From b0d1satva at yahoo.com  Wed Oct  3 02:11:47 2007
From: b0d1satva at yahoo.com (Bodi Satva)
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 02:11:47 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Greenlist] Invitation to Learning Families gathering at Van Vadi,
	October 14 to 18
Message-ID: <707317.65738.qm@web31913.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: bharat mansata <bharatmansata at yahoo.com>
Date: Oct 2, 2007 4:39 PM
Subject: Invitation to Learning Families gathering at
Van Vadi, October 14 to 18

 
Dear All, 
We are happy to invite you to a Learning Families
gathering and mini van-shram-utsav at Van Vadi from
October 14 (Sunday) to October 18 (Thursday), 2007. 
The past multi-generational gatherings of ?Learning
Families? have sought to self-create informal learning
opportunities in an ?extended family environs? and
spirit of community, sharing work, responsibility,
talents, skills, knowledge, ideas, stories,
inspiration and celebration. (Singing, music, dancing
are permitted!) 
A special enticement this time is the enchanted
environs of a lush forest with its brimming
water-bodies, singing birds, clear skies, 
 and near
total absence of civilizational sounds like horns and
motors. There is no TV within a mile! But also no
electricity or piped water. (A short note on Van Vadi,
its history, and how to get there is given below.
Several Van Vadi members have actively participated in
Learning Families? gatherings ? Vijaya, Naveena, Mona,
Vinita, Bharat, Rashmi, Bena, 
 and their children/
grand-children.) 
While retaining open, shared planning of voluntary
activities as in the past, we propose to include this
year some daily physical shram or labour, according to
individual capability. (Two hours per day for aduts,
and one hour per day for children is suggested.) 
The main shram proposed is in gardening and planting,
but some building work (on a house or water tank) is
also a possibility. When the land (Nature) gives so
much, it seems only fair to give back a little in
return; and ensure that we leave no negative trace
(like plastics, foils, cigarette butts, or
ill-feelings of any kind!) 
Since the forest environment is not free of hazards,
all participants are expected to look after
themselves, with parents and adults taking full
responsibility for their children and other
accompanying minors. 
The preparation of food will be on a shared, rotating
team basis, with everyone expected to participate.
Simple, wholesome (but tasty!) vegetarian/vegan food,
inclusive of some fruit and raw salads can be
expected. The food costs too will be shared.
Additionally, a daily contribution @ Rs 80 per
adult/teenager and Rs 40 per child (below 13 years) is
requested towards Van Vadi. (More is always welcome!) 
The accommodation will be rustic, as in a nature camp,
with no cots and only a roof and chatais provided. You
are thus requested to bring whatever else you may
need. The weather will be pleasant and moderate, with
a little nip in the air after 2 am. Besides your
sleeping/swimming  gear, clothes, etc., do carry a
flashlight, a water bottle, a plate and a mug/glass.
(Not forgetting music instruments and such like!) 
The mosquitoes on the land will have largely
disappeared by mid-October, at least in the dwelling
clearances. But for extra safety, you could bring a
mosquito net (or even your own tent). We shall try to
keep available some non-chemical, mosquito repellant
citronella oil. 
Considering this delayed invitation, we are not
expecting more than 35 people, including children. To
help us prepare suitably, we request you to confirm
your participation by the 9th October. 
Looking forward to see you! 
Warmly, 
Vinita & Bharat, Vidhi & Manish 
P.S. Our email contacts are:
vinitamansata at rediffmail.com, bharatmansata at yahoo.com,
 manish at swaraj.org, vidhib at yahoo.com 
Our phone contacts are: Kolkata ? 033-22296551,
22276190; Udaipur ? 0294- 2451303, 2452425 
  
