Jeevan Vidya A Workshop With A Difference

 Are you above 70? If yes, do you attend workshops at your age? If not, when did you last attend a workshop on 'Life?' Not a religious camp or self-styled gurus?

Answers may be no in both cases. Then what has prompted Ghumakkad to sign up for a workshop titled Jeevan Vidya meaning 'Life Knowledge' or 'Life Learning'? That too when he has been a teacher for the last 22 years! And attending an eight-day workshop away from home in the summer at the age of 73? Madness? Crazy?

Well, you can call me by any name. But when I explain the concept and content of the workshop, you may agree with my decision. But before that, what attracted me to the workshop? Few things that it wanted the participants to bring along:

• A tent, if you have one (Ghumakkad was overjoyed!)
• An umbrella (Ghumakkad has many golf umbrellas)
• A mosquito-net (Ghumakkad sleeps in a m-net every night)
• A torch (I always carry one for my after-dinner-walk)
• A water bottle (avoid plastics)
• A bed sheet (Own linen is always better)
• A yoga mat (Will gladly carry one)
• A helping hand for farming, cleaning and cooking at the farm (something that Ghumakkad loves!)
• Availability of a tree house for sleeping (what more do you need?)
• Any seeds or sapling (am carrying a Gudmar sapling which cures diabetes)
• No workshop fee. It had been paid-forward by previous participants. More on it later
• And to cap it all- the key resource person had been a participant in my earlier program on NGO Managemnt many years ago! Moment of great satisfaction for a teacher, simply!

Now, how do you feel about the workshop? Ghumakkad is no longer branded as crazy, I hope! Pictured below are some of things am carrying for the workshop.

What is Jeevan Vidya?

It is a process of guided introspection, of 'doing philosophy' rather than studying it. There is no sermonizing; the facilitator presents sets of proposals, and helps participants bring their attention to bear on the inner workings of their thoughts, fears and aspirations. The idea is to trigger an empowering, self-critical inner dialogue that begins with the workshop, but doesn’t end with it! The venue for this workshop will be Suman Sangam forest-farm, Dharwad in Karnantaka.

The Facilitator:

This workshop will be facilitated by Vinish Gupta, who leads the Centre for Holistic Learning. He has been involved with various social and environmental movements in the past. In his youth he spent over a decade as a Buddhist monk, exploring traditional Indian systems of thought and living. 

Sharing below is the creative logo of the Centre for Holistic Learning. Comapre it with Ghumakkad's logo shared at the end of the story.

Selection Process

The workshop has limited seats. Just 25 participants. It is held at few venues in India where the partner organisations are willing to support it. Participants are selected based on an on-line application and two pointed questions:

1. Please provide references of people (as many as you can) through whom you have learnt about this workshop
2. How do you think this workshop would be relevant to you?

Joining Instructions

A prompt mail confirmed the registration. Detailed joining instructions soon followed and reminded me of my days in the Navy. Salient points:

• Location of the forest farm from both Hubbali and Dharwad bus and railway stations
• The organisers discourage travelling by air because of excessive carbon footprint
• Public transportation timings and fare
• If not using public transpaortation, contact details of auto/taxi drivers
• Contact details of volunteers
• Weather forecast for the duartion of the workshop

Workshop Fee

The workshop is shared as a gift and the facilitator does not receive any payment for facilitation. The costs (for food and stay)  of your participation have already been paid by those who attended the workshop before you and found it beneficial; should you find the workshop beneficial, you may pay forward for the participation of future participants. What an innovative and sustaiable way to run the workshop

The Beginning

The concept to create an open learning space began in late 2006 with the Gap Year College, an educational initiative that was based in the Garhwal Himalayas. However, after an year the Gap Year College could not sustain and later gave brirth to the Centre for Holistic Learning. There is now a wide network of co-explorers like:

Shikshantar: The People's Institute for Rethinking Education and Development, Udaipur

Swaraj University, Udaipur

Arivu, Mysore

Sambhaavnaa, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

Vidya Ashram, Varanasi

Suman Sangam, Dharwad

Ghumakkad is all set for Jeevan Vidya Wporkshop from 26th April to 3rd May at Dharwad. Will share the experiences and pictures from Dharwad, broadband bandwidth permitting!

Thanks for browsing, stay connected.

Do drop a few words as a comment. It encourages us.

   - Harsh-the-Ghuamkkad/ Secunderabad/ 23rd April 2025

#Life #Learning #Knowledge #Workshop #JeevanVidya #Dharwad #Holistic #GapYearCollege #Forest #Farming #Introspection# InnerSelf #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb 

Haridwar- Driven by Faith

What drives people to Haridwar, Kumbh, Mecca, Jerusalem, Harmandir Sahib, Jagannath Puri, Dwarka or Rameswaram?

Faith.

What drives faith?

Faith is primarily driven by a belief in something unseen or beyond one's immediate experience, often rooted in revelation, personal experiences, or the testimony of others.

Ghumakkad was in Haridwar on Chaitra Poornima last Saturday. Seeing lakhs of people converge on the banks of Ganges, the holy river, the above question crossed my mind. The experience of being there among lakhs of devotees waiting patiently for Ganga Aarti to take place, left a permanent impression.  Whether you believe in God or not, is immaterial. The energy, the chimes, the agni and the chants over power you.

