As I prepare to attend the tropical landscaping workshop at GreenAra in Kozhikode, I find myself pausing—not to plan logistics, but to set intentions.
This isn’t just another workshop on my calendar. It feels like a timely checkpoint at the very end of 2025, gently nudging me to reflect, reset, and dream a little bigger for what lies ahead.
Gratitude, Groundedness, and a Quiet Reality Check
Our farm, Vaksana Farms, was recently rated India’s Best Farmstay for 2025 by Outlook Traveller. While that recognition fills me with gratitude, it also brings a deep sense of humility.
Because honestly, when I walk through the farm, I don’t see “the best.”
I see possibility.
I see corners that can be softened, pathways that can tell better stories, trees that can be framed more thoughtfully, and landscapes that can evoke deeper emotion. Awards are affirmations—but they are never destinations.
Attending With a Beginner’s Mind (Again)
This is the second time I’m attending this workshop.
The first was in September 2023—full of excitement, inspiration, and scribbled notes.
This time, I’m returning with something more valuable than excitement: clarity.
I’m not a landscape artist.
But I am a curator of experiences.
My intention this time is not to learn how to design landscapes myself, but to understand landscapes deeply enough to:
Ask better questions
Give clearer inputs
Collaborate more meaningfully with professional landscape designers
Better inputs lead to better outputs. And that’s the gap I want to bridge.
Looking Closely at the “Small Things”
Tropical landscaping, at its best, is not loud.
It’s subtle. Layered. Intentional.
Through this workshop, I want to train my eye to notice:
Micro-details that quietly elevate a space
Innovative yet practical tropical design elements
How light, shade, texture, and movement work together
Ways nature can guide people emotionally through a space
I want to see better—because better seeing leads to better creating.
2026: Bigger Dreams, Deeper Roots
The year 2026 holds ambitious plans for Vaksana Farms—new projects, new spaces, and new experiences. This workshop feels like the right foundation stone for all of that.
One of my long-term intentions is bold and deeply personal:
To shape the farm so beautifully that it becomes a case study in tropical landscape design
To see it featured in YouTube walkthroughs, architecture journals, and landscape magazines
To eventually host tropical landscape design workshops as part of the growing bouquet of retreats and learning experiences at Vaksana Farms
Learning first. Hosting later. That order matters to me.
From Inspiration to Action
If there’s one clear intention I’m carrying into this workshop, it’s this:
> Inspiration is useless unless it turns into action.
This time, I’m attending with focus.
With questions.
With a notebook meant not just for ideas—but for execution plans.
I want what I learn here to visibly reflect on the farm in the months to come.
Ending 2025 With Purpose, Entering 2026 With Energy
There’s something poetic about attending this workshop at the tail end of 2025. It feels like a closing ritual—and an opening one.
I’m walking in grateful, grounded, curious, and incredibly motivated.
Here’s to learning again.
Seeing deeper.
And creating landscapes that don’t just look beautiful—but feel right.
Super excited for what’s ahead
