After Sadhana Forest, I had to find my way up to Arrah to the Vasudhaiva Ride — Bihar Project, (somewhere I’ve never been before) to volunteer. My journey started onward such — I got a lift from Auroville to the main road, then hopped on to a local bus for a half-hour ride to Pondicherry, then on to a state bus to Chennai, a four-hour ride, then on to another local bus to Chennai central, 20 mins and then finally laid my bags down to rest in the train that’d be home for the next 40 hrs.
Here is a short abstract from the full feature on Tripoto.
The first time in Bihar — Arrah, I didn’t even know the place existed until this project came about my way. The stories I’ve heard about this state made me feel very differently before visiting compared to the truth of what I found once I was there. I’d pass on the one message I’ve learned from this, ‘travel to the places termed doomed and unveil the truth’.
My experience:
The 15 days with Prashant, Ben, and the rest of the global volunteers was an experience in itself. The place is no doubt one of the most beautiful I visited on this particular journey, with a sense of rawness with culture mellow and vibrant. The city infrastructure is far from accommodating, but it is important to understand that it is a low economic state. The land is rich with high-quality clay and fireflies everywhere. I made a miniature kitchen set for a 6-year girl named Lucky. She was on kitchen duty for the next few days, serving out dishes faster than the bathhouse servants from ‘Spirited Away’.
An added experience is that the Ganges flows down through Bihar. About 15 km from the project site is a perfect spot, a village called Sinha with abundant raw clay and the Ganges River wide as ever. You’ll find only a hand full of people using this part of the river for their rituals and duties, which makes the experience more exclusive.
Dress modestly, understand & adopt the local traditions and way of life while you’re there. The internal transport is pretty efficient and drinking water is plenty. That’s all you need to start finding your way around beautiful Bihar! Read more on the infrastructure, volunteering & added details on Tripoto!
Happy Exploring!
