Sahodaya Gram

10/05/2026

Our first monetary earning from the farm. We sold about 150 kg of drumsticks at prices ranging from Rs. 30/kg to Rs. 3/kg in different phases of the season. After eating almost every alternate days this season. Last year we couldn't save and eat the mature ones after drying them. This year we earned something to support us little way.
But that's one kind of wealth.
Its leaves are super food.
Its stems are its high quality 'seeds' which can be planted directly and can start fruiting after one year. But termites are the biggest threat.
We aimed at planting more than 100, as growing them are almost input-free and suits local ecological system. We almost reached our target after 7-8 years. We are slow grower.
It inhabits almost every house at villages in this area.
It has many medicinal properties, as villagers use them. And we do too.
Its wood is fuel. Not very strong bur helpful.
Its leaves are fodder for our cattle. They love eating them and it enhances cattle's health and milk quality and quantity. One can keep goats, cows and others and it helps in sustainable farming.
Its flowers are food for bees and birds like humming bird as we see here. Bees are extremely important for biodiversity enrichment.

So it's a 'poor' man's plant. No need to buy seed or anything to grow it and ensures a lot for our survival and growth.
Our future lies in local trees like these and connecting ourselves including children with them...

10/05/2026

Another gift from nature, when the climate seems to be changing erratically.
Kachnar, such a beautiful name of this tree.(Bauhinia variegata).. In our region, people prefer growing mango, guava, papaya and others. Kachnaar is one of those traditional, seemingly wild, common trees which requires least input, and grows fast.
It is drought tolerant.
Its leaves are highly nutritious as traditionally people used to cook and eat and still people come looking for its leaves and they enjoy its saag. Some villagers took leaves for medicinal purpose as it gives a lot of strength to our body as the villagers know it traditionally. People have seen the benefits. Tribal communities use these a lot, as some children staying with us, share their experiences.
Its flowers and fruits are also edible but we have tasted only fruits.
These are free gifts fron nature, easy to grow, with almost no input from the market, very climate resilient, and gives a lot to us including our ecosystems.
Children enjoyed plucking the leaves and cooking them, along with other leafy vegetables. We have tasted about 13 such leaves.
Lets live, grow and celebrate being with these natural jewels...

10/05/2026

Diversity of bitterness or rather bitter nutrients... We sowed seeds of nine local varieties in August 2025, with sahodaya children, and successfully harvested most of them. Children love farming. Most of them hated eating chilly earlier but now they enjoy this organic ones and eat more than one. We will be happy to share seeds those who could grow them in similar ecosystems. I have heard they last 2-3 years. So it conserves a lot of energy... And similarly we harvested more than 6-7 varieties of tomatoes... Lets celebrate these gifts and enrich our lives...

10/04/2026

https://youtu.be/lXYaf9kURwc?feature=shared

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

06/04/2026

https://www.etvbharat.com/hi/state/unique-gurukul-in-gaya-children-learning-farming-skills-in-addition-to-studies-bihar-news-brs26040602901

बिहार के जिस जंगल में कभी नक्सलियों का दरबार लगता था, वहां 'गुरुकुल' में बच्चे पढ़ाई के साथ-साथ खेती के हुनर ​​भी सीख ...

29/03/2026

Join the feast... Sahodaya ke 'Sikanders' harvesting mulberry, grown by us.. Extremely easy to grow, and in one year you can taste the fruit.. Full of nutritions... Full of taste.. Full of life...तूत की 'लूट '..

15/03/2026

Glimpse of life at Sahodaya
This is not meant
To defy
Stereotypes and dogmas,
To reform individuals,
To teach ideals,
To preach morals,
To romanticize the past
And to build goals for future,
This is simply meant
To live together
With our limited local ecosystems
In the present...
WITH all what may come..

18/02/2026

https://samuhikpahal.wiprofoundation.in/interdisciplinary-themes/sahodaya-ways-of-sustainable-living-and-learning/

Sahodaya was founded as an organization on 5th of December 2016, in Patna, informal legal terms. Its process, structure and objectives are being co-created by a couple, Rekha and Anil, and the inhabitants of a village in Bihar. Rekha and Anil had been living, studying and working in Delhi until 2015...

