Kaaya Living

The Future of Changemaking? A Discussion with Santosh Passi By Zahara Czar, Intern at Kaaya Learning Center, May-June 2026 Third Year International Relations Student at the University of British Columbia A decade ago, the development sector spoke the language of NGOs, charities, and philanthropy. Today, a new term dominates the conversation: social entrepreneurship. Businesses are social enterprises. NGOs are social enterprises. Startups are social enterprises. Everyone seems

By Zahara Czar, Intern at Kaaya Learning Center, May-June 2026 The village of Tilwari in Uttarakhand is witnessing a quiet rise in newly constructed mud houses. For generations, mud homes were a natural part of rural Indian life, they are practical, locally sourced, and deeply connected to the environment. Yet over time, cement replaced mud as the symbol of development and modernity. Today, however, mud architecture is slowly finding its way back, not only in villages but als

The beginings to embrace nature In the larger pursuit of “development and growth”, many of us tend to lose our connection with nature, self, family, community, and the neighbourhoods. Somehow, we seem to forget that it is our immediate environment, the microcosm, the people, their habitat, soil, water, air, trees etc – sustain us and nurture life. Kaaya evolved out of this realization of growing dis-connect from the things that really matters in life of an individual. The urb

A Market That Belongs to the Village An upcoming initiative at Kaaya Learning Centre There is a quiet problem that most villages live with and rarely name. Every week, money leaves. A household walks to the town market, buys tomatoes, dal, dairy, a packet of seeds — and the cash that could have stayed in the neighbourhood disappears into a distant supply chain. The village grows food, but somehow still pays an outsider for it. At Kaaya, we've been sitting with this question

Neighbors as organic growers! In case you have recently missed Kaaya updates.... We were busy learning to grow organic. As a urban-rural connect program, Kaaya is pleased to share a unique organic kitchen garden initiative in the neighborhood! As you may be aware that the incentive to farm is really going down particularly by small farmers. Whether it is the monkey menace or the unpredictability of monsoons or the meager returns on their efforts. Some how, the risks as well a

There is a particular kind of learning that happens not in a classroom but in a shared space — when artists from different valleys sit together, show each other their work, and begin to find the threads that connect them. That is what Padav has always tried to make room for. This year, it did so again. The fourth cohort of the Padav Art Mentoring Program brought twenty young artists to Kaaya Learning Centre in Tilwari village, Dehradun, for six residential days in early 2026.

When I first heard about the Kaaya Fellowships, I was drawn by the promise of a unique experience - one that blends learning with nature, community, and slow living. These fellowships offer more than just a program; they open a door to a world where the earth beneath your feet and the sky above become your classroom. Today, I want to share what I’ve discovered about these fellowships and why they might just be the perfect invitation for youth seeking nature-based experiences.

Aritram (अरित्रम्) An Immersive Volunteering Program Overview Aritram, a Sanskrit word meaning an oar used for steering a boat, is an invitation to co-create. Set in a village ecosystem of Tilwari (near Dehradun, Uttarakhand) where food, farming, community, and creativity intersect, the volunteering program brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds to participate in building experiences that are rooted, regenerative, and humane. Volunteers become active collaborato

Shagun Manwal BSc Life Sciences, 2nd Year, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun My fine-tuned Internship experience at Kaaya Learning centre It’s been almost two weeks away from my home since I had started my internship at Kaaya with the onset of this year. I had never thought I’ll be able to learn this much in just two weeks. In these two weeks I had completed my three tasks which had been assigned to me on the first day of my internship. These include plant identification and l

part of the series on climate change and sustainable living initiated by Kaaya.

The outcome of this summer camp program should also interest parents, as it shows that participating in such a camp is more than just sending their kids to digitally detox, have fun and adventure. It is also an opportunity for them to develop social skills, emotional intelligence and self-confidence that will help them in their personal and academic lives

A felloship program in the field of Arts and performing arts

Plan a field trip for students In class rooms, students engage with different aspects of pressing global issues related to environment, climate change or sustainability covered in their syllabus. When they visit Kaaya, they have already studied, debated, presented on, and written research papers about them. At Kaaya, they get the field context to link them all together. We facilitate a proactive engagement of students with local environment where nature and communities co-ex

Kaaya is looking for young short term resident architects to help us in our campus re-design. If you are free, creative, inspired by nature, can sketch ideas in paper fast, love outdoor cooking and digs in DIY and don’t mind getting your hands on mud, apply to be a resident of Kaaya (minimum two weeks). write to santosh@kaaya.org

Art-Eco 2019-20: A socio culture Project (14-20 Dec) Today we conclude a week-long journey of international plein air artists at Kaaya. Plein air painting is about leaving the four walls of your studio behind to experience painting and drawing in the open air. Particularly in this time, when climate as well as humanitarian crisis is looming large, these artists left comforts of their homes or studios and picked up their brushes, paints and easels to inspire as well as seek i