Designing
Your Life

A program rooted in nature's wisdom

Jan 02 - 10, 2027

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver

Do you sense that life has a wild and divine design for you, in which you can blossom and express your full potential? This transformative program empowers you to discover and manifest this life design guided by powerful practices and principles rooted in nature's wisdom. It begins with an immersive, 8-day retreat at Dularia and is followed by 8 months of online support to ensure successful implementation into daily life.

THIS PROGRAM IS FOR YOU IF…

YOU WANT TO MANIFEST A VIBRANT LIFE ROOTED IN NATURE'S WISDOM

YOU LOVE TO GROW & TRANSFORM

You sense that living a life in alignment with inner and outer nature will not only bring you fulfilment, it will also unfold your full potential. You're considering making changes in your life and career, and are looking for ways to design and implement these changes with courage and intention.

You love to self-reflect, learn, and transform through gaining self-awareness and doing inner work. You believe that by overcoming your limiting beliefs and taking intentional action, you can dramatically shift outcomes in your life.

YOU HAVE DIVERSE INTERESTS & WANT TO LIVE YOUR FULL POTENTIAL

You love doing many diverse things and have different priorities, such as health, finance, relationships, creativity & community. You find it hard to integrate them all and live life to the fullest, and you would love to explore how to make it happen.

YOU LOVE PLAYING WITH NATURAL MATERIALS & LEARNING FROM INDIGENOUS CULTURES

While you enjoy meditation, journaling and contemplation, you also like to get your hands dirty gardening or mud-plastering. You enjoy immersing in and learning from nature-connected indigenous cultures.

MEET YOUR HOST

Dr. Sharmishtha Dattagupta

Facilitator & coach

Sharmishtha is the founder of Dularia, her work of love in this world. She is an internationally recognised leadership coach and facilitator, and faculty for the Bio-Leadership Fellowship. She holds a PhD in Biology and has previously been an assistant professor at a leading university in Germany. She is certified in permaculture, and has been a mindfulness practitioner for a few decades, both of which she imbibes deeply into her work. She has empowered thousands of people from around the world to make meaningful transitions in their professions and personal lives, to live and work in more balanced, regenerative, and nature-centric ways. She has curated the Designing your Life retreat based on her own lived experiences and self-practice.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Each day of the retreat will feature a combination of the following components to give you a diverse, rich, and embodied experience. You'll receive a valuable workbook where you can write your notes and insights, and create your own unique life design as the retreat progresses. To further facilitate successful implementation of the practices after you go home from the retreat, we'll include four follow-up online sessions held over the course of 8 months after the retreat.

DESIGNING AND MANIFESTING
A WHOLESOME LIFE

Your life’s intentions - the basis of a rich and diverse life design
Overcoming fear and doubt - practices to master the monkey-mind
Connecting to intuition - practices for listening to the inner mentor
Designing conscious action - taking small, consistent steps to manifest your life design
Deep connection and accountability - finding allies on your journey

REGENERATIVE DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Basics of permaculture - applying the principles in your life, to balance your energies, and make your legacy sustainable
Biomimicry design principles - aligning your dream projects to nature's principles

MINDFULNESS &
NATURE CONNECTION

Solo time in nature
Embodied practices to gain self-awareness
Intentional relationship with food and your body
Deep observation of nature through the study of sacred geometry

HANDS-ON FARM ACTIVITIES & CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Gardening
Mud-plastering
Village walks & interactions with surrounding village communities
Immersion in the indigenous, nature-connected Santhal tribal culture

Vedanshi Bhartia, Kanpur

"Designing Your Life was a very empowering experience for me, Unlike other programs, this one made me believe in who I am, and realise what my true gifts are. I was equipped with all the tools to overcome the challenges such as fear and doubt I might face while working towards my dreams. In summary, it was profound for inner work, and at the same time really fun in the outside world. I highly recommend it!"

Khandiz Joni, London

"Designing Your Life - and Dularia - is transformational on many levels. As someone who takes concepts like manifestation and spirituality with a healthy dose of skepticism, I left the programme with a different perspective that feels tangible and authentic, and clarity on how to integrate them into my own life. This was by far one of the best investments I have made into myself."

Alaap Davjekar, Goa

"Designing Your Life was very thoughtfully put together, and led to some powerful discoveries. While it gave me hands-on experience in working with the soil, what made it unforgettable was Sharmishtha's guidance, her wisdom, and her gentle nudging that has made me start believing in my own potential. It has continued to make an impact on the course of my life many months after the retreat."