18/02/2026

जीवन जैव विविधता में निहित है। यह मानवता के तथाकथित शिक्षित या अशिक्षित, विशेषज्ञ या गैर-विशेषज्ञ, प्रबुद्ध या अप्रबुद्ध, 'मैं' और 'आप' से कहीं अधिक महत्वपूर्ण है। हम सभी ने हर चीज में महारत हासिल नहीं की, प्रचुरता से विकास नहीं किया, विशेषज्ञ की तरह हर बात को नहीं समझा। लेकिन हम सबने मिलकर सहोदया में उगाई गई इन स्थानीय सब्जियों की प्रजातियों में जीवन को पूर्ण रूप से खिलते और समृद्ध होते देखने का एक सामूहिक प्रयास किया। एक सार्थक जीवन जीने के लिए हमें इन्हें जीवित रखना आवश्यक है। यह सब हमारे युवा समुदाय (6 से 15 वर्ष) के कारण संभव हुआ है, जो इन विविधताओं के साथ मिलकर जीने, सीखने, विकसित होने और प्रकृति से जुड़े रहने में विश्वास रखते हैं।

Life lies in biodiversity. It is more significant than 'me' and 'you', so-called educated or non- educated, expert or non-expert, enlightened or non-enlightened, of humanity. We didnt do all well, didn't grow in abundance, didn't understand everything as expert. But we were able to make a collective effort to experience life in full bloom and abundance in these local species of vegetables, grown and harvested at Sahodaya. We need to keep these alive to live a fulfilling life. It was all possible due to our young community (6 to 15 yrs) who believe to live, learn, grow and remain grounded together with these diversities.

11/02/2026

पटना में बाल साहित्य उत्सव (07 और 08 फरवरी 2026) , बिहार म्यूजियम . में सहोदय के साथी ने खूब मजे किये . उसी दौरान हमलोग पटना के न्यू science city और थोडा बिहार म्यूजियम भी घुमे . कुछ खले के सामन लिए , और आने के दिन एक सुंदर व्यक्ति, Prof Mihir (शिव नादर यूनिवर्सिटी ) के सुंदर प्रयास को जाना BDC के कार्यालय में

18/01/2026

जब भी हम अपना कोई स्थानीय खाद्य या फसल खोते है तो कुछ अपने आप को भी खोते है ..कुरथी या कुल्थी एक स्थानीय पारंपरिक दलहन फसल जो न केवल बहुत पौष्टिक है बल्कि जलवायु परिवर्तन के प्रभावों को सह सकती है और लगभग शून्य लागत से उपजाया जाने वाला फसल है. न कोई सिंचाई न कोई उर्वरक और न ही कोई कीड़े की समस्या . बिलकुल प्राकृतिक, जैविक और पौष्टिकता से समृध . केवल आस पास के जानवर से इसे बचाने की जरुरत है . इसका महत्त्व और उपयोग पिछले कई वर्षों से केवल कुछ पर्वों में देखा जाता है जैसे मकरसंक्रांति में खीचड़ी या पथरी की बीमारी में . लेकिन सभी दालें जो हमलोग खाते है उसमे से कुल्थी में सबसे अधिक आयरन होता हैऔर जिंक भी प्रचुर मात्रा में पाया जाता है .इसे अगस्त-सितम्बर में बोया जाता है और दिसम्बर के अंत या जनवरी में तैयार हो जाता है . कुल्थी की कई तरह प्रजातीय है . इसी तरह की कई और फसल या खाद्य पदार्थ है अपने आस पास जो अब विलुप्त होने के कगार पर है या जिनका महत्त्व हम कम समझकर उपयोग करना कम कर दिए है . जैसे रतालू , या सुथनी या परम . सहोदय एक प्रकृति-केन्द्रित कृषि आधारित आवासीय वैकल्पिक शिक्षण संस्थान है जहां हमलोग अपने दो बच्चे और आस पास के गाव के बच्चों के साथ मिलकर प्राकृतिक या जैविक तरीके से इस तरह के अपने स्थानीय पारंपरिक बीज और बुद्धि (ज्ञान ) को संरक्षित और संवर्धित करने की कोशिश पिछले 9 वर्षों से कर रहे है . यहाँ सभी लोग साथ मिलकर एक समुदाय की तरह रहते है , सीखते है (पढ़ाई, कला, घरेलु कार्य , और ग्रामीण कौशल ), खेती करते है और अपने जीवन और प्रकृति को जीवंत रखने के लिए संभव कार्य करते है .
When we lose a local food crop, we lose a bit of being ourselves. Horsegram, locally known as Kulthi or kurthi, is another precious traditional climate resilient food crop, eating which is now ritually confined to either a festival of Makar Sankranti ( with kheechadi) like finger millet on Jitiya festival and others or on medical prescription in diseases like kidney stone.
It is traditionally sown in August-September and harvested in January, with almost zero input. After sowing, we did nothing to it, and harvested this month. No irritation, no fertilizer, and no pesticides. Only protection from cattle is needed. This is almost zero-budget farming. And it has highest amount of iron among pulses and great amount of zinc in comparison as shown above. Similar is the case with Ratalu ( Purple yam) and param ( palm root). They grow in harmony with local ecosystem, and serve us with great sources of strenth and energy. When we lose a local food crop, we lose a bit of being ourselves....Sahodaya is a nature-oriented farm-based alternative learning centre, where we along with our own children and children from nearby or neighboring villages, live, learn and practice together what matters foundationally most for our lives and nature....