We are building Cuckoo

We believe you are reading this page at this point in time not just by chance or coincidence, but through the play of a larger relationship which binds all of us together.

WHAT IS CUCKOO?

‘Cuckoo Movement for Children’ began in 2004 as an approach to providing rural children with facilities that ensured they grew healthily in engaging environments regardless of their financial background. It set up libraries in remote villages and hamlets and screened international movies and documentaries to expand children’s imaginations. Cuckoo is an environment that channels our primordial instinct of survival into an evolved state of being, by doing. Each and every initiative borne of these practices is therefore grounded in the surrender to the natural order of the Flow of the Universe.

 

IS THIS AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL?

We met with Arvind Gupta and explained the idea of the school. He listened to our ideas patiently and asked us how many Government schools there were around our school and how many students studied there. We replied that there should be at least 1000 children studying in these government schools. Then he asked us if we wanted to make a difference in the life of a small bunch of children or larger groups. From then on, ‘Cuckoo’ reaffirmed that it should be a movement. A movement that can be for all children across the globe.

METHODOLOGY OF LEARNING

Geeta Ma, 93 years old, the founder of three schools based on the principle of Naitalim, was bedridden in the hospital when we met her in August 2019. To her, the definition of Naitalim and learning is “One cannot define Naitalim. Accumulation of experiences from cradle to grave is the learning process", she smiled. 

There are no rules and regulations here about what stream of knowledge should be a part of the syllabus and what should not be. All kinds of knowledge may come in under one condition - a condition that challenges us  -'Those who teach should become children and those who learn should become adults. If the teacher does not become a child, he/she is not teaching, and if the child does not grow up he/she is not learning. When children look only at the word, and not at the reality, their 'knowledge' is a delusion. A child will be given the knowledge that is needed to satisfy the demands of his life. Given the knowledge that is needed today; children will become capable of learning whatever he/she will need in the future.

TO WHOM DOES CUCKOO BELONG TO?

Cuckoo belongs to the ice cream vendor who comes to the village on his old bicycle. Once during the construction of the school, seeing the effort taken by volunteers, he gave everything in his pocket. With teary eyes, he said 'This is my small contribution and all that I have and I can't.  Similarly Cuckoo belongs to many anonymous souls who have helped by sacrificing their needs. Cuckoo does not belong to anyone or any particular organisation.

Cuckoo belongs to you, to us, and to everyone.

WHERE IS CUCKOO?

As a physical space, Cuckoo is a land at the foothills of Javadhu in Singarapettai, 60 km from the sacred town of Thiruvannamalai in South India. It is tended to by living beings both big and small who have made the simple mud buildings with basic amenities their home. Cuckoo’s essence, however, permeates beyond the physical space - It lies in accommodating all living species so they are in harmony with nature. It is a realm for reflection, evolution, and exploration; where seeds discovered on the ground and in the heart are nurtured beyond germination.

A peaceful place in the lap of nature, with the only barrier separating the land of the school and the forest being an elephant trench. 

HOW TO REACH?

'Cuckoo' is located in the foothills of Javadhu, at the junction                     

of Singarapettai where the state highway from Tiruvannamalai bifurcates to Bangalore and Vellore.

By Bus : 

- From Tiruvannamalai: Take a bus towards Bangalore / Salem / Hosur / Tirupathur and get down at Singarapettai.

- From Salem / Bangalore: Take any bus headed to Tiruvannamalai.

Get off at Singarapettai and take an auto to Cuckoo Forest School.

Auto is charged at Rs.180/-

By train : 

- Nearest railway station is Jolarpettai / Thirupathur / Tiruvannamalai.

By Flight :

- Nearest airport is Bengaluru / Chennai.

By Road :

Please follow Google map. 

https://goo.gl/maps/oxhYbe6ZRfYUyraZ7

From Chengam - Uthangarai highway - Singarapettai Junction - Puliyanor Village - Cuckoo

Cuckoo is formed by a lot of initiatives towards serving society. One such is the ‘Vaidhyasalai’

 ( Healing Centre ). A holistic approach which does not restrict itself to one particular form of treatment, but a profound combination of various natural healing methods such as foot reflexology, Varma, Siddha, Flower medicine, Naturopathy etc. The base of which lies in healing not only the physical body but also the mind and spirit. 