Van Vadi 
  
Nestling in the foothills of the Sahyadris, Van Vadi
is a 64 acre forest-farm (more forest than farm) on
gently undulating land, with seasonal streams flowing
from June to October. It was purchased 14 years ago
with the pooled contributions of about 2 dozen people.
Over 80% of the area is under fairly dense (and highly
bio-diverse) tree cover, most of which has naturally
regenerated through protection. 
Originally named ?Vision Acres?, the broad agreed aim
of the members was to ?live close to the land in an
ethical and sustainable manner.? Progressive
self-reliance in basics, like food, was an important,
explicit goal. While members are supportive and share
expenses, the land ? as of now ? is mainly looked
after by local adivasi workers. 
A core guiding principle of the venture is earth-care.
More specifically, ?at least half the land should
remain under tree cover; agro-chemicals prohibited;
water usage conservative; mono-cultures shunned, and
biodiversity aided through integration of various
edible and locally useful species, particularly
indigenous varieties, suited to existing conditions.? 
  
Getting There: 
Van Vadi is about 1.5 km from Vaara village (Dist.
Raigarh), which is about 15 km from Neral Station,
almost halfway from Mumbai to Pune. 
There are over 20 ?local? suburban trains a day from
Mumbai to Neral (on the Central Railway line, ending
at Karjat, 2 stations beyond Neral.) The journey takes
about an hour and forty-five minutes from Mumbai CST,
and 15 minutes less from Dadar station. 
>From Neral to Vaara village, there are more than a
dozen buses a day. Many auto-rickshaws too are
available (during daytime) near the Neral bus-stand, 
and would charge you Rs 80 to the Vaara bus stand, and
Rs 100 upto the small grill gate of Van Vadi (with a
sign-board in Hindi), going through Vaara village, and
turning right on the Vaara-Chinchwadi road. 
If you are driving from Bombay, it is best to come via
Karjat, taking the old Bombay-Poona highway, turning
left at Karjat Chowk, and proceeding a further 7 km or
so. (You will not pass Neral.) One km before reaching
Karjat town, you need to turn left, crossing the
bridge over Ulhas river, and again turn left, taking
the road to Kashele (18 kms from Karjat). At Kashele,
ask for the road which leads to Vaara ? Kalamb ?
Poshir. (Vaara is about 8 km from Kashele.) The
Vaara-Chinchwadi road leading to our land would then
be on your left, beside a roadside hand-pump, just
before Vaara village. (On this route, the roads are
excellent all the way from Bombay to Vaara, and
starting early in the morning, one can reach the land
in about 2 hours, without a stop.) 
  
  
 ________________________________




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From b0d1satva at yahoo.com  Tue Oct  9 20:14:34 2007
From: b0d1satva at yahoo.com (Bodi Satva)
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2007 20:14:34 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Greenlist] "sharing our gifts and privileges for social change"
	gathering!
Message-ID: <266160.66782.qm@web31902.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

> From: Shilpa Jain <shilpaminajain at yahoo.com>
> Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 03:37:24 -0700 (PDT)
> Subject: [Van Utsav] "sharing our gifts and
> privileges for social change" gathering!

dear friends -
  hope you are doing well!
   
  i wanted to share with you an invitation for an
event we are pulling
 together next month, from november 17-22, 2007.  it
is to connect
 people who are commited to putting their resources
(money, time, energy,
 talents, skills, contacts, etc.) towards social
transformation, and want
 to explore how to do this well, and how to overcome
the obstacles/blocks
 that come up along the way...  the full invitation is
below.
   
  please see if it's something you or others you know
might like to be
 a part of.  space is limited, yet we hope to
accommodate all who are
 interested!
   
  best wishes and love,
  shilpa
   
  The First Ever Gathering on
  ?Sharing our Gifts and Privileges for Social Change?

  Unleashing all that we are, and all that we have, 
  for all that we love
  Nov 17-22, 2007. Deer Park Institute. 
   
  Greetings Dear Friend,
   
  This is an invitation and application for the first
ever gathering in
 India, on ?Sharing our Gifts and Privileges for
Social Change?. We
 hope that you will find it exciting and meaningful to
be a part of this
 unique event. 
   
