Your facilitators
Natural builder
Lakshmi Swaminathan
Lakshmi has been enthralled by the play of light and shadow on the stone walls of ancient temples in her native TamilNadu since a young age. After being trained in architecture, she followed her love for traditional building by living, studying and working for more than four years with Didi Contractor, who is well-known for her work with vernacular building in India. During this time, for which she considers herself extremely fortunate, Lakshmi was able to observe how Didi applied her philosophy in everyday life including recycling waste materials, conservation of energy, cooking in an earthen solar cooker, living close to nature . This experience has impacted Lakshmi 's approach towards life and architecture. Lakshmi has completed a few earthen structures in Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh, and is currently practicing in Tiruvanamalai in South India. She is very inspired to share the essence of her learnings to synthesize new creative spaces.
Mindfulness & nature-connection facilitator
Sharmishtha Dattagupta
Sharmishtha has loved living and being in the midst of nature since childhood. She is the founder of Dularia, her work of love in this world. She holds a PhD in Biology and has previously been an assistant professor at a leading university in Germany. She is also an internationally recognised leadership coach and facilitator. She was certified in permaculture design in 2017, after which she founded Dularia. She has an in-depth understanding of the science of permaculture and living systems, and also specialises in empowering people through social permaculture. She brings her lived experience of leading and empowering people through mindfulness and compassion to her teaching.
Why join us?
What you'll love about our retreat
Dularia's unique culture
You'll immerse in an ancient indigenous tribal culture that has been connected with nature for centuries and can pass down it’s wisdom to the modern world
You'll connect with nature and natural building in an inspiring surrounding that is built with regenerative principles
Diverse teaching styles
You'll be led by a young and upcoming natural builder as well as facilitated by an internationally experienced nature-based coach and permaculture practitioner. We'll combine teaching the skills of working with mud and natural materials, with mindfulness practices to connect with yourself and nature in a deeper way. Our Santhal tribal team are masters of natural building and they will be teaching you the hands-on aspects each day.
Hands-on learning
You'll have great fun getting your hands dirty while building with mud, bamboo, and straw
You'll learn how to make your own solar cooker, as well as cob bench, which you can reproduce once you are back home
Take steps towards regenerative living
You’ll meet like-minded people and get to share the steps you have already taken towards living in a more nature-connected and regenerative way, and so inspire and be inspired by others
You'll learn how to design small action steps to overcome doubts and systematically design and live a life of your dreams
Dates:
Jan 19 - Jan 29, 2024.
Arrival is suggested on Jan 19 by 5 pm latest, and departure is after 10 am on Jan 29, 2024. We highly suggest you stay for the entire time, but in case you are unable to, we can try and accommodate you for the first four days of the course to learn the basics. Please enquire through WhatsApp +91-9831404006 about it.
No. of participants:
Min 6 - Max 12
Book your spot soon as limited places are available!
Fees:
Tuition fees: INR 18,650/-
Includes taxes, excludes food & accommodation)
To book your spot, a non-refundable deposit of
INR 5,000/- will be required.
Food and accommodation
All inclusive; see below for details:
In our Earthhome: INR 13,000/- (only four spots available on first-come, first-serve basis)
In Santhal tribal style bamboo-straw huts/ own tent: INR 7,000/-
One full scholarship is available. Please enquire through WhatsApp +91-9831404006 about it.
What you'll experience
The course will be conducted in a very practical and interactive way.
A brief outline of the content is as follows.
Why natural building and natural living?
We'll share through interactive sessions about the pertinence of adopting a more nature-aligned life and building practice
We'll connect with nature and each other through daily mindfulness practices and deep sharing
Methods of natural building
We'll learn about various methods of natural building and their relevance in different ecosystems
We'll learn about the history of natural building and see examples of work from legendary natural builder Didi Contractor
Hands-on building
Each day, you'll get hands-on experience of preparing soil for building, splitting and weaving bamboo, and laying a foundation
Together we will build a cob bench for sitting on as well as a solar cooker (which you can replicate back home)
Accommodation:
We have two options for accommodation: either in our gorgeous Earthhome (limited to four people on a first-come, first serve basis), or in Santhal tribal style bamboo and straw huts in the midst of our food forest. All accommodation options are shared among four people, unless you want to bring your own tent and pitch it on our plot. Bathrooms and showers are also shared.
Food:
Meals consist of simple yet wholesome vegetarian food containing fresh vegetables and greens harvested from our farm, and often cooked on our wood-fired stove in the Santal tribal tradition. We serve three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) plus tea and snacks to keep you well-fed and energized for the tasks of the day.
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
Have questions? Contact Us
For permaculture related queries: contact Bibek Dhital (WhatsApp): +977 984-3184697
For Dularia related queries: contact Sharmishtha Dattagupta (WhatsApp): +91-9831404006
