I can’t even remember how long ago it was, must be 8 years ago, when some children from a local village called Chinna Mudaliyarchavadi asked me if I would teach them how to make their own vegetable garden.

We did a workshop in Solitude on how to make a circle garden- an integrated mini-permaculture module. The kids were very inspiring, and the following week, a bunch of volunteers and myself went to their village and helped them to start.

They had been given a small piece of land, which has been used as a dump and toilet. They dug up much of the plastic and removed the tall weeds, and we started to prepare the circle garden.

Every week for nearly a year, we went there on a Saturday afternoon, I would bring along people who had come to the farm tour in the morning, so there were many hands and lots of smiles and laughter.

After a few months, they spread out a saree on the floor, harvested vegetables and spinach they had grown, and cooked a big meal for everyone. Sometimes, they would come to solitude for learning how to create a nursery, seeds, and cooking, and they would also come for concerts. Unfortunately, this project stopped. I guess the kids got pulled into different directions, but I’m sure the seed of what they have learned stays with them.