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Here are several ways you could help with the new Pune community
. . . . and a few other ways to help our existing community in
the NCR as well. E-mail addresses will shortly be given to contact
for further information (some for members of our Ananda India community,
some for members of our Ananda communities in America).
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- We need help starting the gardens
and orchards, and in landscaping on
the new land, as it's absolutely raw. The 30-acre piece
is a steep hill with building planned in a swath across
the base. The upper part of the hill will be terraced
with orchards and gardens. The soil is fertile, and we
plan to start a nursery as soon as possible to get plants
and trees going, ready to plant in a few years. The property
already has a couple of beautiful mango trees and a gigantic
jackfruit tree. There is also a fig tree adjacent to
the property. So we know these will grow well.
- We hope to make the Pune community
a model for ecological harmony with nature,
and to offer training programmes so people can
come learn how to do permaculture and organic methods.
We're just at the stage of getting the geological surveys
done, figuring out water harvesting plans, etc., so you
could definitely get in on the "ground floor"!
- Swamiji has said several times that
he wants young people to go out and teach in the universities,
and there are many universities in the Pune area. Learning
to teach meditation and yoga as well as
training to be a presenter of the Material Success
through Yoga Principles Course would be a great
way to help.
- Solar energy and other alternative
energy concepts are very important in India.
We're hoping the new community can showcase these ideas,
and again, offer training programmes for people who want
to learn to do these things. We're also investigating alternative
building materials that could be low-cost and offer superior
insulating properties.
- In April we'll start the 1st Education
for Life school in India! We'll begin with kindergarten-age
children. We'll use the same new facility to simultaneously
run a programme to train teachers in the EFL method, so
we need teachers both for children and adult EFL
training. Our plan is for this school to be the
focus of our work in the Delhi area; then in 2 or 3 years,
with the experience of this school, we'll open a school
in Pune. Starting immediately, we need help promoting
the school and gathering students.
- We are now looking for help in
all aspects of running our retail store The Wishing Tree in
Gurgaon's most prestigious mall. The store is our public
relations showcase and a very important part of our work
in India. Eventually we hope to start a Wishing Tree
in Pune as well.
- We need help with our Web sites .
. . publications cover / layout design .
. . writing copy . . . typesetting .
. . selling Swamiji’s books and music to
bookstores . . . setting up our teaching
tours . . . promotions and fundraising .
. . accounting and finances . . . video
production for recording Swamiji’s talks and general
recording work for all our events . . . cooking .
. . and taking care of our guests. And Dharmadas
and I need an assistant!
In short, if you want to help,
there is something for you to do!
Aum, Nirmala
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