About us

We are Ragunath Padmanabhan and Nisha Srinivasan.  We were both raised in Tamil Nadu, India with middle class values of the 1980s. We spent our formative years in Tiruchi, a small town, as neighbours.  We moved to the US at age 26 and spent 9 plus years there, primarily in the Silicon Valley, before returning to India with our then 2 year old son.

Along the way, we explored life in many ways: technology and marketing through our professions, discovering inspiring people and books, practicing and teaching Yoga postures, travel, hiking,  meditation, Ayurveda… Partly our exploration was to just enjoy the ride and partly it was to discover ourselves and possibly our life’s purpose if there is one.

Fortunately, our open ended exploration ended when we stumbled upon ServiceSpace, a volunteer-run organization that inspires people through be-the-change principle. Through the lens of this Sangha, we gained a broader and deeper perspective of our life, a rich experience of serving others and a way of being that allows dynamic learning. We also met a number of amazing people old and young who inspired us and helped us decide our current commitment.

Thanks to the support of our family and good friends, we moved to  a village near Coimbatore in India to pursue natural farming in its many hues. After spending a couple of eventful years attempting an eco-friendly house and starting up the farm, we feel at home. We also enjoy being students of the vast and magnificent science of natural healing. Our son is being farm-schooled and is enjoying it so far.

Ragunath worked for fifteen years in areas that include Sales, Advertising, Marketing, Information Architecture, Management Consulting and Start ups. He did a technology startup in 2001 which instead of increasing his appetite for accumulating personal wealth pushed him towards some soul searching and landed him in the world of be-the-change service.

Nisha  spent many years developing software products and services for companies like Ramco Systems, Moodys and Sony.

As a transition step, we ran a weekend institute called East Point for a year that explored ways for a collective of eight friends to help understand one better, identify the passion, overcome internal resistance and take the plunge in ways big and small from that trusted space.

To keep ourselves healthy and happy, we attempt to be lifelong students of Gratitude.