  What is the ?Sharing our Gifts? gathering about?
  Many of us are gifted with certain special
privileges and advantages
 in our lives, including monetary wealth, media
attention/fame, free
 time, social networks, particular skills and talents,
leadership positions
 in organizations or social change movements, etc.
Several us already
 are (or want to be) using these privileges to make a
significant impact
 in our lives and the world around us.  The ?Sharing
our Privileges for
 Social Change? gathering tries connect, support, and
inspire 30 such
 diverse and committed people from various walks of
life and positions of
 ?privilege?. 
   
  What specifically will we do at the Gathering?
  The event specifically tries to address three
levels: the internal,
 the interpersonal, and the social/systemic, to offer
an opportunity for
 deep, holistic exploration. Through activities like
facilitated
 dialogue, sharing circles, inspiring guest
presentations by renowned social
 change leaders, dance, music, artistic expression,
organized networking,
 games, yoga, participant-led workshops, outdoor
adventure, and lots of
 free time for spontaneous interactions amongst the
participants, we
 will together explore our own experiences, questions
and dynamics For
 example we will look at: 
   
  ?      What does privilege mean to each of us, and
how does it affect
 who we are and our relationship to the world? 
  ?      How can we use our lives,
connections/relationships,
 opportunities and resources to live healthy lives and
work collaboratively for
 social change? 
  ?      How can we face the realities of the social
and environmental
 crises of our times without being overwhelmed? 
  ?      What would it take to bring our lives and our
resources into
 alignment with our highest values and ideals? 
   
  The gathering would be an opportunity for
networking, community
 building and gaining support as people committed to
social change. In
 bringing together people with different backgrounds,
skills, passions and
 questions, we will create something new and powerful,
connect our issues
 and nurture meaningful friendships. 
   
  Date, Place and Contribution
  The event is scheduled to be held from Saturday
November 17th, to
 Thursday November 22nd 2007, at the Deer Park
Institute, Himachal Pradesh
 (www.deerpark.in). We ask that participants make and
cover their own
 travel arrangements.  Additionally, It we estimate it
will cost Rs.600
 per participant to cover boarding, lodging, and
program expenses. Please
 let us know if you would like to use one of the few
travel/contribution
 scholarships available. Also please let us know if
you would be able
 to contribute more than the suggested amount. This
money would be used
 towards making it possible for those with financial
constraints to also
 attend. 
   
  How to confirm your participation
  If you?d like to be a part of this exciting
opportunity, please send
 us your basic information (name, address, phone
number, email, age) and
 your reply to the following questions:
   
  1) What moves you to be a part of this event?  How
do you see
 yourself as privileged?  (monetarily, through
position, through fame, or...?)
  
2) What are a few issues or questions that you
struggle with around
 this privilege(s)?


  3) How have you been (or how would you like to be)
sharing your
 resources and privileges with others? (volunteering,
being a spokesperson
 for causes, donating time, money etc  or... ?) 
   
  4) What work are you currently doing?  Tell us some
part of your
 story (how you came to be where you are).
   
  5) Please share with us a favorite saying, quote,
poem or song that
 inspires you in your work and life.
   
  We don?t have a formal selection process.  At the
same time, we do
 want to ensure that a great mix of people can come to
the gathering.
  We?ll be in touch with you if we have any concerns
or questions. (Note:
 There are NO age restrictions. We appreciate a
diversity of ages,
 experiences, opinions and backgrounds in our
participants.)
   
  Thank You and Best Wishes,
  Apoorv Bajaj, Mumbai
  Naveen Kumar, Chennai
  Nirali Shah, Ahmedabad
  Prashant Varma, Himachal
  Shilpa Jain, Udaipur
  Vani Tripathi, Mumbai
  Vartika Poddar, Kolkata
   
   
  Ps: If you have any questions please contact: 
  Shilpa ? shilpa at swaraj.org (21-Fatehpura,Udaipur,
Rajasthan-313004,
 India. Tel: 0294-2451303) or 
  Naveen ? naveenv at gmail.com (750, 4th Cross Street,
Dr.Radhakrishna
 Nagar, Vellore- 632006 Tamil Nadu, India. Tel: 0416-
2247546)
   



       
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