Seva
Practice that leaves the room
सेवा ही साधना है
Sitting together is half of it. The other half happens on the days in between — in the kitchen, in the classroom, and in houses where someone is having a hard year.
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Meals served each month
Awaiting the kitchen’s own records.
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Children in evening classes
Awaiting figures from the teaching volunteers.
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Volunteers on a typical seva day
Awaiting a count from the organisers.
Ways to take part
Nothing here needs a skill you do not already have. Turning up reliably is the only real requirement.
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In the kitchen
Chopping from early morning, cooking through the middle of the day, serving, and washing up afterwards. The largest and easiest place to begin.
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Teaching
Evening tuition for children from the neighbourhood. A regular weekly commitment matters more here than subject expertise.
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Keeping the place
Cleaning, repairs, the garden, the instruments, the sound system. Unglamorous and constant.
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Recording and archiving
Photographing gatherings, recording talks, and getting them online so people who cannot attend still can.
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Reaching people in difficulty
Visiting, cooking for, and quietly supporting families through illness, bereavement or hardship.
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Hosting
Meeting people at the gate on their first visit, and making sure nobody stands alone in the courtyard.
Come for one morning
The simplest way to understand any of this is to spend a Saturday in the kitchen. You will be given something to do within about a minute of arriving.
If you would rather ask questions first, that is equally welcome — write to us and a volunteer will reply.