gets in and Im like "What the frig is going on?". Haha. I never really understood what was going on but I made it in one piece.

I have now had my 3rd Chana Masala meal today but threw in a Dahl soup which was incredible and tonight before I head to the train station I am going to have one more Chana Masala. Ha.

I am still amazed with this city although I must say I have only been in a certain part which is the center of the city about a 15 min walk from the main train station. The amount of people just in this little area is like nothing I have ever seen. I wish I could pack up all of my friends/ family and bring them here, or take them here at another time but I wonder who would make it, and who would crack. I know it's not for everyone but on the other hand I think everyone must experience something as such as it's completely different then anything that I/ we have ever experienced in our lives.

Well today has been quite the day indeed. I woke up like I mentioned and had a 3rd meal of Chana Masala although that has since change due to a meal this evening with 2 orders of Chana. Yeah!

After lunch I met some Austrian dude named Bach just hanging out on the street who ended up living in the mountains of Austria where he farmed for a living. The guy lived quite far up in the mountains so only grew potatoes, carrots, beets and other roots vegi's but we had ourselves a good little hang session talking about politics, the world, and the destruction of this world.

Bach was telling me tomorrow in the mountains of the Himalaya's is a huge party/ festival for Shiva which I just looked up and it is the biggest part in Nepal celebrating Lord Shiva....If only I knew I would be there Shiva in party celebrations!!!!!

Bach and I had a little hang session until he took off, and I walked the neighborhood where I am staying until I met someone else named Subash who was from Kashmir. Most people from Indian decent I meet here I must say I keep some sot of guard up as you never know their intentions. Well it seems like ol Subash was an alright dude. We walked down the main bazaar until the end at which time he took me out of this area/ my neighbor which was quite something. This is the first time I have been really away from the hussle of everything although it wasn't much different but then again it was completely different as it wasn't so packed, and everyone wasn't approaching me to sell me something etc etc.

Subash spent all afternoon with me taking me to a completely different neighborhood. I guess homeboy was going to school for english and was also helping poor children learn english, and learn in general. At first he lead me to this carpet/ trinket shop which when I walked in I was bombarded with everyone in the shop trying to sell me a carpet, artwork, painting, or wood carving. Subash and I talked the entire time, and I know he felt my vibe and where I was coming from. So he then lead me to another tricket shop when I asked him "whats going on man?. I am not going to buy anything". So he told me, as he tried to tell me before the first shop which I didn't understand that when he takes me (tourists) to these places he gets a coupon from the business where he can then buy the kids he teaches pens. Now I am not sure exactly what happens with these pens, or if they even happen but I know ol Subash knew I was not going to buy anything in these shops, but I also know that me going in them would get him a coupon of sorts which he would benefit from somehow so I went along with it. He was a good dude. Haha. It was nice to get out of my hood and experience other parts of Delhi. Not as crazy but just as wild.

After cruising around for sometime I came back to my hotel, chilled for a bit until I went back to my lil watering hole (grub hole) and stuffed my face with 2 orders of Chana Masala this time plus 2 King Fisher beers. THe buzz is kicking!! There was a couple that was eating next to me who were eating right next to me last night so we started exchanging words which lead to a cool couple hour hang over dinner, and beers. The dude was from Montreal/ then New Brunswick and his lady was from Australia where both are living now. For the hour or so we talked about politics/ life/ travels around India/ South East Asia and the Olympics. Haha. It's funny how in 2 days the winter olympics are taking place but also how that means nothing to most of the world due to their location (climates, and weather).

Alright. Off to experience the trains of India and where that will take me. Hopefully to Dehradun, then onto NAvdanya Farm and if not im sure ill end up somewhere filled with adventures.




Delhiiiiiii!!! Bring It

Feb 10, 2010

This is going to RUUUUULE!!!!

So I have been in Delhi, India now for about 12 hours and all I can say is "this place is completely wild!!"