FOOD & ACCOMMODATION

We have 4 options for accommodation:

1

Our gorgeous Earthhome (can be shared among four people, available on a first-come, first serve basis). Shared shower and toilet are close by.

2

In a cozy mud cottage or studio ideal for a single person or a couple wanting privacy. Shared showers and toilets are available on the premises.

3

In a dormitory with four beds. Shared showers and toilets are available on the premises.

4

For those wanting attached bathrooms, you can choose any of the surrounding guest-houses. Two options are Panchabati Resort ( 850 m away from Dularia) or Khoai Village Resort (2.7 km away from Dularia).

Meals consist of wholesome vegetarian food containing fresh vegetables and greens harvested from our farm, and cooked on our wood-fired stove in the Santhal tribal or local Bengali tradition. We serve breakfast plus two big meals, fruit, tea and snacks to keep you well-fed and energized for the tasks of the day.

PRACTICAL DETAILS

DATES
Jan 02 - 10, 2027

Arrival is suggested on Jan 02 by 4pm latest, and departure is after 10am on Jan 10.

Last date for registration: Dec 15, 2026

PARTICIPANTS
Min 6 - Max 10

Book your spot soon as limited places are available! This is an intimate program where you'll meet like-minded people on an intentional, nature-loving journey and get plenty of personal attention from your facilitator.

COST

All prices below are in INR for Indian and Global South residents. and in € for Global North residents.

If you genuinely require a scholarship, please write a detailed email explaining your financial situation and why doing this program will not only benefit you but entire communities you plan to serve. Please keep in mind that Dularia serves some of the most financially and socially underprivileged communities in West Bengal where daily wages are INR 300 or less than €3. So please keep this context in mind while requesting financial support.

Tuition fees (excludes food & accommodation, includes taxes): INR 35,400/ € 500

Four follow-up online group calls (2 hours each) are included and will be scheduled according to your convenience within an 8-month period after the retreat.

To book your spot, a non-refundable deposit of INR 10,000 or €100 will be required.

Food: INR 8,000 / € 75

Includes all meals, snacks and fresh fruit. Vegetarian meals using local tribal and Bengali recipes will be prepared using organic ingredients from the farm.

Accommodation:

In a dormitory (4 spots available): INR 4000 / €40
In our Earthhome (4 spots available, first-come, first serve basis): INR 8,000 / €75
In our mud cottage or studio (suitable for single person or couple. Two single or couple rooms available): INR 9600 /€90
For homestays outside Dularia please enquire with them directly

All inclusive prices, including food and accommodation:

In our dorm: 36,200/-
In our Earthhome: 40,200/-
In our mud cottage: 41,800/-
In the homestay of your choice: 32,200/- plus accommodation expenses

Apply to join

DAILY SCHEDULE

This is a rough schedule that can change based on the activities planned for the day.

7:00 - 8:00: Group or self practice of mindfulness and nature connection. This time will be mostly spent in silence and will vary each day.

8:00 - 8:30: Fruit smoothie (optionally tea/coffee).

8:30 - 10:30: Morning session. These sessions will cover the core content of the course and include journaling, group-sharing, and design practice.

10:30 - 11:00: Brunch. This will be the big meal of the day.

11:00 - 13:00: Personal time, to rest, bathe, wash clothes, relax.

13:00 - 15:00: Afternoon session. These sessions will cover the core content of the course and include journaling, group-sharing, and design practice.

15:00 - 18:00: Daily fun and interactive hands-on work on the farm. This will be different every day and guided by various members of the Dularia team.

18:00 - 18: 30: Dinner

18:30 - 21:00: Bon-fire, songs, sharing, relaxation.

21:00: Suggested bed time!

WHERE WE'RE LOCATED

Dularia is located in a rural setting, just ten kilometers away from Shantiniketan, which has been recently recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site for its historical and cultural value. This makes it all the more attractive to visit Dularia and to take a few days extra to visit the surroundings.

HOW TO REACH US

The closest train stations to Dularia are Prantik and Bolpur stations, and the closest airport is Durgapur.

If you want to come by flight, you could fly into Kolkata airport, followed by either a train journey from Howrah/ Sealdah stations to Bolpur/Prantik stations, or take a 4-hour taxi ride directly to Dularia. Alternately, you could fly into Durgapur airport, followed by a 2-hour taxi ride to Dularia. Kolkata has several more flight options than Durgapur does, so both airports have their advantages/disadvantages.

If you want to arrive by train, you can come to Bolpur/Prantik stations, and then take an electric rickshaw (Toto) to Dularia. There are better and faster train connections to Durgapur train