Sharing below few pictures of Haridwar taken during the Aarti and the next day. The crowds never thinned down. Faith keeps them coming.

Large screen displays have been erected for the crowd to view the aarti from a distance.

See the short video clips of the Aarti below:

The next clip captures the flow of the Ganges and the scene after the Aarti

View from the Bhagirathi Bridge with surging crowds on the banks:

Got a feel of climbing a foot overbridge with hundreds of other devotees.

After the aarti, the pujari or their assistant take the jyoti or the flame, to the devotees. They bow to the jyoti and leave their offerings in the pooja-ki-thali. See the picture below.

After the mammoth experience of Ganga Aarti, we now take you to the Ganges at dawn.

The flowing Ganges with a strong current and the sun rising steadfastly over the hills, cast an impactful scene. A scene with a life lesson. Keep doing your duty without any distraction. The Sun continues to rise being the giver of life on earth. Same way, the river continues to flow to reach the canals, farms and the fields to be cultivated. Life goes on. See a short video clip below:

Later in the morning, we went to perform the 'asthi visarjan' or immersion of the ashes, of my younger brother who had passed away recently. Such rituals are not recorded on camera. However, we are sharing below few pictures showing the day time scenes of Haridwar.

The narrow lanes of Haridwar are lined with thousands of shops (and eateries too) selling everything from bags, dresses, jewllery, toys, containers for ganga-jal (holy water of the Ganges) and souvenirs!

How to Reach Haridwar

One can take a flight to Jolly Grant airport near Dehradun and take a cab with approximately 80-minutes driving time.

Alternately, take a bus or car from Delhi about 240 kms away. The roads are good but beware of weekend crowds travelling to Mussoorie who jam the highway. A four-and-a-half hour drive can stretch to seven hours. Roorkee comes on the way. Sharing few pictures of our drive.

India is best seen and experienced by road. Ghumakkad prefers self-drive which gives the freedom and flexibility to explore places and monuments enroute. Special thanks for this road trip go to my Naval buddy Aditya Jain and Seema who offered their car and accompanied me all the way.

Some of our stories of other road trips are linked below:

Tibet in Karnataka

Munnar The Charm of Kerala

Road to Himalayas

Thanks for browsing, stay connected.

Do leave a comment. Even a few words will do. It encourages us.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 19th April 2025

#haridwar #ganges #ganga #gangajal #faith #pilgrimage #devotees #uttarakhand #beliefs #harkipouri #brahmakund #asthivisarjan #mansadevi #vishnughat #naighat

Cherry Blossom Nature's Renewal

Have you seen a Cherry Blossom tree blooming? What was your reaction?

"Beautiful. Awesome. Gorgeous."

Yes, Cherry Blossoms are indeed beautiful. But they bloom for less than two weeks. So, would you like to add the following:

"Beautiful but fleeting"

"Spectacular but brief"

"Blushing beauty"

"Reward of patience"

"Bloom with purpose"

It is blooming time for Cherry Blossoms in Japan and North America. In Japan it is called 'Sakura'. But Ghumakkad is at neither of these locations. In Japan it holds significant cultural importance, symbolizing beauty, impermanence, and the arrival of spring. 

This story is prompted by few pictures of Cherry Blossoms posted recently by Ashi, our daughter in California. You don't have to go to Japan or USA to enjoy the beauty of Cherry Blossoms. Just head towards Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim or the north eastern States in India to enjoy the magic. Not in April but in November every year. 

Pink or White?

Cherry blossoms can be both white and pink, with variations ranging from pale pink to a darker shade, and some varieties even have blossoms that start white and then turn pink as they mature. 

Sharing below few pictures of Cherry Blossoms taken around Shillong in Meghalaya during the famous India International Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival has a website www.cherryblossomfestival.in . Users may browse for details. Enjoy the blushing blossoms.

On a lighter note, many in India associate Cherry Blossom with a shoe polish. It comes in various shades and packaging as shown in the pciture below.

Coming back to the story, Cherry blossoms are nature's way of saying, 'Let's celebrate!' So, forget your problems and sorrows, just celebrate life! Pictured below are the California blooms.

Nature continues to amaze. You need patience to appreciate it.

Thanks for browsing

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with inputs from Ashi/ Secunderabad/ 8th April 2025

Postscript: 9th April 2025

Many of our readers from Bengaluru wrote saying they have seen Cherry Blossom flowering in Bengaluru. Another Bengaluru resident Col Jaishankar has clarified that what grows and blooms in Bengaluru is the Pink Trumpet or the Tabebuia tree, not the Cherry Blossom. Thanks Jai.

Pink Trumpet or Tabebuia, a look alike of Cherry Blossom in Bengaluru

Our readers from Canada (Sujata Das) and Washington DC (Gyan Agarwal) have shared the pictures of Cherry Blossom from their yard.

White Cherry Blossom, Canada

Cherry Blossom Washington DC

Thanks for sharing your pictures Sujata and Gyan.

#cherryblossom #flowers #nature #renewal #spring #seasons #shadesofpink #trees #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkladhb