After I left Finland I flew back to England and transferred to a flight to Delhi, India, and there to a flight to Katmandu, Nepal, a very arduous day of travel. I finally was going to get to visit the Sri Aurobindo Yoga Mandir Ashram/orphanage. It is one of the most amazing and unique programs I have ever seen, and I’ve seen hundreds. We’ve been helping them in any way we could since 2001 when I met the founder, Chandra Mani Bhusal, known as Ramchandra, when he was gathering support for the Ashram in New York City. Before committing to help them I had a member of our organization, who happened to be in Nepal at the time, do an on site visit. With her recommendation, we jumped in. Since that time I have met Ramchandra and his students many times, mostly at the IDEC in places such as India, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the one we hosted in New York. But this is the first time I have been here myself. They now care for 110 children at this site, 60 at a farming site they have in Terai. A few of their graduates are developing a site in Gulmi for trekkers to support the Ashram. Despite the fact that nobody pays for these orphaned children, it is 70% self-supporting through agriculture, dairy farming, selling organic food and milk at local markets, making incense, essential oils and pashmina, milling flour, hosting tourists to teach them meditation and yoga, etc. They do this primarily on only 2 1/2 acres toward the hills on the outskirts of Katmandu. We even got a grant for them years ago so they could buy some of this land. When the earthquake hit, many of their buildings were damaged. They’ve had to scramble to survive. AERO members raised $10,000 to help with repairs but they will need hundreds of thousands. Construction goes slowly here, as they are able. The earthquake stopped construction of a big new building that had started. They were going to host the IDEC here in 2018 but because of the damage that was just postponed to 2020.
Those of you who went to the AERO conference two years ago met Ramchandra and heard him tell his incredible story. He ran away from Nepal at the age of 12 to India, seeking a better life. He educated himself there, finally living at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondecherry. Sri Aurobindo has been described as a Indian John Dewey. He taught about experiential learning, spiritually and all religions.
After 20 years Ramchandra returned to Nepal. He was now 32. He saw the great poverty there and determined to build an orphanage. He found his family again and the first person to help him was his 12 year old sister, Kamala, whom he had just met for the first time. He promised to give her a good education.
Eventually they bought the land where the current Ashram is located.
On the first day Ramchandra took me on a tour of the facilities. There are about 8 on the site, as well as agriculture on every possible foot of land. The buildings are surprisingly substantial concrete buildings. Nevertheless many were damaged by the earthquake, especially where they were engaged in new construction. Amazingly, when it hit all the children and adults happened to be outside or many would have been injured or killed. See the story dictated to me by one of the classes.
At the Ashram I met several former students I had originally met at various IDECs. Two of them are now university educated and currently teaching at the Ashram school. They had come as three and four year old orphans. The Ashram typically finds a way to send its students to college and university, wheeling and dealing to get them in. They were very disappointed that the Finish embassy turned down their visas to come to this year’s IDEC, although funds had been raised for them.
On one day I went with a group to sell their produce at an organic market in Katmandu. Going into Katmandu is a bone-shaking, dusty, hair-raising experience. People drive on the left and at random other sides. Traffic lights are a suggestion, often not followed. Roads are full of giant potholes. The streets are crammed with every imaginable kind of vehicle, but innumerable motorbikes. The ten mile trip from the airport took 1 1/2 hours! The Ashram has a small truck in which it brings milk to Katmandu daily, and once a week goes to the market. Susan Sarandon helped buy that truck. They did have a bus, donated to them by India, but it no longer works or is repairable. They need a new one.
There is so much more to tell about: Healthy food and daily meditation for the community, as well as what goes on at the agricultural land in Terai, where 60 children also live. The Gulmi land in the mountains. is being developed for tourism to support the Ashram. Fifteen graduates are organizing it.
Part of their 2 1/2 acres of Katmandu land consists of a tract that they purchased permanent rights to use 15 years ago. They farm this land and have also built their cow shed on it. The dairy is one of their most important sources of income. The original one and the older students dorms were destroyed in the earthquake. This was the King’s land. The tenant who had it sold the permanent rights to it to Ramchandra but now wants to get it back since its value has greatly increased. Of course he has no right to this, having sold his rights to the Ashram many years ago. But now the former King’s land will soon revert to the tenants. The former tenant’s name will appear there. He is supposed to sign over the ownership within 35 days. But he said he will refuse to do so and apparently has somehow got the ear of the land minister. So they are trying to steal this land from the orphans. This process will be watched by our members and readers around the world. A hearing was scheduled for the 26th of June. By that time I will be back in NY. They may try to postpone that hearing. Some of my time there consisted of communicating with the American Consulate to see if they could help in the situation. We’ll keep you informed.
The Ashram is well set up for a small number of tourists, which helps in their support. I saw several groups come and go while I was there. I think the cost is only $15 a day. I arranged for people from LEAPNow, a gap-year program and AERO member, to go there and they were thrilled to be there. Some stayed on to intern. Other groups have returned. If you ever have the chance you should visit the Ashram.
Ramchandra
The children doing their chores
Rishi teaches a class of 2nd and 3rd graders
Ramchandra leads a meditation
Staff members feeding the children
Construction temporarily halted due to the earthquake
Earthquake Damage
The ashram's school building, K-9 (Through 10th and graduation next year)
Ramchandra and the ashram's garden
Preparing to go to the organic market in Kathmandu
Arrive at the organic market
Setting up at the market
At the market
