We had been hearing about Kanha Shanti Vanam since quite a long time and wanted to visit it, so we made plans to go there on my birthday
I looked up for details about it, Kanha Shanti Vanam, spread over 1,400 acres, is situated about 40 km from the center of Hyderabad city
Sri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) which teaches the practice of "Sahaj Marg" or "Heartfulness Meditation" is a non-profit organization and a spiritual movement which originated in India. It was registered in 1945 by Ram Chandra also known as Babuji hailing from Uttar Pradesh, its current headquarters are at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Kanha village, Ranga Reddy District near Hyderabad in Telangana
Sri Babuji had taken the name Ram Chandra after his teacher of the system Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, also known as "Lalaji". Babuji was succeeded as president and spiritual master of SRCM by Parthsarathi Rajagopalachari. Following his death on 20 December 2014, Kamlesh D. Patel became president of SRCM and the fourth spiritual Master of the Sahaj Marg system, he is fondly called Daaji by all
Shri Ram Chandra Mission has spread its system of meditation amongst millions of people across 160 countries the world over
We had our breakfast at home and started off for Kanha, we had booked accommodation in the Pearl hotel in Kanha
There were various other accommodation options, like AC Cottages (twin-sharing) where up to 200 persons can be accommodated.
Luxury Dormitories (air-conditioned) which can take 40 persons per room totaling 300 persons also were there.
Service apartments are also available for rent, as well as Madhuvanam apartments which are similar to a hotel
In no time we reached Kanha, at the main gate we were stopped by the security guard who checked our ID cards and guided us to our hotel, he asked us not to honk the horn and to keep our speed limits below 20 km per hour, there were direction boards which made it very easy for a new person to navigate the area.
As soon as we entered the campus we could feel the stillness in the air, plenty of trees gave cool shade and the clean roads were a beauty to watch, people were either walking down them or cycling leisurely
The pearl hotel had 44 rooms and needs prior booking, the reception desk people were very courteous and directed us to our room in a jiffy
The room was a luxurious one with all comforts, oddly there was no calling bell, maybe to minimize sounds in the hotel, all the foyers had books scattered around and free hot and cold water facility, Wi-Fi and Laundry service and gym facility existed, we could hire a Bicycle and had Golf cart facility to go around
We freshened up and went around, we first went to the meditation centre and were spellbound by its magnificence, it is 30 acres wide and has a central primary meditation hall, with cold water running under the floor to keep it cool in the summer
It has no pillars or other structures within it but stands freely as the designers had come up with a new concept of large empty spaces surrounded by eight additional pods to enhance deep introspection and contemplation in the people spending time there, they did this by applying advanced scientific principles called Ferrari tensile fabric.
High-quality material like stones, timber, glass and clay were locally sourced to guarantee long-lastingness besides linking the construction with the environment.
The 8 pods house an auditorium with a seating capacity of about 850. It is centrally air-conditioned and sound-proof with high speed Internet and a hi-tech audio-visual system. The auditorium is well-equipped with green rooms, washrooms and drinking water facility.
There is also a conference hall and seating over 2 floors for meditation and training purposes. Collectively, the meditation facility can hold 100,000 participants, making it the largest of its kind in the world
We left our footwear and entered the central hall, there was a stage and in front of it rows and rows of chairs, I thanked my stars for the chairs and meditated or truly speaking stilled my thoughts for nearly half an hour
The hall was surrounded by inscriptions of sacred scriptures carved into granite stone, on special occasions flags of various countries are unfurled in the central lawn.
Kanha is known and famous for its Green initiative to conserve the threatened, rare, and endangered species of our tropical forests, the mission feels that tree plantations is the answer to combat air pollution and temperature stabilization.
The mission also aims to create nationwide nurseries to grow highly resilient saplings that can compete and survive in hostile conditions and support livelihoods and micro-entrepreneurs.
Tree Conservation Center's project of Kanha undertook plantation of 50,000 plants over the years. A contemporary tissue culture laboratory has been built to aid in the propagation of critically endangered plant and tree species and is used in addition to the traditional methods of seed propagation, cutting, and layering.
Kanha changed the name of horticulture to Heartyculture which I found quite quaint
The rainforest in Kanha Shanti Vanam, which is grown in the formerly arid Nandigama mandal, covers five to six acres, has increased the area's green cover and has become home to vulnerable and endangered species in the past four to five years.
