Ananda Project

By: Avnish Katoch

Through SEHYOG Website I came to know about the Ananda Project. What a wonderful name, Ananda in Hindi means, happiness, I am sure this project is bringing happiness accross Kullu Valley, in people as well as in environment.

Below is a small profile about ANANDA PROJECT from their website.

Also I would like to mention three wonderful persons, who are running Ananda:

Veena

Veena is secretary of Ananda Society, yoga teacher, therapist and in charge of organising women’s savings and credit groups.

Manju, sister of Veena and Pappu, is teacher in the computer education centre and runs the environmental work-exchange programme.

Pappu

Pappu, President of the Ananda Society, also pujari (priest) at the Krishna Temple, looks after the nurseries and runs the ecotourism side of the project.

The Ananda project, based at the Krishna Temple above Naggar, aims to help local communities regain their self-reliance and return to a sustainable way of life. Working with local villagers, Ananda is developing a number of different projects aimed at restoring the environment, raising awareness of ecological issues, encouraging co-operation and providing sustainable sources of income in the local community (see the projects).

The Ananda project is also an ecotourism project and offers various voluntary work opportunities to help with the projects we are working on. This may include planting trees, collecting seeds, helping to maintain the nurseries and cultivating medicinal plants.

Guests staying at the Krishna Temple also have the opportunity to learn Yoga, hand-loom weaving, indian classical singing, vegetarian cooking or go trekking in the surrounding mountains. It is even possible to arrange a yoga-trek, or a yoga-eco-trek! This may include collection of medicinal plant seeds or cuttings, documenting plant species or collecting samples for research.

Please Visit their website and do visit HIMACHAL and stay at Ananda’s guesthouse, I am sure the divine natural beauty of the hills would bring ANANDA in your life!