Brief history of Gaia Grid:

 

I started the project 7 years ago when the land basically had nothing. No plants, no water, no shelter, no electricity, no nothing. Since then, with the help of some amazing volunteers, we’ve built a kitchen/hangout space, a large dormitory (which doubles as a yoga/meditation space), planted over 700 trees and a constructed a basic shower/toilet block. In some sense, it is still very basic so be prepared for that. You’ll be pooping in a bucket and showering from a bucket (not the same bucket!) but it’s all part of the mission to conserve and reuse all of our waste and water to feed the land. 

 

 

Here are a few things that might help make your stay more comfortable: 

 

WORK

Volunteers are encouraged (not expected) to put in 4 hours of work every week day in exchange for the stay. The work includes general farm work, weeding, watering, planting, harvesting, building, ideating, cooking, cleaning and other really random but fun (and full of learning) activities. Some days, there is no work, so come prepared to get really bored at times. We do have a small library of books I've collected, so if you're a bookworm, you may find something interesting in the shelf. 

 

CLOTHING 

It gets hot in the day and cool at night so make sure you have something warm to sleep in but some light clothes for the day that you don’t mind getting dirty. 

 

SLEEPING 

We’ve recently built a brick dorm with a solid roof (that only leaks a little bit). I'll provide a futon, pillow, sheet and blanket so it would be a good idea for you to bring a sleeping bag if you need one. Mosquitos are not a major issue at night, but bring a mosquito net if you like. 

 

ELECTRONICS

We have electricity from three solar panels on the roof but this needs to be shared around. We’d suggest charging during the day whilst the sun is at its strongest. Battery power packs are a good idea if you want to charge during the night. A head torch would be useful as the pathways aren’t lit at night. 

 

TOILETRIES 

Everything we use goes back to the land so I would encourage you to bring biodegradable soaps and toothpaste; prefer not to have any unwanted chemicals going back into the soil. Mosquito spray (the natural kind) is a good idea. If you need help getting any soap or toothpaste in advance please let me know. Also, please avoid bringing any plastic to Gaia Grid as it becomes problematic recycling it. 

 

MEALS 

We are on a mission to make Gaia Grid fully self-sustainable, but for now, as we are still planting, we need to buy in a lot of our food. Therefore we ask our volunteers to pay food contribution, which will cover simple vegetarian meals, that we prepare together. There is no fridge and limited storage space so do let me know if you have any specific requirements. I also offer scholarships to exceptional volunteers who aren't able to pay the full food contribution amount. 

 

GETTING HERE 

First of all, it’s best if you could arrive whilst it is light as it’s a bit tricky to navigate. The closest major town is Coimbatore so make your way there first of all; it has good bus, train and air links. Then, there are two options. Either our friendly jeep driver, Venkat can pick you up from Coimbatore (for around 2000₹) or you can take a local bus from Gandhipuram to Anaikatti (23₹) (bus journey takes 90 minutes) which is about 30 minutes away. The jeep can pick you up from there for around 500₹

 

DO YOU HAVE WIFI THO? 

Theres no Wi-Fi but I’m happy to share my phone network as hotspot from time to time. For better access, I'd recommend you grab a sim card from one of the major towns during your travel. It's very affordable and Vodafone is the best option. It will give you 4G signal here at the Grid. 

 

Gaia is a small hilltop land which is situated virtually in the middle of nowhere. The nature is pristine and the land is scattered with natural quartz crystals making it energetically a very strong space. The land offers a great space to do inner work, heal, learn and transform. As a student of Advaita Vedanta, I am most happy to discuss the concept and it’s application when and if the situation arises.

 

Lastly, do remember the aim of Gaia Grid is envisioned to be a fully self sustainable farm community so if you resonate with the lifestyle and would want to join me long term, do talk to me and I'll be happy to discuss.

 

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch via phone, email, Instagram or WhatsApp/Telegram.