DAY THREE JAN 9 2019
It’s a beautiful morning today. Everything is back to normal. The sound of traffic is annoying as usual, which means that public transportation along with all other shops and offices have resumed working and that indeed is a good thing.
I woke up a little late today. Maybe last night’s dinner was heavier than I thought, but none the less I am rushing towards the dining room for breakfast because today we are visiting a rather unusual place. Kanthari international institute for social change co-founded by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg in 2007 in Trivandrum, Kerala, South of India, offers a 12 month, scholarship based leadership program for visionaries who have overcome adversity and who are keen to drive ethical social change anywhere in the world. There are many amazing things about Kanthari. First of all, the entire Kanthari campus is designed in a cost-effective and eco-friendly way, which not only offers an inspiring working environment but also inspires the hell out of visitors and people who take sustainable lifestyle seriously. I mean you are the judge. Since the founders of Kanthari preach the gospel of sustainability to the rest of the world, they decided to be the first to live it as well. Hence they built their house and the entire campus from mud and bamboo available onsite! How cool is that! Moreover, the entire campus is off-grid. They harvest the rainwater and filter it for reuse. The Eco-san toilets are linked to a biogas generator that generates gas for cooking purposes and fertilizer for the gardens. No matter the temperature outside. The inside temperature will always be significantly colder due to the amazing architecture of the buildings. I could go on and on but I would have barely scratched the surface so to cut it short, In 2013 the campus was awarded as the second greenest campus in India. One last thing that I cannot resist to not mention is their ginormous outdoor swing, which is tied to the coconut trees. Once you swing on that swing you would not want to swing anywhere else. The whole visit was a rich experience. Learning about how they find social change-maker and how they train them made me interested to apply. Secondly, from the Kanthari shop, Professor Jerry bought me a cool looking handmade bag because I had missed the first few days of the trip!
After the visit, we went for lunch where I got my first glimpse of the tropical beach in Trivandrum. Honestly, now I have developed a genuine longing for it for the rest of my life. We went to Dr Franklin’s Ayurvedic retreat to get a full body massage but I was not in the mood to get naked so with a group of student we left for the hotel to get complete the assignment and ready for the grand farewell dinner organized by the Laurie Baker Center. Today was our last day in the beautiful city of Trivandrum
The farewell is sweet. The girls wore traditional Saree and the guys rocked with Lungis and south Indian shirts. The night ended with lots of group hugs and pictures, which I think would stay with me for the rest of my life.
Once Upon a Time in Kerala 