When we first bumped into the concept of Permaculture, it immediately resonated with some of the ideas that we had already subscribed in our heads.

We started looking out for a good tutor who could take us under his wings and explain the concepts further. We shortlisted a few Permaculture courses with good reviews in Thailand, Cambodia and even Australia. However, the cost and the distance seemed a deterrent.

Just then, a fellow Permie friend nudged us and pointed us to our own backyard in Darjeeling. Rico Zook from Itinerant Permaculture along with Darjeeling Prerna had been silently conducting PDC courses and transforming a small village, Mineral Springs, in Darjeeling for the last 13 years (then).

After a quick word, we packed our bags and journeyed home and under his tutelage we completed our Permaculture Design Certification course. A month later we jumped into the deep end of the swimming pool and started Tieedi. :)

Three years hence, it feels good, really good to have your tutor come and appreciate the baby steps you have taken towards creating a zero-waste, regenerative permaculture forest garden in Darjeeling.

Thank you Rico Zook! For everything! :) ... See more

It was a cold and rainy day when I left Darjeeling. Fortunately I stopped at a couple of my student's (and friend's) place near to Sonada for a visit, good company, and hot tea on my way down the hill. Their place is called Tieedi, and they are doing fun and cool Pc things there. They are experimenting with Bamboo, both how to treat it for longevity (soaking in Tumeric and salt), and with building. The blue tarp pit is for the soaking.

They are also doing fun and beautiful gardens. These two photos are just the ones on either side of the main home. There is more annuals, as well as perennial cropping mixed into the forest around them. They have been doing natural building on the site as they develop it, and are soon putting in more greywater systems. They are also doing cool work with their community around them, most significantly with waste management.

They have rooms for rent, and they take on volunteers. Do check them out. https://tieedi.in Tieedi ... See more

Honored and Humbled!

A big shout out to everyone who has been part of our Tieedi journey. Family, friends, volunteers and patrons....all of this wouldn't have been possible without your rock-solid support.

The forest tribe is growing! :) ... See more

An interview with Utsow Pradhan, social entrepreuner, environment activist, and founder of TIEEDI eco-tourism project, Darjeeling.

A lot of folks have asked us, 'So, how do make your compost so rich and finely granuled?'.

'It's a lotta hard work' we say. 'Hard work to sit down, read a book, listen to the sonorous chirps of the chicks as you turn pages after pages'.

O! you thought hard work to turn the compost!? :) ... See more

The first of our cauliflowers this season. And look at the size and texture of this beauty! No urea! No chemicals! No pesticide! No herbicide! No mono cropping! No green house! And Pssst. No cow manure too! Just upcycled biodegradables that's composted and IMOs.

Do you know that cauliflowers are one of the most polluted vegetables that you find in a non-organic farmer's market? Because it needs a nitrogen rich soil, taking the easy way out would be to contaminate (yes! contaminate!) the soil with chemical fertilisers to meet the consumer demand.

But, looks like it can be grown naturally, organically and more importantly out of composted biodegradable waste too.

Damn! if only we could post the taste of stuff in Facebook! :)

#IndigenousMicroOrganisms
#Imos
#composting
#naturalfarming
#organicfarming
#TieediBlackGold
#DarjeelingPermaculture
#Permaculture
#Cauliflowers ... See more