100 ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR SELF-RELIANT FAMILY
- Madhukar Dama
- May 25
- 6 min read
We did not run away from the world.
We simply stopped waiting for it to nourish us.
One seed at a time, one choice at a time — we returned to what was always ours.
We questioned the noise, the speed, the screens, the stress —
and found our answers in soil, silence, sun, and simplicity.
This is not a story of sacrifice.
It is a story of remembering —
that life was never meant to be bought, scheduled, or survived.
It was meant to be lived — fully, freely, and together.
I am 44, Savitri is 40, Adhya is 14 & Anju is 10. We started Self-reliance journey about ten years ago.
We are proud to say that our family has achieved complete to near complete self-reliance — across food, health, shelter, education, finances, and emotional well-being. These are not just practices — they are our lived truths.
---
A. OUR MINDSET & WAY OF THINKING
1. We think for ourselves and do not follow trends or authority blindly.
2. We question everything — from school and medicine to culture and religion.
3. We value freedom more than comfort or convenience.
4. We believe in enoughness — not endless growth or upgrades.
5. We have detached from external praise or validation.
6. We treat discomfort as a teacher and embrace it.
7. We live consciously — not habitually.
8. We are at peace even when misunderstood by society.
9. We are unafraid to unlearn and start over.
10. We treat failure as feedback, not shame.
---
B. OUR FOOD & NUTRITION PRACTICES
11. We grow most of our food — vegetables, fruits, tubers, eggs, chicken, herbs.
12. We cook every meal at home using traditional methods.
13. We do not consume packaged or processed foods. Except on rare unavoidable occasions or for a change. Say maggi once a month, biscuits 3 times a month, icecream once a month.
14. We eat only local, seasonal, and chemical-free ingredients.
15. We know how to preserve, ferment, and store food naturally.
16. We save seeds for future planting.
17. We identify and collect wild edibles and native plants.
18. We treat food as our first and best medicine.
19. We share our food with neighbors, guests, and animals.
20. We treat eating as a sacred, mindful act.
---
C. OUR HEALTH & HEALING WISDOM
21. We rarely need hospitals or allopathic doctors. None of us have visited a hospital for checkup or treatment from six years.
22. We know how to heal most ailments naturally at home.
23. We use herbs, oil, fasting, sunlight, and water to stay well.
24. We stay fit through daily physical work — not gyms.
25. We can handle emergencies without panic or dependency.
26. We do not rely on chronic or routine medications.
27. We avoid synthetic cosmetics and chemical hygiene products.
28. We understand root causes of diseases — not just symptoms.
29. We prevent illness instead of waiting to treat it.
30. We process emotional pain without suppressing it.
---
D. OUR APPROACH TO EDUCATION & KNOWLEDGE
31. We homeschool and unschool our children.
32. We learn from nature, stories, and observation — not just books.
33. We teach useful skills — farming, kitchen gardening, cooking, healing, repairing and Self-reliance.
34. We value wisdom and understanding over certificates.
35. We make learning a daily, joyful part of life.
36. We read folk knowledge and traditional texts.
37. We speak and learn local and tribal languages.
38. We nurture curiosity instead of enforcing obedience.
39. We avoid competition-based education.
40. We treat every family member as a lifelong teacher.
---
E. OUR HOME & INFRASTRUCTURE
41. We built and maintain our own tiny home in an acre of land that we purchased.
42. We used mud, stone, cement, sheets and other local materials.
43. We harvest rainwater for our plants. We also use as much rainwater as possible by collecting from roofs during rains.
44. We compost every form of organic waste.
45. We use solar, firewood, and minimal energy sources.
46. We clean our home with ash, clay, and herbal liquids.
47. We live without ACs, TVs, fans, mixer, refrigerator, washing machine, or dependency on electronics. Infact we do not have an electric connection.
48. Our space is functional, beautiful, and simple.
49. Our home includes animals, birds, and insects as part of life.
50. We have no loans or debts on our land or shelter.
---
F. OUR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE
51. We spend very little and consume mindfully. Many of our dress are stitched at home by Savitri.
52. We don’t buy branded or luxury items.
53. We earn through simple, honest, meaningful work.
54. We don’t invest in speculative markets or insurance.
55. We trade goods and skills with others often.
56. Our monthly expenses are extremely low.
57. We save in the form of trees, grains, tools, and seeds.
58. We are not financially stressed or paycheck-bound.
59. We have no attraction to urban wealth or city dreams.
60. For us, wealth means self-sufficiency, not spending power. We even convert our excreta into rich compost called humanure.
---
G. OUR FAMILY LIFE & RELATIONSHIPS
61. We spend quality time together every single day.
62. We do not control or emotionally manipulate each other.
63. Our children are emotionally safe, loved, and free.
64. All our decisions are taken through dialogue, not hierarchy.
65. We protect ourselves from outside manipulation.
66. No one in our home is addicted to screens.
67. We celebrate small, real moments — not consumer festivals.
68. We don’t punish children — we guide and trust them.
69. Everyone, regardless of age or gender, is allowed to rest.
70. We address conflicts and wounds with openness and healing.
---
H. OUR CONNECTION TO NATURE
71. We live outdoors for most of the day.
72. We know and respect our local birds, snakes, trees, and weather.
73. Our daily living is our worship — not rituals.
74. We coexist with nature — not dominate it.
75. We never use pesticides or chemicals.
76. We grow trees for shade, food, and beauty.
77. We teach our children to observe and respond to nature.
78. We do not waste fuel, water, or firewood.
79. We live by natural rhythms — moon, sun, seasons.
80. We plant trees for the next generation with love.
---
I. OUR VALUES & SPIRITUALITY
81. We prioritize truth over being polite or “nice.”
82. We don’t seek awards, titles, or fame.
83. Our lives are lived in integrity — not performance.
84. We practice gratitude daily.
85. We reject caste, class, and social status games.
86. We speak truth even when it’s inconvenient.
87. We do not fear death — we respect it.
88. We take responsibility for our actions.
89. We do not worship money, degrees, or power.
90. Our spiritual life is real, simple, and without show.
---
J. OUR INDEPENDENCE & INNER FREEDOM
91. We are emotionally and practically independent of institutions.
92. We do not depend on governments, schools, or gurus.
93. We solve our own issues peacefully — without legal systems.
94. We take decisions after reflection — not pressure.
95. We can live without the internet, markets, or city systems.
96. We have walked away from unhealthy people, even relatives.
97. We are light — we can move if needed, without chains.
98. We don’t seek approval from modern society.
99. We know what is “enough” for us.
100. We are not trying to prove anything to anyone.
—
Epilogue:
We rise with the sun, not alarms.
We eat what we grow, not what is sold.
We fall asleep to crickets, not screens.
No queues, no noise, no fake smiles — just us, the trees, and time.
Our children don’t need vacations — every day is discovery.
We don’t need approval — our soil nods back in gratitude.
We don’t need escape — there’s nowhere else we’d rather be.
Here, in the quiet freedom of our self-made life,
we have found a joy so deep, it cannot be described — only lived.
