An open ended semi-village experience, sometimes with travel, with a focus on community and environment in Kerala, India

Detalles

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  Descripción

  This used to be our family home. Spread over almost an acre, my mother toiled with our help to create a lush fruit forest. We have mangoes, jackfruits, coconuts, mulberries, mangosteen, rambutan, custard apple, lemons, bananas, nutmeg, turmeric, chilly and more- not on an industrial scale, but for a home: one to three trees. I say this because lately I find volunteers disappointed at the farm, expecting straight paths, and 10s and 20s of each fruit tree. This is a farm that was supposed to deliver for our home, and for our loved ones. We did not pre-plan the whole farm, it organically developed one sapling at a time.
  
  After my parents moved out, I found little time to dedicate to farming and happened to chance upon the work of Masanobu Fukuoka and tried my hand at implementing those ideas here. The idea is not to till the ground, and let nature take its course.
  
  The house was built in 1991, and there are termites taking up residence in the wood in the house. The plumbing work needs a revival, and some of the electric too.
  
  My hope is I can turn this into a place which showcases nature-friendly and adjusted practices. Can we show different ways of living in the modern society, or atleast can we try exploring these questions?
  
  To this effect, I have ben trying to get some consistency going in making bamboo threads, mud bricks, plastic-waste treatment setups, outdoor cooking and more
  
  We welcome you to come leave your mark.
  
  We are riverside, so have kayaks. You may ride those waterways and tell stories of it, I can share the same to remind people about what used to be our old roads, where human life was bubbling, but now these rivers are abandoned, neglected- maybe a good thing?
  
  If nothing else, we always have some cooking, weeding and harvesting going. If you are okay with some occasional bent-over- some deep cleaning too
  
  I also host a monthly ENVIRONMENTAL FILM CLUB, on third Friday's of every month at the Kerala Museum in Kochi, you may join me for some creative awareness raising activities or just helping out with the event.
  
  At our Family home (non-riverside/non-workaway):
  You may meet my mother — calm and grounded — who guides our rhythms.
  And Joel, my brother who plays a harmonic, who teaches us to slow down and notice the sound of joy in small things. There is my passionate and easily excitable father and my 97 year old grandmother.
  
  Our riverside home:
  This house once welcomed travelers. Now, it dreams again — of soil and sap, of art and awareness, of becoming more than shelter.
  It waits for people like you — wanderers, questioners, makers — to come leave your imprint on its evolving soul.
  
  Main Themes Now
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  Zero-till farming & mulch
  
  Upcycling
  
  Bamboo and coconut experiments
  
  Natural building ideas
  
  Solarpunk sketches
  
  There’s a fireplace to be built.
  Fences to rise from reclaimed aluminum.
  Walls that want natural murals, not paint.
  
  Other Projects:
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  Join us in raising awareness in remote hamlets: free education, forgotten histories, new futures.
  
  Spend a dawn with an inspiring local trust caring for the mentally challenged — feeding, bathing, listening.
  
  Ride a kayak through sunrise and help open ancient waterways for stories and sap.
  
  Paint with earth. Dream with us. Or suggest a project that stirs your soul.
  
  🌀 Who We’re Looking For:
  Not just volunteers. But collaborators in questioning.
  How do we live lightly?
  How do we honor those forgotten by the climate movement?
  Can a backyard become a lighthouse?
  Can art be a seed?
  
  🥥 If the breeze carries you here, you’ll find:
  
  Local farm-store produce to nourish you
  
  Trails known only to old-timers and riverbirds
  
  A secret toddy spot where the sweetest sap flows like honeyed time
  
  Nights by the fire, mornings by the mist, and conversations that ripple outwards
  
  🎒 More About Me
  I’m a wandering educator, a barefoot philosopher, a flâneur in muddy fields.
  I’m building — slowly and with laughter — a bridge between art, science, and the urgent whisper of the planet.
  Let’s explore Tao and Tamil, Vipassana and Kalari, bamboo and binary stars.
  Let’s create something meaningful — together.

