Saturday, January 26, 2013

Namaste from the Bal Ashram

 
 

 
 Namaste from the Bal Ashram! It's been a year since my last visit and it's wonderful to be back with the children...each and every one looks bigger, happy and busy!

There is always something going on here...a new project, a new lesson, new activities....
Here's a quick peek at the latest:

The Ashram's Organic Store, which sells items grown and produced at the EcoPark, is more popular then ever. Every day, people from the village come to buy fresh milk, honey and vegetables. A recent addition on the menu: fresh mushrooms! The 'mushroom center," located adjacent to the store, houses several growing pods; grass layered with spores and shaped in to spheres, then kept in the dark and moist room...a perfect growing environment




 
Mackenzie 'Mira' Dooner is a regular face around the Ashram. Mira, who graduated from high school in Carmel California, was accepted to Princeton University. Instead of starting college right away, she opted to take part in their Gap Year Program. She is spending over seven months in Varanasi and comes to the Bal Ashram daily to work with the children. Mira carries on the important work of her predecessors by maintaining the grey wager filtration system that was installed last year. She teaches the children how the filter works and the importance of water preservation and conservation. You can read more about the filter in the December 2012 newsletter

 

 

The holding tank containing the water processed by the grey water filter sits on one of the terraced steps and often has a small runoff. The benefit? A perfect area to grow rows and rows of spinach and beets!



 

 

School work finished?

Seva completed for the day?

It's time for Cricket!
 

The boys...both young and old...even the teachers...are all avid cricket players. Most every evening, in the open field across from the Ashram gates, there is a lively and competitive game to watch. Only darkness or the ball going in to the Ganges can end the fun!





 

 

 

New Arrivals! The Amirt Sagar Environmental  Center has been blessed with four new calves in the past few months....three of which are girls! They are all happy and healthy and are a welcome addition to the organic dairy which is so vital in helping the Ashram move towards self sustainability.

 
 

 
 

I'll leave you with the sun rising over Ma Ganges...... 





 

 

Om Shanti,

Caspian

January 28, 2013

Bal Ashram

 

 


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