Children participating in a folk performance during the two-day Palm Festival at Isai Ambalam School in Auroville in Villupuram district on August 29, 2026
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A two-day Palm Festival, aimed at reconnecting children with nature and highlighting the cultural, nutritional and ecological importance of the palmyra palm, began at Isai Ambalam School in Auroville of Villupuram district on Saturday (August 29, 2026).
Organised by the Auroville Foundation, the festival brought together students, teachers and parents from the Puducherry-Auroville bioregion for workshops, cultural programmes, traditional games and food demonstrations centred on the palmyra tree.
The initiative is being held under the guidance of Jayanti S. Ravi, Additional Chief Secretary, Gujarat and Secretary of the Auroville Foundation.
The festival is dedicated to rekindling young learners’ connection with nature, honoring Tamil cultural heritage, and highlighting the ecological, nutritional, and economic significance of the Palmyra palm tree.
As part of the programme, students prepared and displayed several palm-based value-added foods, including palm fruit jam, palm porridge, palm-tuber-flour laddoos, cakes, cookies and juices. Traditional products and snacks such as plam jaggery, adhirasam and paniyaram were also part of the display.
The programme included practical workstations on palm-leaf crafts. Participants were introduced to mat weaving and the making of earrings, keychains and decorative wall hangings using plam leaves and related materials. Demonstrations on climbing palm trees were also organised.
The fesitval additionally showcased the school’s nature-based learning environment and research-linked activities under the Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER). The activities were intended to show how STEM and environmental stewardship naturally integrate into everyday community life.
Published – August 30, 2026 12:27 pm IST
