Linking And Learning
Focus Areas/Activities
The What is a Good Life? Tour
What is a Good Life(?)Tour
Join the 'What is a Good Life?' tour of Southern India. Here is a chance to come to a deep understanding of what are the basics of happiness. The tour takes you to rural villages, way off the beaten track, and yet you will have comfortable accommodation and delicious, wholesome food. You will meet outstanding spiritual and social-change leaders; discuss philosophy, sustainable development processes, and global issues to a depth that will surprise you. In each rural setting you will experience the simple beauty and hospitality of rural people, and you will listen to their success stories. Your safety and security will be well taken care of.
The 'What is a Good Life?' tour is unique in that you will actually see the principles underlying a 'good life' in action - in women's cooperatives, spiritual ashrams, a 'joyful' school, a wild-life sancturay , in permaculture successes... As you journey, you will adapt to a more leisurely Indian sense of time - there will be ample opportunities for self-reflection and for sharing the wisdom and knowledge of change-makers and spiritual leaders.
Apart from sightseeing and experiencing India's cultural heritage and hospitality, you will have the opportunity to understand the basics of sustainable development, analyze issues such as climate change, and gain insights into methods of sustainable change that could be adapted into everyday life and work across the World.
What constitutes a good life tour
Tour participants will ...
- learn how India's poor have found happiness and purpose through their sense of community
- interact with rural women leaders
- sense the well-being in those who have enough shelter and food
- see what safety means to marginalized people
- witness profound spirituality
- see what a people, organization can do
- understand justice and equity
- experience a truly balanced ecology
- feel the pride of those who have meaningful work
The ‘What is a Good Life, Tour is one of the linking and Learning' initiatives of Community Aid Alliance KAA). CAA is a collective of individuals, groups and networks in Australia and India who work for a better world. As a not-for-profit entity, it promotes and facilitates community based organizations and their self-help projects. CAA has been greatly influenced by the development understanding and practice of the former Community aid abroad, Australia, which supported community development projects in South India for almost four decades.
The core activities of Community Aid Alliance are fundraising for and on behalf of community based organizations in India, and fostering community to community linking and learning between India and Australia. CAA runs a number of study tours, student and volunteer placements.
The tour leader, Augustine Ullatil , who was field director of Community aid abroad, eastern and southern India for 23 years, has a wealth of experience and friendships with non - government and community based organizations throughout India. During this time he conducted 38 community development study tours for Australian citizens and is well acquainted with Australia.
For more details on CAA and its activities, visit www.communityaid.org.in
Itinerary
| Day 1 | Arrival in Bangalore. You will be met by a community aid representative. Accommodation in Community Aid Alliance Guest house in down town Bangalore. |
|---|
| Day 2 | Welcome and introductions: Safety briefings; Cultural sensitivities briefing; Itinerary overview. Afternoon,free time in the city. |
|---|
| Day 3,4,5&6 | Travel by overnight train to a CAA linked rural project in north Andhra Pradesh. Accommodation in a rural setting. Spend three days here visiting tribal villages ,attending meetings and reflections on sustainable development practices |
|---|
| Day 7 | Return to CAA guest house in Bangalore. Rest day |
|---|
| Day 8 | Travel to Mudumalai wild life Sanctuary in the western Ghats region . Accomodation in the sanctuary outskirts in a comfortable resort. |
|---|
| Day 9 | Travel through scenic tea gardens, spend time in an alternative school and a community managed hospital. Evening move to the ecoscape centre in the tea gardens. |
|---|
| Day 10 | Reflections on environment and activities such as , trekking, nature walk, sighting wild life, meditation & yoga |
|---|
| Day 11 | Travel to Mysore; accommodation in hotel. Sight seeing in Mysore city - markets, palace, temples etc. |
|---|
| Day 12 | Travel to an interfaith spiritual centre on the outskirts of Bangalore. Reflections on human relations ecology, climate change, lifestyles and developing a perspective on what is a good life |
|---|
| Day 13 | Return to CAA guest house in Bangalore. |
|---|
| Day 14 | In Bangalore. Rest day . Group dinner. |
|---|
| Day15-18 | Travel to a community aid linked project 180 KM from Bangalore. Accommodation in a beautiful Campus. Spend 2 days here visiting villages, interactive meetings to know the many initiatives and processes of this project. |
|---|
| Day 19 | Return to Bangalore.Visit LepakhiTemple en route Bangalore. |
|---|
| Day 20 | Review, reflections and closing ceremony |
|---|
Cost: (starting and ending in Bangalore) -
Cost includes accommodation, meals, car travel, expenses on rural projects and ashrams, taxes, entry fees, expenses for the tour leader and resource persons. Any surplus moneys will go direct ly to CAA linked projects.
For tour details (cost, itinerary, upcoming tour dates.)
Please contact:
Augustine Ullatil (India) Email: communityaidindia@grnail.com Mobile: +919880435544
Liz Hobbs (Australia) Email: lizghobbs@gmail.com