About Us

The Foundation and its story …

K N A Foundation for Education was established in 1995 as a registered Public Charitable Trust.

It was founded by Seetha Ananthasivan with a vision to foster meaningful and wholesome growth in youngsters and a keenness to develop inner and outer ecological wisdom in communities it engages with.

As part of this endeavor to have a balanced development of Inner and Outer ecology of children and community the foundation runs many initiatives:

Prakriya Green Wisdom School

The Prakriya Green Wisdom School was started with the intent of seeding many meaningful pursuits - that go beyond conventional aims - for both children and adults who are part of it.

In these times when we are faced with many major crises to both human and ecological well-being,

Prakriya is a learning space that is committed to nurture the ability and creativity -

to take charge of one's learning in a holistic way and value meaningful visions, not only limited short-term goals
to think and live in a way that fosters well-being in oneself and collectivities we belong to
to foster a deep understanding in our relationships to the land around us and to Mother Earth

The College

Bhoomi College has brought together individuals and communities through its Fellowship programmes, weekend programmes, conferences and workshops to learn, share and engage, aiming at ecological living on our planet.

The focus of all the programmes offered is on participative learning that is deep, holistic and practical. Our programmes attempt to make learning engaging and enjoyable through hands-on work, group discussions, reflection and field trips. The well-designed curriculum and interactions with inspiring thinkers and doers help make the programmes meaningful and often transformative.

The Bhoomi Campus is a beautiful space spread over 4 acres, with an organic garden to provide most of the vegetables used here. It has been designed as a space for learning through living as a community. Students, faculty and guests are invited to join in the activities in the garden and kitchen at least for an hour every day.

90% of the energy used for lighting, fans etc is from the Sun. Composting, using organic soaps and cleaning products is a way of life.

Most buildings are built with stabilized mud blocks and tiled roofs or 'filler' roofs which use less concrete. Rainwater harvesting and black water recycling help minimize our water print.

Teach for Nature (TFN) Fellowship

We believe that

Every child has the right to connect with Nature.
When children develop a deep love for nature, they are inspired to take care of Nature in various ways, including practices for sustainable living.
Schools and teachers can play a crucial role in fostering this connection between children and the natural world.

But usually, schools find it difficult to play this valuable role. They face challenges such as limited resources, pressure to complete the curriculum etc., lack of infrastructure and trained teachers for Nature based learning. Hence Bhoomi has launched the TFN Fellowship to train individuals as Nature educators, empowering them to work with children in schools and nurture this vital connection.

Sankalan Programme

Sankalan means ‘bringing together’. We believe that ‘bringing together’ is what we need to do to co-create communities for wellbeing. We need to bring together traditional and modern ways of learning and doing, nature’s as well as human wisdom and inner and outer explorations - to find our own path that is meaningful to us and gives us more opportunities to make our offerings to the world.

Sankalan programmes are a 6-day residential event that is held in the bhoomi campus. During the Sankalan Events we learn and live in a vibrant community. Explorations in small groups will include sharing concerns and stories, deep delving into the emotive realm , reviewing our lenses and filters, experiential and conceptual understanding of principles of Nature and how we can apply them in our lives. Learning at Sankalan will also include Nature meditation, spaces for reflection, looking at multiple perspectives, being part of a community, walks in the garden and enjoying delicious and nutritious organic food…

The small group would consist of 10-12 participants per group. Each group will have 2-3 trained and experienced facilitators who would anchor sessions at the Sankalan events.

Conferences

The Bhoomi conferences are focussed on spreading awareness about issues concerning education and sustainable living.The Bhoomi Magazine and Bhoomi Network were launched at the first Bhoomi Conference on Food, Health and Climate Change in 2009. Ever since then we have organized conferences at least once in two years to share ideas and processes connected with sustainable living. The Conference in 2025 was Organised by Prakriya school on the topic of “ Children Need Nature”

Bhoomi Ashrams

Bhoomi Eco Village , Gumlapuram

Bhoomi Eco Village, located at Gummalapuram, about 40 km from Bangalore, is a learning space where programs are offered to individuals who are keen to understand and experience various aspects of ecological and sustainable living. When Bhoomi first started the project, this 22 Acre farmland was an almost treeless tract of land with poor quality of soil in an area that receives scanty rainfall. The land now tells us a completely different story, one of rejuvenation, restoration and tuning in with nature in a small community of humans, cows, dogs and sometimes visits by elephants and other animals from the nearby forests. The farm includes a young food forest where several varieties of fruits and vegetables are grown in addition to some millets, pulses and oil seeds.

Bhoomi Vivasayee Maiyam, Thiruvanamalai

Tiruvannamalai is the most economically backward district in Tamilnadu, The communities in this district however are largely a happy and willing set of people despite the high amount of debts, increasing addiction to alcohol and lack of employment opportunity. The summers are extremely hot and the region gets very little rainfall. The land is dry and interspersed with big and small boulders.

This center was set up in June 2018 on an 80 acres of dry uncultivated land predominantly covered with stones and boulders in Thiruvanamalai District, Tamil Nadu, with the aim to form a community of individuals who want to spread the work about sustainable natural farming.

The Sharavati Rainforest Education and Research centre

The current infrastructure at the Sharavathi Rainforest Education and Research Centre is mostly made up of laterite stone and tiles that have been locally sourced and includes:

An 80 year old mud farm house which serves as our work station and living quarters for the steward of the centre. It also includes a kitchen facility that is equipped with a smokeless chulha. The creation of a library space is a work in progress.
An old cow shed that has been converted into an open space for group meetings and discussions.
A two-storey structure that serves as accommodation for our field staff.