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  Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  Trabajo de caridad

  Proyectos artísticos

  Práctica de idiomas

  Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos

  Compañía para ancianos

  Enseñanza

  Jardinería

  Construcción y bricolaje

  Cuidado de animales

  Ayuda en una granja

  Cocinar para toda la familia

  Ayuda doméstica

  Hostelería/turismo

  Mantenimiento general
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  Intereses

  

  Jardinería

  

  Historia

  

  Música

  

  Fotografía

  

  Escritura

  

  Cuidado de plantas

  

  Cultura

  

  Sostenibilidad

  

  Bricolaje y manualidades

  

  Cocina y alimentación

  

  Carpintería

  

  Libros

  

  Arte y diseño

  

  Arquitectura

  

  Animales

  

  Actividades al aire libre

  

  Yoga / bienestar

  

  Montaña

  

  Naturaleza

  

  Senderismo

  

  Baile

  

  Ciclismo

  

  Playa
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  Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  You can get an immersive look into the village life. I am drawn to the old ways, including the history of this land, which I love to share. Trips to the local toddy shop, eateries and view points is my routine- you may join when keen.

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  Ayuda

  As far as farming goes, we follow zero-till farming or Zero-effort farming (:)), which is not really zero-effort but close enough. We try to let things grow as they want to, with minimal intervention, creating a vibrant eco-system. We do try to create a little space around our harvest plants like turmeric, black pepper, passion fruit etc
  
  Building mud, bamboo, clay structures, incorporating sustainable waste - management and energy systems like biogas systems etc are all part of the plans for the future. I am also keen to try many traditional recipes for farming, mosquito repellents etc.
  
  Being riverside, we have kayaks to ride the water roads. No surprise here that water roads are way more fun than tar roads. Also water roads during sunrise and sunset is magic. Interested individuals could help with clearing the waterways near our home among other things.

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  Idiomas

  Idiomas hablados
  Inglés: Fluido
  Hindi: Fluido
  Malayalam: Fluido
  Árabe: Principiante
  Español: Principiante

  Este anfitrión ofrece intercambio de idiomas
  Este anfitrión ha indicado que está interesado en compartir su idioma o aprender otro.
  Ponte en contacto con él para obtener más información.
  
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  Alojamiento

  We have a 3 bedroom house (with attached bathrooms): A room for myself, a room for workawayers and a room for my parents and family who drop by occasionally. There is also a separate space in the back, with an old kitchen, sleeping space and eastern toilet- which we hope to revitalize soon enough.
  
  As far as eateries close by, we do have a generational breakfast place by the house- open from 6 AM to 9:30- 10:00 AM.
  
  There is also lunch served by Kudumbshree (women's collective) about 500 meters away. It has been especially good lately, they start serving at noon upto 2 PM- sometimes 2:30- 3PM. Also they are open Monday through Friday (some Saturdays).

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  Algo más...

  Kumarakom backwaters are very close to us, so is Kottayam town. There are buses every 15 minutes There is a lot of history and scenery in the area that I can direct you to. Thazthanagady Juma Masjid, CMS College, Thirunakkara Temple, Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary among many others. Also our place is equidistant from Thekkedy, Varkala, Allappey etc (about 2-3 hours from all these places). You can reach Allappey by ferry boat (costs about Rs 20/ ticket) and get a nice 2-3 hour boat ride through the lake.

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  Un poco más de información

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    Acceso a Internet

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    Acceso a Internet limitado

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    Tenemos animales

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    Somos fumadores

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    Puede alojar familias

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  Puede acoger a nómadas digitales

  We do have a good internet connection

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  Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

  Este anfitrión puede proporcionar un sitio para autocaravanas.

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  Podría aceptar mascotas

  We can take in pets. There is plenty of verandah space and field in the front which would work well.

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  ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

  Dos

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