Mayuri Chauhan thought she knew what sustainability meant. Then she spent five days at Nareshwadi.

From 18 to 22 March 2026, she joined a Nature Basket course at the Nareshwadi Learning Centre near Dahanu Road, called Seed Conservation and Ecocultural Practices. Nareshwadi has a special place in the Somaiya story. It began as a school that K. J. Somaiya set up for Warli tribal children, and it is still a place where people live close to the land.

“Sustainability is not just a concept, but a lived practice rooted in everyday life.”

Most of the learning happened with her hands. Students made eco-friendly products from whatever the farm had to offer, painted in the Warli style, and learned crafts like basket weaving from people who have practised them all their lives. It was a quiet lesson in how much you can make from very little, without taking more than you need.

Then came the Dahanu Fest on the beach, with traditional dance, local food and the whole community celebrating together. For Mayuri, it showed that sustainable living isn’t a rule people follow here. It’s simply how life goes.

What she remembers most is the people. The hostel, the home-style local food and the way the community looked after the students stayed with her. “The people were incredibly kind, humble, and welcoming, making us feel at home,” she wrote. Their simplicity taught her that sustainability is something you live every day, not just something you study.

The course was guided by Sayali Nene, Pranali Tambe, Anuya R., Mayank Satra and Dr. Parvathi J R, and offered by Somaiya Vidyavihar University and the Somaiya Institute for Research & Consultancy (SIRAC) as part of CASCADE’s field learning.