Tour ONE Village of Kuthambakkam Departure time 7.30 AM Approximate return time 5.00-6.00 pm Board the bus after breakfast (on your own) Lunch will be provided This is the village made famous by the involvement of Elango Ramaswamy - the Ashoka Fellow and Panchayat leader of Kuthambakkam.   * Meet Elango Ramaswamy, * Go on a conducted tour led by him * See various aspects of rural life and development * Visit the schools * See a brick making facility, and other income generation activities. * Lear how village governance works and could work. * Meet and interact and learn about Self Help Groups * Learn about the problems and solutions directly from the village citizens. * We will start the morning at the Saint Gobain facility for about 2 hours Tour THREE Village of Pullayarkuppam Departure time 7.00 AM Approximate return time 5.00-6.00 pm Board the bus after breakfast (on your own) Lunch will be provided BioCenter & Village Resource Center of MS Swaminathan Research Foundation- which been working in villages around Puducherry to foster a model of sustainable livelihoods based on use of available natural resources and simple technologies.  * Visit a Village Resource Center * Visit a Village Knowledge Center * Visit a Bio Center * Meet the staff of the research center doing pioneering work * Meet representatives of Women's Self Help Groups * Interact with villagers Tour FIVE Agricultural Farms in Ulundai Approximate departure time 7.00 AM Approximate return time 4.00-5.00 PM Board the bus after breakfast (on your own) Lunch will be provided Meet Madhavan - IIT M alumnus who gave up a career in mining to take up farming.   * Meet Madhavan - a hands on engineer/farmer- an experience in itself. * Get a clear crash course on the fundamentals of agriculture and horticulture. * Learn about soil, nutrients, productivity, water use * Learn about farm tools and methods to increase yield and reduce toil * Learn why this is important for the nation and our health and survival. * Will stop in Pamal tank project in Pallavaram on our return journey. | Tour TWO Village of Natham Departure time 7.30 AM Approximate return time 5.00-6.00 PM Board the bus after breakfast (on your own) Lunch will be provided This is a village adopted by the group called iVil - "IIT for villages, Will you?". iVil is composed of a group of students and teachers from IIT Madras who have come together to explore how an institutions such as the IITs can reach out and help India's villages.   * See Natham's facilities and infrastructure * Meet villagers and hear their concerns * Meet village leaders * Visit the Knowledge Center established by iVil. * Meet the students and teachers of iVil as they share their experiences. Tour FOUR Auroville - Puducherry (Pondicherry) Departure time 7.00 AM  * Begin with the Visitor's Center for a comprehensive picture * Learn about energy alternative at the CSR for renewable energy and earth building. * Visit an Organic Farm * Visit a Herbal Farm in Pitchandikulam * Visit an Auroville community. All TOURS  DblClick on the map to enlarge * All tours shall be conducted tours on comfortable chartered buses with a guide. * We recommend that you bring a hat to wear and some drinking water. Do not forget your digital cameras. * The tours are limited to 25 persons per tour and shall be assigned on a first come first served basis. * Wear comfortable clothing. There may be some hands-on work opportunities in some of the tours. * The exact time of departure and return for each tour will be finalized and posted 10 days prior to the date. * The buses may be available for travel to the airport or the railway station after the completion of tours. * Meals provided shall be vegetarian meals of cuisine typical to the region. |