Maruthuva Kudil

‘Cuckoo Vaidhyasalai’ started in 2016 with Muthu as the only Vaidhiyar (Healer). Today there are more than 10 vaidyas who parallelly treat people in the vaidhyasalai. There are more than 100 people who come to vaidhyasalai every day to be healed, in different remote villages of  Tamilnadu. They all come through the word of hope, from someone who had come here previously and healed. All of this has been happening from inception based on ‘Dharma Vaidhya’. ( People can donate how much ever they wish )

Along with holistic treatment, some medicinal powders and oils are prepared and given to patients. This is happening currently in temporary makeshift spaces. As the next phase of expansion, we are constructing a ‘Maruthuva kudil’ which will accommodate the herbal oil and powder making. This is designed as an economic revenue-generating model for the villages.

Herbal Nursery

A nursery and zen garden, formed in 2018 as a temporary structure, is now home to many rare varieties of saplings and serves as  a seed bank for indigenous species that are vulnerable. The dream is that any child who is walking into the nursery should be able to cure the ailment of an elderly by crushing leaves grown by them in this nursery. A permanent structure is planned as a ‘Glass House’ with windshields from cars which are discarded

Agro-Forestry Unit

Cuckoo being situated at the foothills of Javadhu, most trees in the forest are smuggled for their economic value. This has led to the extinction of various native tree species along with their related ecological web destruction. The proposed agro-forestry unit at the edge of the forest will serve as a space for the raising of tree saplings and planting them back in the forest. This will in turn lead to the dream of an extinct bird returning back to eastern ghats, due to forest regeneration

Permaculture Unit

Cuckoo belongs to everyone. It is and always will be open for everyone with adequate food, clothing and shelter at any point in time. As of now all the necessary groceries and vegetables are brought from the nearby town of Singarapettai. A permaculture unit is proposed which will address the self-sustenance of  food for people in cuckoo.

Need for Support

Construction of the school campus started in 2015; designed, funded and executed by Volunteers, entirely handmade with locally available materials and has been progressing at a snail's phase due to lack of funds.

Cuckoo Construction 2015

Cuckoo believes in the collective energy of each individual l’s contribution. At this phase of construction, the above four structures of Maruthuva kudil, Herbal Nursery, Agro-Forestry Unit and PermacultureAgro-Forestryposed to be completed, followed by Experimental Studio, Art & Craft UniExperimental Yard and so on.

We are seeking your monetary/voluntary support for ongoing construction activities in Cuckoo.

Please click the link below to see ongoing progress in the land of Cuckoo.

Ongoing Progress

VOLUNTEER

Cuckoo has been a completely volunteer-based movement till now.
We have had volunteers from different parts of the country for varied activities.

This time period of volunteering is a crucial time in the journey of Cuckoo.

Seeking volunteers
to support us in the leap,
to get their hands dirty,
to water the plants,
to create magic,
to star gaze,
to listen,
to smile,
to cry,
to be.

‘ What any land needs at the end of all intellectual discussion, is only laid (wo)men,
who can surrender oneself and work' - Mystic 

WHO CAN APPLY?

If you are someone willing to learn...who can work physically on the ground for a more significant cause......with a group of lovely random people, you will ever meet...share and eat simple vegetarian food...sleep on the floor with the satisfaction of work....always have a smile on your face...this might suit you.

Registrations for volunteers are open now.

How much should one pay? 

How much ever you can from your heart.

We are not looking for something beyond your capacity.
If you can cut down on your single chai and donate that Rs.10 to the land,
the value of that is priceless. 

Cuckoo is a completely voluntary-run organization with no support from corporates or the government sector.

DONATE

Any amount of contribution from your end would help bring smiles and hope to someone unknown, through ongoing activities in Cuckoo.

Account Details are as follows

Name : Cuckoo

Account no:6762513706

Bank :Indian Bank

Branch: Singarapettai
IFSC code:IDIB000S062

MICR code:635019022

UPI : cuckoochildren@indianbk

Cuckoo is a registered Trust and donations are exempted under 80G.

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VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION

Simple vegetarian food and basic accommodation would be provided
on campus for volunteers. More details would be provided via mail
for shortlisted volunteers.

If you have gone through the above content and you consent to volunteer

Click here to register for volunteering

For clarifications please call on 
+91 82702 22007  or mail to cuckoochildren@gmail.com. 
Cuckoo does not have active network connection/signal strength.
The number may only sometimes be reachable/answerable.
Please leave a WhatsApp / text message and we will call you back.

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Leaping Forward in Hope

Family of Cuckoo

#wearebuildingcuckoo