GOA:
Goa, a place that is always known for its beautiful beaches, churches, sea food and nightlife will now also be known for hosting one of the most unique fests. See Sharp, India’s first and only green living and learning festival concluded at Ashvem earlier, today. For most it was a learning holiday in the arms of nature, possibly the finest way to define the three-day affair.
Air, Water, Fire and Earth, inspired by the elements of nature were the names of the four zones that separated the venue at See Sharp fest. Each of the zones had ample of things to offer to all those who visited them. Various Sessions and workshops related to the specific element were hosted at these zones.
“We can live a good life without being destructive. We need to learn the ways to do it. At See Sharp we tried to get these skills into mass consciousness. In simple words, the broader vision of this fest was to get every session recorded so that it can be shared with one and all through the world’s largest movement of children making a change in their own communities – Design for Change. These videos will be screened in the different schools under Design for Change so that the children – the coming generation understand the importance of going back to living in harmony with the rhythms of nature which will also encourage them to learn how to improve one’s own potential” said Tanya Kewalramani, Festival Director, See Sharp Fest along with co Festival Directors Ashvin Mani Sharma and Ajit Ahuja.
The See Sharp festival commenced with a session on celebrating sustainability the ‘Indian’ way by Gaurav Shorey. Gaurav showcased simple ways on how rainwater can be harvested, how to retrofit an existing house to make it more sustainable and how water can be harvested to recharge the soil. He also conducted an interesting session on how a dhoti can be tied in 100 ways which took the viewer’s back to their cultural and local heritage.
Entrepreneur, organic farmer and Celebrity TV host Bharat Arora conducted various workshops ranging from composting (small scale urban to large scale rural), to water harvesting and growing organic food. Bharat Arora imparted knowledge on how one can start farming organically, composting and harvesting water at home.
Rob Phillips conducted a session on the benefits of raw foods. Being a self-taught nutritionist and raw food coach, Rob emphasized on the various raw foods that are beneficial to humans.
Day two at See Sharp Fest saw sessions and workshops on mindful eating and consciousness, an introduction to permaculture, challenges and opportunities of running a suitable restaurant and sustainable décor to name a few.
Rico Zook, a founding member of the ground-breaking firm Permaculture Design International (PDI) gave an introduction to permaculture and took the participants through how they can think in a regenerative system during his session. Rohan Mathew conducted a session on how an earth bag structure can be constructed in your backyard. He undertakes projects all over India in building green sustainable homes and designing gardens and farms based on permaculture principles.
An interactive session on mindful eating and consciousness elixirs was conducted by Amanda Biccum. Her session focused on discovering the core concepts of mindful eating; a practice that can transform the way you view food.
Kozue Phillips presented a workshop on how to make soaps from waste oil. Workshop attendees engaged in a demonstration on how to make recycled soaps by using waste oil, which we all can practice at home. “While running a cafe in Goa I realized that the treatment of waste oil was a crucial issue yet ignored. Wanting a solution, I started recycling waste oil into soaps and using them at my cafe. During this process, I was surprised myself how effective recycled soaps really are” said Kozue Phillips, Product Planner, Marketer and Entrepreneur.
Also, at the venue were sessions on sound healing where the participants listened to recorded sounds, which can bring about a positive experience in one’s life.
See Sharp also witnessed various food stalls that encouraged eating organic. Raw food coach, Rob Phillips’s stall served fresh juices and smoothies. Rob says, “Mother nature gives us everything so I prefer using honey in my smoothies over sugar considering that honey is sweet in its purest form while sugar isn’t”.
A range of locally sourced, organic and natural products were on offer at th
e See Sharp fest. From handmade bags made out of waste material to organic textiles, handmade soap made out of waste oil and a clothing line for children till the age of 5 years made out of natural organic fabric, the range of environment friendly, sustainable products was astounding. Nicobar Edit was stationed at Goa’s See Sharp Fest. Nicobar, a lifestyle design studio with offerings ranging from clothing to homeware and travel accessories showcased their newest collection at See Sharp Fest.
