The majority of sustainable farming techniques are demonstrated in Sambhav Baba's ashram, including intercropping, crop pairing, organic farming, and permaculture design. It is careful to observe both his agricultural and water conservation strategies.
Indra Shekhar Singh | January 02, 2023 13:13:17 IST
The solitary hermitage of Sambhav Baba, a spiritual leader known for his miracles, is located in Jashpur, Chhattisgarh, nestled amongst ancient Gondwana yellowstone hills and lush woods. Don't expect water to turn into wine, yet with his tenacity and perseverance, he managed to develop tea and coffee plantations on bauxite-rich red soil (A novelty in Chhattisgarh and an agricultural miracle). His life's job is farming, and I visited his ashram to learn how he turned a desolate patch of red laterite rocks into a haven for biodiversity.
In addition to farming, his organisation continues to operate an indigenous fakiri/ayurvedic medical centre and holds both the national and Guinness records for the largest free leprosy medical camps. His socially conscious spiritual group also dabbled in Indian politics. There are several images and anecdotes flying about the ashram. Some of them included Indira Gandhi, who sought spiritual guidance from Sambhav Baba's predecessor Bhagwan Ram.
The lowlands are covered in verdant crops and refreshing winds. I was driving from Ranchi over a rocky, sandy route. On the journey, I encountered wild castor and maize, and the scenery started to change as I got closer to Jashpur. Little rivers began to laugh, and enormous rock summits showed out in the sunshine.
My fatigue was dissipated by the aroma of marigolds and flowers coming from the ashram's driveway. Agriculture fields and a public school were situated on each side of the white-walled ashram. I was greeted and taken to the Sarveshwari temple before being taken to see Baba.
As I waited, I saw that a number of native spices and medicinal plants, including cardamom, paan, and many more, grew close to Baba's home. A vatika with hundreds of Sal, mango, litchi, kiwi, loquat, and a 9-acre tea and coffee plantation made it a haven for biodiversity. Baba's garden included a plant for every ailment, from headaches to spices. Despite being a guy, those around him frequently referred to him as "our Ma-Guru" because of how much he loved them.
After his pooja, around noon, he came to see me. Baba, dressed in a dhoti, was surrounded by followers and guests. He smiled and said hello before saying little more than, "First, go view the place." I turned to face him at this time and saw only depth in his eyes. Baba had extremely reserved, serious eyes that were also warm.
My guide, a young devotee named Manas Singh, was waiting for me at the tea plantation, though. He described Baba's ashram and existence. He was telling me about how the topsoil on the tea plantation is really thin. "All the area you see here was barren bauxite ore rocks," Manas said with a grin. Topsoil wasn't present. Together with his followers, Baba excavated the rocks before blasting them. Baba himself planted the majority of the biodiversity you can observe in this area. When he first arrived, the area surrounding the ashram was nothing more than a forest with just a few trees.
Manas was correct; it's really uncommon to have a tea garden surrounded by different indigenous lemon and orange kinds, unique flowers, etc. Additionally, Ashram had a tiny tea factory that made both green and black tea.
The majority of sustainable farming techniques were shown in Baba's ashram, including intercropping, crop pairing, organic farming, and permaculture design. I was meticulously noting his approaches to agriculture and water conservation. However, it became evident during the day that Sambhav Baba had lived a totally different life before to joining his guru. He joined his spiritual guru at the age of 22, having been born to the monarch of Narsinghpur, MP. When asked about the move, the history student at Ramjas College in Delhi responded, "One has a sanskar, I was intended to be here, therefore I came here."he stoically said.
His spiritual organisation, though, had a different account. Manas said to me, "A few generations ago, the then-Jashpur King summoned the order's teacher Aghoreshwar Bhagwan Ram to propagate dharma, promote public welfare, and assist in halting Christian conversions. His order, which was centred on the three villages of Gumariya, Sogra, and Narayanpur, was able to acquire the people's affection and respect over time. Conversions finally came to an end as well.
When our stroll came to a conclusion, it was raining heavily. I collapsed onto the mattress in the common area, exhausted. Thundering sky frequently lit up the trees as seen from the window. After a period of quiet and rain, there were faint drums and conch shell noises that blended with the rain to create a symphony for the dark, scythe-wielding deity known as Sarveshwari Mata.
Day two began with the sun shining brilliantly, as if the events of the previous night had not occurred. At six in the morning, I awoke and immediately went to the tea gardens. I was shocked to see Baba working out in the apple orchard.
I had a crash lesson in tea at the tea factory for the remainder of the morning. Here, I learned that the ashram employs primarily adivasi women. Ashram has traditionally provided assistance to the local populace. During the leaf-picking season (May to mid-September), several locals assist in harvesting up to 9 quintals of leaves every week from the 8-acre farm.
We departed to see the Narayanpur ashram, where elephants had lately caused considerable damage, since the sun was practically directly overhead. The second phase improved native crops, natural biodiversity, and several commercial kinds as well. Although the ashram's agriculture is primarily organic, it does occasionally employ agri-chemicals. In order to guarantee consistent profits for the farming enterprise, they also breed seeds for the government. I visited the ashram, talked to the residents, ate a hot chicken dish given for lunch, and then made my way back to the Sogra ashram around dusk.
At 5:52 am on the third day, it was quite foggy. It was all grey, green, and silent save from a little dew on my shoulder every now and again. Mother branches were attempting to awaken the tea leaves, but my thoughts were still on the interview. Baba virtually ever talked, but he was a person of action. He had made sure I spent enough time outside near his workplace, with the occasional encounter. My thoughts were flooded with inquiries. And it wasn't until this morning that I realised that all of Baba's answers were in front of me: the tea, fruit vatika, coffee, and the narrative of his blood and sweat carved in the ashram's trees, soil, and other natural features.
Real testing
Interviewing a man who is wary of media, such as videos, images, or audio recordings, and who doesn't even want to talk about himself, is the true test of a writer. I had to convince him to speak about agriculture for three days. He glistened like a youngster as we talked about the forest and vegetation. What motivated him to cultivate and devote his life to agriculture?
"I started because we have the land to feed people." He usually responded with succinct, though lovingly spoken, responses. Still, I could not understand why tea and coffee. Baba remarked, "After people started visiting the ashram, we saw that they wanted to drink tea as well, so we decided to cultivate tea first, followed by coffee. We began here after receiving the initial saplings from Jharkhand and afterwards some even from Darjeeling. First, we had to dig by hand before enlisting JCB's assistance. We eventually did this to let other locals follow our example and improve themselves and their families by utilising nature.
But was farming profitable?
"Who just relies on agriculture to operate an ashram. It's becoming harder and harder every day," Baba said. The deterioration of the surrounding woods and natural environment also profoundly distressed him. "Elephants used to visit our land when we first moved here, but now illegal logging and other causes have driven the animals and contributed to the change in temperature as well. Now as it's growing hotter, here,
Many had come and gone while we were talking, and more were waiting to speak with him. I swiftly posed my final query: How is this all happening?
"Environmental deterioration results from government cooperation. No one will breach the law if the governments are rigorous and uphold the law. Criminals must either leave the area or change their line of work. Consider the Yogi administration, for instance. While some offenders just disappeared from UP, others changed their occupations.
My allotted time had expired, and a taxi to Ranchi was waiting. After saying my goodbyes to Baba, I had the impression that I had encountered a "Ma-guru"—a saint from the agricultural world who, by his labour, feeds and sustains ashram residents and seekers.
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