First crop harvest of the campus – It was different. For most of us, it was the first interaction with the farming and harvesting the crop by our hands. There were joy, excitement, and connection.
I grew up without knowing where does the grain I eat come from. I read in textbooks so I knew that grains are grown in farms by farmers. But didn’t know how does it look, how it grows, when it grows, when to cut the crop and how to process it.
Growing food is part of our basic skills at Aarohi. Basic skills are the essential skills. While we learn to read and write for our growth, we also explore farming and growing. A small Puja, in the beginning, was to offer our gratitude to the mother earth…small steps allowed us to just get connected with the crop. It was not the crop alone but various other customs and celebrations attached to it widened our understanding.
After drying for two months, it was time to cut and play in the hay. We have never touched a sack of hay or jumped into them. It was softer, it was bouncy, it was pure fun playing wrestling and flipping from the tree into that sack of hay!