Conservation - INDIA Daily Life

Daily Life

The Model Farm is based in a small village called Ullar. It is about an hour and a half south of Sivikasi, where the TPA office is based. There was probably no more than two hundred people in the village, and you could walk from one side to the other in ten minutes. In the village was a primary school, a couple of small stalls selling chai, biscuits and sweets, and a bus stop. We stayed on the top floor of a family house, but meals were eaten at a different house, about five minutes walk away. In the house we stayed at there were beds, a shower and sink, a squat toilet, electric fans and a bucket for washing clothes. Out of the window was a view across cotton fields of the Western Ghat mountains. Whilst facilities were basic, it was never uncomfortable or boring.

I would wake up around 8.30 and have a (cold) shower. After getting our things together, me and the other volunteers would walk to Laksmi's for breakfast. Breakfast would alternate between Idli (steamed rice cakes) and Dosa (flat pancakes). We would eat these with tomato or coconut chutney, and kurd. Laksmi would also refill our water bottles with boiled water, so we always had a supply of drinking water.

There would always be ongoing things to do on the farm. Things such as watering and weeding would have to be done every day. We would also plant, tend to the nursery, clean the pond and trim the border hedges. On the farm were many plants, some of which I had heard of such as Aloe Vera and Okra, but many that I hadn't. It was interesting to find out what they were, and how you could benefit from them.

Once a week, we would sift and bag compost to sell at a local market. There were also some trees around the village that we and some previous volunteers had planted and these had to be watered. One of the volunteers had the idea of starting another compost pile with waste from the farm, and food waste from Laksmi's. We would make sure that this was turned and kept moist. The main thing about the farm was that you could be as hard working as you wanted to be. You could try out any ideas you had to improve things.

Occasionally, there would be different things to do, such as plant a kitchen garden somewhere in the village, or have the local school kids over. We also had a few trips to see other conservation projects around Tamil Nadu.

We would work on the farm until one, and then go to lunch. Lunch would be rice, vegetable curry, a boiled egg or omelette and popadoms. After lunch, we would go back to the room to relax. Work in the afternoon would start at 2.30 and finish at 5.

Dinner would not be until 7.30, so we had some free time before then. Dinner would alternate between chapatis and puri. This would be served with a vegetable curry. Dinner, like all the other meals was fantastic, and Lakshmi would make sure that we had plenty to eat. In fact, she would keep giving us food until we couldn't eat any more. Her meals were definitely a highlight of my time in India.

Every Thursday, we would travel 45 minutes on the bus to work at a market. Here we would sell the compost from the farm. It was very interesting to walk around the market to see what was there, and experience the sights and smells. There was fresh fruit and veg, as well as cooked food. Plenty of people would come to our stall just to talk to us, find out where we were from and welcome us to India. Here, there was also a chance for us to use the internet.

Some of my most enjoyable times were during my free time in the village. We bought a football for the local kids and would play as often as we could. The kids really enjoyed this, and we saw a definite improvement in their ability during the time we were there. We also played a bit of cricket with them, and the occasional game of kabbadi. It was really great to get them all involved, and see them running about. I'm sure we had just as much fun as they did.

Every one of our neighbours made an effort to ensure we felt welcome, and the children were so friendly and liked to involve us in their games and perform songs for us. We would often sit outside the house and talk to them in the evenings. The family that we ate with were also friendly, and made our stay in the village even more pleasurable.

On weekends, we would go on trips, but it was always nice to get back to Ullar. After a short time, it really felt like home.

Every other weekend, the staff at the Sivakasi Office oragises group trips for all of the volunteers in India. This is a great way to get to know other volunteers, and also a convenient way to explore southern India. Past trips range from trekking and elephant watching in Thekkady; watching the sun set and rise over three separate bodies of water (the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal) at the southern tip of India in Kanyakumari; and getting together in Sivakasi for the legendary staff vs. volunteer game of cricket.