I arrived at around 3:30 AM this morning after a 12 hr flight to DOha, Qatar and then a 3.5 hr flight onto Delhi. This trip hadn't hit me until I was walking down through the gate, and down my ramp to board my first flight where the biggest smile took over me with a thought of "here we go!!" Amazing

Qatar Airlines is by far the nicest airline I have flown thus far. It's never nice getting on a long ass flight and finding out that your "requested meal" didn't go through but the attendants really went overboard by giving me a huuuge paltter of fruit and these lil avocado sandwiches, and then the QA entertainment system was top knotch with hundreds and hundreds of movies/ tv shows/ and music to pick from. The first flight-the longest- was only about 60% full so everyone had their own row and I managed to get a couple hours of sleep which is a first for me on flights.
On this flight we flew over Saudia Arabia, Iraq-Fallujah, and directly over Baghdad- which was pretty neat but weird as I looked out the window, saw nothing but clouds, and thought about the current war in Iraq. Up in the air everything seemed normal but thinking about down below and a country being brutally occupied. About 200 miles way from Doha, Qatar I started seeing lights in the distance and once we got closer I realized it was huge oil patches, plants, pipelines all along the coast of the arabian penisula. Kinda weird thinking about that area, the politics, and some of those states-Qatar, and others- being extremely wealthy due to this oil.

After a couple hour layover in Doha borded the next flight onto Delhi where I found myself now. When we landed I started talking to this 40 something year old Indian lady who lives in Philly and she was mentioning to me her Dad who was 80 yrs old was going to pick her up and that he is from old British Colonial times so is very conservative and the first thing she thought he was gonna do was yell at her-again she is 40 +- for the way her hair looked after such a long flight. Ha. She was super nice.
I crossed through customs, I changed some cash, and found a pre-paid cab into the city which was something else. My friend Kriten and Gavin were just in Delhi for Gavin to get stem cell treatment and Kristen had mentioned to me the insanity, and air quality in Delhi. Ha. This is definitely the first thing I notcied and still do. There is a constant haze through the air of dust, and smoke which actually messes with the visibility. The cab ride into the city was interesting as I was a little on guard and still am from scams, and touts. For part of the ride I was thinking to myself "oh no. where the heck am i going" and made sure my cab driver knew that I was alert, and paying attention to what was going on. After sometime we arrived in the Pahar Ganj area where my hotel was located, and the first thing I saw after leaving the cab in the middle of the dark morning street was a big black cow. Haha. I managed to get a room around 6AM , went to sleep and woke up around noon feeling a little crazy to start my day.

The street that I am staying on which was completely dark and empty 12 hours ago is one of the craziest, run down, dirtest streets ever and it RULES! It's the first thing I took in once leaving my room which has brought a smile to my face all day. I walked around this part of the city most of the day with my ears getting blasted every second by horns trying to dodge people, cars, motorcycles, bikes, and rickshaws. After being here for even 12 hours I now think that India is not for everyone. Yes I am in the city and I am sure it gets mellower outside but thus far its been WILD which has been the funnest thing ever. Earlier I was trying to think if the cities in Laos/ Cambodia were crazier but hoenstly I have never seen anything like Delhi which rules.

I have already been taking somewhat advantage of which I think happens to everyone at first but I also know that it wont happen again. I went to the train station to buy a train ticket and some dude was like "no. no. you gotta go here. take this rickshaw" so I did, and went to a travel agent-I coulda walked. It wasn't anything major at all-.50 cents (nothing!)- and once at this agent the guy was saying there are no trains available for a couple days so was trying to sell me a trip to the "golden triangle" of India. He then sent me to another place who were good dudes, and they told me to head back to the train station cause there is a foreigner ticket booth..which there was...and which i was looking for an hour earlier....again it was .50 cents. No biggy. "You wont get me next time people! Youve been warned!"

I bought my ticket to Dehradun where I head tomorrow night on a sleeper train and then I will head to the farm.


Everyone I have talked to when asked "How long are you in India?, and I respond with "only 1 month", respond back "oh..short time" which I agree. I did shorten my trip for work, and have opted to just spend my time on the farm but I will be back for sure and ASAP. Being here for 12 hours I already know this place is out of this world, and I must spend months here which I will. Let the adventures begin!!!!! Yah!!!

Walking around the city today I saw a handful of western tourists traveling around with their little babies being carried by their parents either with wraps, or a back pack. I think it's a pretty cool, and a courageous thing to travel around a city like this with a baby. Another thing I noticed, although I've seen this before traveling, but I am not sure if it's been as intense is the electrical/ phone wires going every which way and hanging extremely low.

Today I saw 2 couples who were on my flight to Delhi, and it's always neat walking by someone as such as you have never met, will never see each other again but were on the same flight, going to the same destination traveling around. Oh tourists!!!

I have managed to get a couple good meals now in the first day of being here which was some delicious Chana Masala, and Roti at this restaurant where they give you pad of paper to write down your order. It's a pretty popular place as it was packed with mostly travelers. For $2 I had a Chana Masala/ 3 Roti's/ some plain RIce and this evening through in a beer for $2 more. Not bad $2 spent.