Why are there two sites, and when will you decide?
Because both are good for different reasons and we would rather say so than pretend the decision is made. Melkote gives us the classical tree list almost intact, existing pilgrim footfall and a temple town that has taught this material for nine hundred years. Almora gives us cleaner air, dependable water and a landscape that is already a sanctuary — at the cost of substituting most of the species. The decision goes to the board this year, and founding sponsors are polled before it does.
What happens to my sponsorship if you pick the site I didn't back?
You choose. Transfer it to the chosen site and we'll match you to the same nakshatra there, or take a full refund with no questions and no delay. Your money is held separately until the site is fixed and is not spent on anything before then.
Will the trees be different at Almora?
Many of them, yes. At roughly 1,640 metres, neem, mahua, jackfruit, ashoka, semal, kadamb, shami and saal will not survive a Kumaon winter, whatever the almanac says. A Himalayan vatika would keep all twenty-seven stars and substitute the trees — banj oak, buransh, deodar, kafal, ringal and reetha among them — on a list agreed with the state forest department.
I don't know my nakshatra.
Most people don't. Send your date of birth, time of birth and the town, and we'll calculate the janma nakshatra and confirm it with you in writing before anything is engraved. If the time of birth is unknown, tell us — we'll offer you the two likeliest and you choose.
Can I dedicate a tree to someone who has died?
Yes, and it's the most common request we get. You can dedicate their own birth nakshatra, or choose Magha, the nakshatra of the pitrs — the ancestors — whose tree is the banyan. Memorial plaques carry a dedication line of up to sixty characters at no extra cost.
What happens if the tree dies?
We replant it — same nakshatra, same species, same plaque, no further payment. Some loss in the first two monsoons is normal even with good care; the sponsorship is to the star, not to one particular sapling.
Who actually waters it?
A resident gardener who lives beside the site, and a second gardener through the dry season. Their wages come out of the care portion of your sponsorship, not out of a general fund, and the payment is listed in the annual accounts.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Vanaprasta Ashram holds 80G registration, number [NUMBER]. Indian donors receive a receipt valid for deduction within seven days. Overseas donors, please write to us for giving instructions.
Can I visit? Can I plant it myself?
Yes to both. The vatika will be open dawn to dusk and entry will always be free. If you'd like to put your own tree in the ground, tell us and we'll hold your sapling for the next planting weekend — we run them through the monsoon months.
We're a company. Can we do this as CSR?
Yes. The gana of nine and the whole-sky endowment are both structured for CSR reporting, with per-tree geotagging, survival audits and a signed utilisation certificate. Write to vanaprastaashram@gmail.com and we'll send the CSR pack.
