The Kautilya Society blog

Welcome to the Web space of the Kautilya Society
Varanasi, India

Encountering to Communicate…
Communicating for Knowledge…
Knowledge for Mutual Growth…

The Kautilya Society is a non-profit organisation that aims at facilitating members like you and me in their experience of Indian culture and its social environment.

Banaras is a very special and intense city. Its features are discovered through a slow process of unveiling its multiple layers – beneath the traffic, the lanes, the ghats, the pilgrims, the centres of learning, the festivals, etc…. At Kautilya we help each other to discover Banaras and we share the emotions and the challenges of this adventure.

Ram Bhawan, the residency of the Kautilya Society, belongs to you as much as to us. The founder members of the organisation wanted Ram Bhawan to be a meeting place for the knowledge pilgrims who visit this city; a place where they can share their experiences of India, of Indian culture, of Banaras and discuss about its resources, its difficulties, its charm, its intensity, its dangers, its mysticism. We never wanted Ram Bhawan to be an hotel. In Ram Bhawan, we share a home, a family, an environment of study and dialogue; the atmosphere that you will find in Ram Bhawan is a result of the collective contribution given by each one of us. Some of us members are more extrovertly active and others are more inwardly disciplined, but we all are equally important in ensuring the continuity of the projects and particularly the hospitality project of Ram Bhawan for the benefit of new members like you. .

We tried to train the personnel of of Ram Bhawan with the same spirit, but of course they are employed and may do things differently then those who are members. The employees do not formally provide the information and cultural assistance services. Most of the information is exchanged spontaneously amongst the Community members, both living in Ram Bhawan and interacting through its web site. So much of the quality of the life at Ram Bhawan depends on who is living there at that time.. As members of the Kautilya Society, we try to share our knowledge and resources and help each others in finding the right person, amongst us, who can answer their queries. We can introduce each others to Banaras by creating moments of dialogue, concerts and meetings with the people in the city.

In order to facilitate the dialogue and the encounter with the members who are not presently residing in Ram Bhawan and foster a sense of community amongst us all, we started an Internet forum and blog. You can enter the Kautilya Community’s cyber space at the address www.kautilyasociety.com and without much expertise of Internet you can read the contribution of other members and post your own comments and articles. We strongly encourage you to do so, and leave for others your observations, tips, suggestions and study resources.

In order to keep low prices and create a family and community atmosphere, we do not have many people working inside the structure. Those who work here are used to living and working inside a family. They have been working with us for many years and are trusted people. Do ask them to help you and do tell them how and where their services could be improved, but please do not treat them like employees of a hotel. They are our companions, so please help them to help us. Help us to motivate them; giving tips is very appropriate and welcome. Put it in the box available on the third floor; use evaluation forms for eventual complaints.

We try to maintain high standards in the quality of food, cleanliness, functionality and concentration in Ram Bhawan, but without your help, we will be unable to improve these standards or the quality of mutual assistance. Please fill in the evaluation forms and give us your feedbacks so that we can improve and network better. By doing so, you will assist us in achieving our objectives so that the organisation continues to function for you and for others like you.

Let us try and live and share the spirit of a community and of mutual assistance. Your donations for staying in Ram Bhawan are a big contribution to the continued existence of the Society. We depend on you and our common effort to achieve our objectives.

Do contact me for any further information or problem,

With Regards,

Fausto Aarya De Santis
Assistant Programme Manager
E-mail: faustoaarya@gmail.com
SKYPE: faustoaarya
Cell: +91 (0) 9811383897

The community interaction can happen inside three main areas:

· The blog - here you can see what’s going on lately under the whole Kautilya society wings, our content managers always work hard to keep you updated and to make you feel closer to Kautilya even if you’re not there.

· The Wiki - The Varanasi Heritage Protection and Development Program is organized under a wiki that’s growing thankfully to our user experience: if you’re making out any kind of project for Varanasi’s sake or you just want to know more don’t hesitate and follow this link!

· The Forum - The Residence and Dialogue Centre for all inhabitants of Kautilya, here you can directly communicate to other users. To talk about projects events and so on, directly connected to Varanasi

· File Tank - Archive of the articles directly online: if you want to download any work or you have something done on your own, visit this area: accounts can be directly requested to content managers.