About
Living With The Forests is an initiative by Muhaan. This venture in its second edition is co-created in collaboration with Haven Farm, Sepi.
It is a multidisciplinary immersive program with the aim to provide an exploratory journey to understand the people, the ecological biodiversity, the culture and traditions along with the sustainable livelihood practices in relation to the modern development paradigm in the context of Singalila National Park and its local communities.
The program intends to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration amongst participants in order to advance research and development on various thematic aspects of the region aligned with the SDGs. Along with exploration and knowledge-sharing, the participants are encouraged to share their perspectives, skill sets and expertise during the program.
About Sepi
Sepi is a small hamlet in lower Singalila beside the roaring Srikhola River near Rimbick, Darjeeling.
Perched at an altitude of 6900 feet above sea level, it is a part of the Eastern Himalayan range bordering Nepal and Sikkim. Within the safe keep of its rich biodiversity, Sepi tucks in a community of ancient cultures within the fragile wildlife landscape of the Singalila forest range.
The villages are spread out and divided as Upper and Lower Sepi which consists of approximately 120+ households. There are two types of villages in the Singalila range:
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Forest Villages
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Revenue Villages
Both types of villages are dominated by agro-forestry and a majority of the people are dependent on traditional farming practices and livestock rearing for their livelihood. The forest provides timber and fodder for livestock as well as water from the natural reservoirs and springs.
People of Sepi
The People of Sepi are an amalgamation of many tribal communities out of which 90% belong to the Rai Kirati community. Other communities living there are the Bhutias, Sherpas, Limbu, Chettris and Newars.
The people, especially the elderly, still follow traditional practices not just in agriculture but also spiritually including Shamanistic practices and pray to the forest deities as a sign of respect and gratitude to nature. They hold a substantial amount of knowledge from the forests in the form of oral stories and folklore that are transferred from one generation to another.
Apart from that the cultural festivals and celebrations based on nature and tradition are what lie amongst the trees and between the pristine skies and streams of Sepi.
Reconnecting with Nature
A deep dive into nature through immersive activities in the forest and amongst the forest communities will reinvigorate a connection with nature.
Ecology & Biodiversity
An understating of the natural ecosystems through story-telling, and knowledge-sharing facilitated by the local resource persons and experts from amongst the communities.
Sustainable Livelihoods
From ages the communities living in the fringe of the forests have been sustaining and evolving their livelihood patterns through continued adaptations with nature. Many of the livelihood practices adopted in the long run are powerful examples of sustainability and ecological balance.
Narratives
To document varied perspectives of the local communities and the participants through diverse means of story-telling as well as capturing silent narratives.
Community Immersion
Engaging with the people, places and practices and experiencing their authentic culture and traditions to better understand the rural landscape and context as a whole.
Meet our resource persons
who can enroll?
The program is open to anyone interested in an immersive journey to understand the people, the ecological biodiversity, the culture and traditions along with the sustainable livelihood practices in relation to the modern development paradigm of the local communities. We encourage participants coming from diverse institutional and professional backgrounds or even those who are just nature enthusiasts.
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There will be an application form for participants where they will have to share basic information along with their Curriculum Vitae and a Statement of Purpose (200-400 words) regarding their interest in the program.
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A panel of local experts and resource persons will review and select participants on the basis of their interests and alignment with the program.
The program is open to anyone interested in an immersive journey to understand the people, the ecological biodiversity, the culture and traditions along with the sustainable livelihood practices in relation to the modern development paradigm of the local communities. We encourage participants coming from diverse institutional and professional backgrounds or even those who are just nature enthusiasts.
-
There will be an application form for participants where they will have to share basic information along with their Curriculum Vitae and a Statement of Purpose (200-400 words) regarding their interest in the program.
-
A panel of local experts and resource persons will review and select participants on the basis of their interests and alignment with the program.
The program is open to anyone interested in an immersive journey to understand the people, the ecological biodiversity, the culture and traditions along with the sustainable livelihood practices in relation to the modern development paradigm of the local communities. We encourage participants coming from diverse institutional and professional backgrounds or even those who are just nature enthusiasts.
-
There will be an application form for participants where they will have to share basic information along with their Curriculum Vitae and a Statement of Purpose (200-400 words) regarding their interest in the program.
-
A panel of local experts and resource persons will review and select participants on the basis of their interests and alignment with the program.
Registration Fees
Students/Research scholars: INR 14,000/-
Students/Research scholars of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, and North Bengal : INR 10,000/-
Working Professionals: INR 15,000/-
For more details download our Brochure
Haven Farm is situated in Upper Sepi on the edge of the Singalila National Forest. It is a family-owned and operated farm with Daniel and his wife Maren, as the proprietors and our dear hosts for the event. Daniel and Maren started Haven Farm 10 years ago. "We have started slowly and built it into what it is today." Haven Farm is a place for people to come, relax and restore. A place to connect with our land, nature and culture. As a family, they are learning and implementing the principles of permaculture as well as learning traditional practices from the Sepi community. They now host visitors from all over the world.