Rain Guns made by Italian technology have been applied in large forested areas to improve water conservation with less labour input and usage of fewer water tankers. They maintain and promote moisture for the trees.
Extensive Mulching is also adopted in large-scale farms and croplands to curb crop and soil moisture loss through evaporation.
We were taken to the various vanams like Nakshatra Vanam, Ruchi Garden (Garden of edible wild fruits), Ayushya Vanam (Garden of Medicinal Plants), Raashi Vanam (Garden of Zodiac Signs), Palmeral (Coconut Palms), Freshwater ecosystems and Rock garden and other theme-based gardens.
It was a delight to go around and see the various gardens developed with utmost care and thought, seating was available everywhere for people to sit, relax , think and meditate
Kanha has started an initiative to improve the fertility of the soil using biochar. Biochar is created using organic wastes and twigs and through a process called Pyrolysis. This way the organic wastes are “burnt” without smoke and a fertile coke is produced that can be mixed with soil to grow plants.
We were stunned by the Babuji Maharaj statue which was 30 feet tall on its own and stands 75 feet above ground level when including the platform it sits on. The statue weighs 13 tons. It overlooked the entire Kanha campus blessing the inmates with its august presence
Apart from the green one, the Blue initiative was reached by developing twelve water harvesting ponds to replenish the groundwater surrounding the site. As a result the recent years have seen better rainfall due to the increased green cover.
We could see the "Heartfulness Learning Center," established to offer knowledge and education to children from Pre-KG through Grade 8 in most novel ways and also prepare them for their future in an innovative manner
We had our complimentary breakfast in the hotel, it was a simple one though rather bland. Kanha houses a spacious dining hall where all residents and abhyasis can get simple, sattvic, hearty vegetarian meals completely free three times a day, throughout the year.
For our lunch and dinner we went to the Suruchi Cafe which was a spacious modern cafeteria, they were serving regular vegetarian meals in form of thalis thrice a day.
We could see that there were on sale a variety of mouth-watering cuisines, bakery items and confectioneries. There were North Indian, South Indian, and Chinese cuisines. There was both indoor and outdoor seating provided
As we strolled along we came across the children's park, very well designed with various games to enhance the development and observation skills of children. Apart from the park, Kanha Shanti Vanam has wide open places that allow children to play freely, ride bikes, learn cottage crafts and join storytelling and other activities.
The idea of HISC (The Heart fullness International Sports Centre) was conceived in 2020 as a unified multi-sport facility to promote excellence in sports. The idea is to ignite that spark in children to look at sports and fitness as a means for career or healthy lifestyle. The sports centre facility spans over 54,680 square feet with state-of-the-art infrastructure. It includes 14 badminton courts under Gopichand Badminton Academy, 3 squash courts, 25 meter temperature controlled swimming pool and Gym and Fitness centre ,it serves both the youth and old alike
There was a convenient store where the residents and visitors could shop for fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as groceries and items of daily use, food provided at this store is fresh and organic, some of which are grown right here in Kanha , to my surprise I found that the rates also were quite reasonable
There was a Pottery Studio equipped with tools of the trade, products to purchase, a large kiln, and all the materials one needs to potter around to their heart’s content.
The Goshala at Kanha is home to over 100 native cows and buffalos from various regions of India such as Gir, Red Sindhi and Sahiwal, it surrounds vast agricultural land which made it more pertinent, I found kids enjoying their time there feeding the cows
We then saw the Wellness Center which looked very professional, it provides an integrated and holistic approach towards health and well-being, there are doctors who prescribe mainly ayurvedic treatments for all health conditions and it has adequate medical facilities to assist the local population and visitors too
Who would have ever imagined that a once barren and parched land could turn into a lush oasis with more than half a million trees, Kanha is now fully self-sufficient and sustainable and has become a haven for people thirsty for mindfulness irrespective of their age, a few committed individuals working towards a noble cause selflessly can achieve wonders and do miracles
We returned home from Kanha Shanti Vanam with our hearts filled with Shanti and lungs full of oxygen, our minds were peaceful and rested,I reluctantly left the place wishing I could have stayed there for ever and for ever
