Suman Sangam is a song Mother Earth started humming for us in January 1996, when we purchased 17 acres of barren land 10 km from Dharwad in Karnataka India. We named it “Suman Sangam”, meaning Confluence of Flowers and also Confluence of Good Minds. That is exactly what we want our forest-farm to become over time. By forest-farm, we mean what was once a big grazing land has now become a green patch of forest with an ever-increasing diversity of flora and naturally fauna. We don’t have a blueprint for Suman Sangam -in fact, we never had one. It has been blossoming on its own in many different ways, frequently providing us pleasant surprises.
But, from the very beginning, we had certain well thought out broad principles about our work and involvement in Suman Sangam. First and foremost, we decided to be as eco-friendly as possible in all our efforts and operations on the land, and thereby slowly and steadily also make our own lifestyles as eco-friendly as possible. All along we have tried to be as natural and holistic as possible in all our efforts.
Mother Earth continues to add a new line every season to our song of Suman Sangam. Come once to listen to this heavenly nay earthly melody!
Philosophy
All through our journey the guiding principle has been to be as eco friendly as possible in all our operations on the land and to increase the biodiversity. And to explore various aspects of happy healthy and sustainable living. To learn how to reduce our black (carbon) footprint and enlarge our green (life) handprint. (Nothing against black please; we love black as much as any other colour). We started with some ideas of organic farming. Now we see natural farming/permaculture as our path and goal.
We are increasingly realising the truth of Fukuoka’s statement and are trying to realise it in action.Suman Sangam is not just a farm with monetary returns as the only goal.
Our aim is to realise the dream of what SUMAN SANGAM stands for — a confluence of flowers i.e. biodiversity and confluence of good minds. Now Suman Sangam is shaping us more than we are shaping it!
By design, we have kept the facilities in Sangam at the simplest possible level. We believe there should be a certain degree of difficulty and effort in achieving / obtaining anything. That makes our joy and satisfaction more rounded. You agree with us?
We believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And we always try to touch that core in all our relationships. Precisely why we love to practise FORWARD GIFTING principle in Sangam. No fixed tariffs here. Somebody in the past has already paid for your stay. So now you come, stay with us, enjoy the place enhance our happiness and pay whatever you feel is fine — from ‘zero to infinity’ as a friend of ours put it !
