Farm name: PUNARVASU Contact name: Vasudeva Phone/email: Phone: +91 (0) 94483 74131, 820 2006220, Email:

vasuadamaru@gmail.com Location (address and description of land): Melmane, At & Post: Admar 574 131, Taluk & District: Udupi, Karnataka, India 3.5 km towards East of Yermal from National Highway 17. It is 23 km from Udupi and 43 km from Mangalore on West Coast of Karnataka. It is about 400 km from Bangalore and 1000 km from Mumbai. The nearest train station and airport is at Mangalore. There is also a train station at Udupi in Konkan railway line connecting Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. There are private express buses ply between Udupi & Mangalore. They stop at a place called Padubidri. Get down there and get into an auto (3 wheeler) and ask to take you to Adamaru, Yogindra Rayara house near Vakeelara thota on Poola Road. If you have problems, ask the auto driver to call 9449836883 OR 0820 2006220. The fare will be about Rs. 60. Padubidri is the nearest small town which is about 5 km from Punarvasu. Adamaru also has a small place to shop which is about 1 km from Punarvasu. You have buses from Adamaru to Udupi about 6 times a day. You will get the details in the farm. Taxi and autos are available on call in advance. The region receives about 3500 mm rain per annum mostly between June and October. The temperature varies between 20 & 38 o C. Year has 3 seasons viz. rainy (Jun-Sept), winter (Oct-Jan) & summer (Feb-May). Accommodations The family of the owner (my father, mother and grandmother) lives in the farm in a traditional home and they are happy to take care of guests. We have facilities to accommodate 2 people at a time. The place is clean, hygienic and well connected to outside world by road and phone. We can provide dorm type separate room. There is common Indian toilet. Suggested length of stay for volunteers is about 7 to 10 days.. Food Only simple vegetarian food is available in traditional Udupi style. Food is cooked 2 times a day. The food is mainly rice & vegetable based and little spicy. Clean drinking water is from an open well. Smoking and consumption of meat & alcohol is strictly prohibited. Dress code is informal but should cover sufficiently.

A brief description of organic activities The farm has 5 acre in single piece comprising mid and up land. The existing main crops are coconut, areca (beetle) nut, banana and pepper (in 1.75 ac all intercropped). About 0.5 ac is under natural reserve, 1 ac under paddy fallow and rest uncultivated fallow. Fruits like mango, guava, sapota, papaya, vegetables like brinjal, cucumber, pumpkin, amaranthus, chilli, sweet potato are grown for home consumption. The farm is partially irrigated. We have couple of cows for milk and manure. We are trying to convert it to a resilient model by adopting Permaculture principles with the help of Permaculture expert, Mr. Richard Zook (www.ricoclime.com) since 2006. It is also planned to build the farm as model and training centre. Farming opportunities/activities Kind of farm activities depends on the season. Rainy season (Jun to Sept): Planting forest species and horticulture crops, soil & water conservation structures, fencing, applying manure to horticulture crops, composting, collection of fodder etc. Winter season (Oct to Jan): Vegetable cultivation, fencing, soil & water conservation structures, irrigation, pepper harvest, collection of mulch, fodder etc. Summer season (Feb to May): Collection of mulch, watering plants/irrigation, processing activities like coconut drying, areca nut, tamarind de husking, cashew harvest, papad, pickle making, raising nursery, collection of fire wood etc. Depending on the season, volunteers may take up activities as described above. If you desire, you may also apply your own ideas which are appropriate to farm with the consent of the family. Volunteers may work during cooler hours of morning and evening, 4 to 5 hrs a day. You may come back here to see your work again. Non-farming opportunities/activities We at Punarvasu, aim to promote traditional food, local artisans, rituals and knowledge systems. In addition to the farm experience, you will have traditional Udupi food, eat in plantain leaf with the family, bathing in ponds (Jul to Sept), etc. Apart from walking to beach (3 km from the farm), you will be exposed to local car festivals, rituals like spirit worship, art forms like yakshagana, traditional sports like buffalo race, cock fight (December to March), visit to temples of historic and architectural importance, visit to local mutt (can see beautiful wooden sculptures). It is also a paradise for bird watchers and snake lovers. Languages spoken Tulu & Kannada are the local dialects. Family members can understand English but cannot speak fluently. Two members (myself and my wife) who communicate in English do not live in the farm regularly. We will visit (tentatively) the farm in Feb/Mar, May, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Dec. We can guide you or help communication through phone.

Restrictions My parents will treat you like guests. But service of a hotel may not be with you there. They will not be with you always. They will be attending some farm /family work. You need to ask whatever you want and take initiatives. General habit of the people here is to speak louder / big noise. Dont worry about that ! Ours is an ancestral property and my grandmother expects to follow some orthodox rules. This means you will not have access to kitchen and pooja (worship) room. Safety You are responsible for your safety. People around are friendly and generally help full. Always inform the family where you are going and get back home before 7 pm. Take care of yourself while using the tools, walking on the undulating land, thorny areas, from snakes etc. Safety gadgets like gloves, helmet, gum boots, goggles, mask, are not available. Please do not take up any work that you cannot handle. Please carry some basic medicine and first aid kit. Also have a good torch / battery. The doctor is 5 km away from the farm. Own transport is not available in the farm. Always take care of your valuable things like gold, electronic gadgets, cash etc. Preferably keep valuable things locked. Interesting places around Udupi group of temples, Beaches Ullala, Kaup, Malpe, St. Marys island, Cherkadys farm, Hasta Shilpa in Manipal, Jain temples in Karkala etc If you dont like the place, you may leave at any time without fulfilling your commitments. If you have any more questions please write to me or call me.