There is a windmill standing at the pointReturn site right now. It’s pumping water from about 120′ below the surface. It shows all signs of being a reliable source of water. It was erected just over two weeks ago. It didn’t pump steadily right away and so took some tweaking before it would. Even now it’s under watch. But the charm and power of the wind are already on view. …read on

The story so far: in six days spread over nearly a fortnight, tonnes of debris and rubble had been ferried from well-heads nearby, to form a 2200′ long road. It was mostly rocky and lay as piled. The story ended with the intent that it would be compacted and then given a overlay of finer soil to make it smooth. Well, the road didn’t quite run that way. It took its own turns to reach the end …read on

A newly formed road is always a precursor of change. Whether that change is beneficial or harmful is a matter worth studying. Often, it’s a trade-off between necessity and disruption. The pointReturn site is about 2200 feet away from a public road and I have just formed a private road on fields through which I had bought access rights. It’s time to do an environmental audit on this step. …read on

On April 08, I began the day at 5.30am, picked up Venu and his three assistants and a car load of materials and equipment. Messrs Palani and Sridhar of Aureka [-the windmill suppliers] arrived from Auroville at 9am, Raju [-the pointReturn staff] at 10.30 from Chennai and Babu [-the reliable Reddiar] with Senthil [-the laughing lad] came from Peruveli. The day ended at 11pm for me but by then the windmill foundation had been cast and four large cement pipes had been aligned to form a culvert in the storm water canal at the western entrance to pointReturn. …read on

The long running saga on fencing is somewhat nearing conclusion. The intent to fence was formed in February. Since then delays have plagued the project. …read on

Though it is hard to take, it is not inappropriate that on the road to realising an environment project, your patience and commitment are tested. Oh, one is ready to face the facts that soil will take its own time to heal or that trees will take their years to grow. But several jobs that you assumed money can get done in quick time, can surprise you. …read on

We struck water at 20′ and went on to drill down to 200′. There’s a 6.5″ bore well at pointReturn now. So, the hiatus has been broken and there’s some action at last. One line of decisions can be taken: the windmill is now on order. …read on

Wish I could say much has happened since the last entry, made almost to the day. Answer is ‘no’, if you are looking for visible changes on the ground at pointReturn and ‘yes’ if I were to relate the learning and preparatory aspects. …read on

The pointReturn site of 17 acres, bought on July 31, 06, has been without a secure all-weather road access to it. This was required for realising the whole dream. On December 21, I signed a deal that put in the missing piece to complete the jig-saw picture. It is an appropriate occasion to reflect on ways of rural India today. …read on

I have chosen that buildings at the pointReturn site should adopt best practices from tradition and bring in modern aids only where they make environmental sense. Village homes used to be built of dug out soil and roofed by curved tiles made by the local potter. Country wood from fast growing trees were used for windows and doors. Steel and cement played little or no part. …read on