My Vegan Journey

I am Durgesh Nandhini, a mother of three who embraces travel schooling with my children. Their curious minds shape both our curriculum and our travels. It all began in 2016 when my first daughter's question about waste segregation sparked a journey that led to creating a zero-waste and organized living blog. Traveling across South India's sustainable communities further inspired my minimalist approach. I initially aimed to change the world, but I soon realized the importance of inner transformation, fueled by journaling and the experiences of parenthood.

The natural home birth of my second child made me question the use of medication and the importance of living in alignment with nature. This quest led me to Dr. Arun Sharma and his raw vegan philosophy, which my family readily adopted. I continued traveling, making a point to meet at least one new person every day. I also held workshops on minimalism, parenting, and zero waste. As co-founder of Tripster Buddies, a mom and child travel company, I focused on creating conscious, holistic, and experiential learning trips. My belief is that children who fall in love with nature become responsible for protecting it, and that's the sole reason I choose to travel.

In 2019, I launched my first Online Minimalism Workshop (OMW), a year-long program offering an in-depth analysis of various aspects of life, including relationships, education, food, parenting, birthing, decluttering, and zero waste. The program's emphasis on self-analysis and practical application proved highly successful, expanding to accommodate 500 participants in its sixth year (2024). Renowned for its seriousness about enjoying life and supportive guidance throughout the year, the program continues to thrive.

Following the pandemic, I relocated to Coimbatore, my hometown, after residing in Bangalore and Chennai for ten years. My family embraced our plant-based lifestyle wholeheartedly, but the monotony of meals soon became a challenge. My daughters' pleas for "not the same salad again" echoed through our home. It was during my pregnancy with our third child that I attended a transformative Sharan India retreat at Lilac Farm in October 2021. This experience unveiled a world of diverse and delicious raw vegan possibilities, proving that simple, nourishing ingredients could be transformed into countless culinary delights. This marked the beginning of my journey to explore and experience the vast realm of whole plant-based foods worldwide, eventually leading to the creation of 'We Are What We Eat' trails.

The birth of my third child, another natural home birth, coincided with the creation of SAATCHI, a farm for families practicing holistic, experiential education and working with their hands. This community initiative has been a huge success, hosting various activities and events that facilitate holistic learning. At SAATCHI, raw vegan food is the primary offering. Witnessing children relish natural food brings me immense contentment. SAATCHI also hosts summer camps close to nature, with an interesting line up of facilitators and a wholesome diet with smoothies, salads and one whole food plant based(WFPB) cooked meal. Children and mothers relish the undistracted environment and take home a lot of healthy eating habits. I had the privilege of hosting Chef Rosemol Pinto for my summer camp Veyilodu Velayadi 2024, and Rose prepared the most delicious wfpb foods that everyone enjoyed.

As my desire to spread the goodness of eating clean, Bi-annually, I host the "We Are What We Eat" trails, inviting raw vegan Saatvic chefs from around the world to cook for participants. Believing that experiencing the lightness associated with such food creates a lasting effect, I prioritize this approach over simply sharing information. This approach is the base for the creation of the "We are What We Eat" trails, which have proven transformative for everyone who wants to implement the knowledge they have gained about clean eating. I believe we learn a lot by observing and being in the presence of a person's aura, so i bring in wonderful chefs and personalities to share their journey and food.

*January 2023, Trials with Chef Rosemol Pinto at Saatchi*

Here's a list of the "We Are What We Eat" trails I've hosted:

Feb 2021: A week-long online session on why I eat what I eat – my take on the Raw Vegan lifestyle.
December 2021: A combination of online program and offline trails with Christina from Lilac Farm, letting participants observe live healthy cooking and taste the food.

*August 2022, Trials with Chef Vijhay Ganesh*

August 2022: Trails with Chef Vijhay Ganesh, founder of Maiyam Past Food, focusing on the cycle from ingredient sourcing to plating the food, where participants tasted and enjoyed 3 curated meals by the chef.

*January 2023, Trials with Chef Neelima Sriram at Anaikatti*

September 2022: Trails with Chef Neelima Sriram, focusing on her guidance on how to eat, prepare, and present food. Participants stayed in a resort close to nature, and experienced four scrumptious WFPB meals.

January 2023: Trails with Chef Rosemol Pinto were reserved for OMW participants, as I wanted them to taste the food before they start implementing the knowledge about food shared in the sessions. The chef weaved her magic and presented 12 smoothies and salads, in two days time, for the participants to relish.
December 2023: I had an incredible opportunity to attend a Raw Vegan Chef course form Bali's Seeds of Life. It was an 18-day transformative course which enabled me to see the myriad opportunities in raw vegan lifestyle and to serve this kind of food to more people.

January 2024: Followed by my time at Bali, I hosted Trails at Ubud, Bali for a small group of participants. We focused on seeing raw vegan as a lifestyle and clean eating as the ultimate self care. Participants enjoyed a curated list of experiences based on self care, healing, cooking, learning and adventure, all in environments close to nature. They also had every meal at the world's best Vegan restaurants, tasting various cuisines and experiencing fresh farm to table food. This was such a success that I ran a second edition of the trails in May 2024.

Additionally, I regularly hold online conferences, The Aspiring Homeschooler's Forum and The Alternative Thinkers Conference, bridging the gap between knowledge givers and seekers in various fields. Finally, starting in Margazhi 2022, I initiated "Suryodhayam" sessions, journaling alongside participants from 5am to 5.30am. With over 800 people joining me every morning, self-discovery through journaling continues to be a central focus. We have dealt with food in both Suryodhayam and OMW, and my journey and teachings is never complete without sharing about my vegan journey. This is my journey so far, driven by a deep connection to nature and the pursuit of my authentic self.

Mindful Gifting - Sharing Love and Nourishment