A very special project: Sharanam -- Rural Development Centre

Since the beginning we are personal related to this very special project.

Sharanam is designed as a training and administrative centre of a larger rural development programme initiated by SAS in the surrounding villages of Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. Sharanam will be the main venue for a variety of programmes in rural development covering a range of topics including rural health and hygiene, sanitation, education, income-generation, teacher training, self-development among women, youth and children facilitated through psychological development.

Location

The ‘Sharanam’ land is a 5 acre plot located 10 kms west of central Pondicherry.

Architects

Jateen Lad is an architect who has practised in London, across Europe and East Africa. He studied and taught architecture at the Universities of Cambridge, Harvard and MIT. Trupti Doshi is an architect from Mumbai where she has held an independent practice.

Both architects have a core belief in sustainable and ethical building and environmental practices. Both have relocated to Pondicherry to work on the design of Sharanam on a voluntary basis and are actively involved hands-on in all site operations and training.

A brief video-introduction to one of the most prestigious projects of Sri Aurobindo Society, Sharanam—Rural Development Centre, was started in Puducherry in south India in 2007.