Forest and Farm Festivals
These festivals are not organised in the form of melas but an experience of something extremely rare, a culture that is rooted in its land. Every element – from food and agriculture to architecture, art, music, religion and dance, that has evolved naturally from the needs of the earth, and belongs solely to the region.
We conduct three main festivals structured around Sugarcane, Kokum and Rice in February, May and August respectively. All three revolve around a level of acrobatics and community engagement, which challenge unsustainable urban living practices.
Mungaaru-A celebration of monsoon, soil, and soul
Mungaaru, in Kannada, means the first rains — the early monsoon that marks the beginning of the agricultural cycle. For generations, this season has set the rhythm of life for farmers. In Angadibail forest, the arrival of these rains signals the time to prepare the land. Manure is added to the fields, nursery beds are sown, and after a month of tending, the paddy saplings are ready to be transplanted. It is a season of hard work, but also of coming together — where each hand, each step in the mud, carries meaning.
One of our core efforts at BuDa is to preserve local and folk varieties of paddy — like Halaga, Chitga, Ratnachuda, Urutaga, and Hegge. These grains hold the memory of the land, of seasons, of resilience. Through this shared experience, we hope to keep them alive — not just in seed banks, but in the soil, and in shared meals.
We invite you to be part of this season — not as a visitor, but as someone willing to listen, learn, and lend a hand.
Paddy transplanting
We invite you to be part of this season — not as a visitor, but as someone willing to listen, learn, and lend a hand.
Paddy transplanting is more than putting saplings in the soil. It’s about understanding the rhythm of the land and the people who work with it. Standing knee-deep in the field, hands in the earth, surrounded by women singing to the soil — something shifts. You begin to see rice not just as food, but as memory, care, and community. You’re not just helping plant — you’re becoming part of the story
Foraging forest food
During this time, the forest offers its gifts. Wild mushrooms, greens, farm snails — foods that have nourished local communities for generations. Through a quiet, hands-on forest food session, we learn to forage, cook, and share a meal together. No fancy ingredients, no recipes — just what the land gives, and what we make of it. It’s a small but important step in understanding sustainable food and the wisdom behind it.
 Kabaddi more than a game
One evening, when the work is done, something unexpected brings everyone together — a friendly game of kabaddi. Every year, the village youth excitedly await BuDa friends from the cities. A game in the mud becomes a joyful exchange — laughter, play, and genuine connection. You may begin as a participant, but leave as part of a larger circle.
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There’s no mobile signal here, no electricity. The pace slows down. You bathe in streams. You use soaps made with forest herbs. You eat what you help cook. And in small ways, you begin to feel what it means to live close to the land.
This is not a retreat. It’s a shared season — one that asks you to give, receive, and connect. With the soil. With people. And maybe with a part of yourself that’s been waiting to slow down and listen.
