The learners at Prakriti were at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Madhuban at Ramgarh, Uttarakhand for three weeks. The purpose of the residency was to enable deep social learning in nature after a hiatus of almost 1.5 years of the school lockdown and to experience simple living in a commune. The residency was attended by 75 learners and 18 parents. Followed by the long, challenging treks everyday, the immersive programmes that the learners engaged in were as follows:
- Understanding Himalayan vegetation and biomes, the birds and the reptiles around the Ashram
- Learning about local culture, people, beliefs and businesses
- Nature-based mixed media art and local art styles (Aippan)
- Improvised theatre
- Book appreciation
The glimpses of the programmes are as under. A few reflections from the learners are also shared as under:
“I felt really homesick initially but the engrossing work”
“I didn’t like the simple living at the ashram initially, the hard beds and lack of ‘pleasure’ food but it became part of my routine and I didn’t seem to mind it”
“I was petrified of heights and trekking on narrow trails but came away with the feeling of conquering my fear”
“I loved the freedom within the schedule, of choosing our projects, roles, treks and of spending time over games and music”