The Pulaha Fellowship in Its Third Year: Meet Naeem and Nevish
Two new fellows join Sadhana Forest.
With gratitude
Honoring Jean-Luc Pulaha
Now in its third year, the Pulaha Fellowship honors the legacy of Jean-Luc Pulaha. It is made possible by the generosity of his parents, Caitlin Wiesen and Jacques Antin.
In Jean-Luc’s name, the fellowship helps young environmentalists from underserved backgrounds pursue their dream: to train, serve and lead in regenerating forests and restoring watersheds. With deep gratitude to Caitlin and Jacques, AVI USA is glad to introduce this year’s fellows.
The fellowship is carried out with Sadhana Forest. Founded in Auroville, Sadhana Forest has spent more than two decades turning eroded land back into living forest, restoring entire ecosystems through community- and volunteer-led work.
In his July letter to Caitlin and Jacques, Aviram of Sadhana Forest wrote:
“We feel blessed to, together with you, carry forward Jean-Luc’s beautiful wish to dedicate life to ecology, restore the sacred balance between people and the planet, and honour indigenous wisdom and the natural world.”
Aviram Rozin, Sadhana Forest
Meet the new Pulaha Fellows
This year, two new fellows are joining Sadhana Forest. One is a young forester planting indigenous trees in rural Tamil Nadu. The other decided to leave a traditional environment and the expectations of her home village to start a new life at Sadhana Forest.
- From
- Kerala
- Age
- 25
- Studied
- Forestry, Uttarakhand & Nagaland
- Center
- Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu
Naeem
Project Director · Sadhana Forest, Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu
Naeem is a 25-year-old nature enthusiast from Kerala. Growing up surrounded by the state’s rich biodiversity sparked his curiosity about forests and the living world.
He earned his undergraduate degree in Forestry in Uttarakhand and completed his postgraduate studies in Nagaland. Along the way, his experiences led him to trust in the deep personal and community impact of planting indigenous trees, restoring degraded ecosystems and supporting nature, creating an abundant ecosystem for generations to come.
Naeem sees forestry as a form of service and conscious action. He cares about community-led restoration, water conservation, biodiversity, climate resilience, and food and water security in rural communities.
As Project Director of Sadhana Forest’s center in Virudhunagar, in rural Tamil Nadu, he works closely with local communities. Together they regenerate degraded land, increase indigenous forest cover, strengthen nutritional security, and develop practical, lasting restoration strategies.
Naeem planting with families in rural Tamil Nadu.
- From
- Rajasthan
- Age
- 23
- Role
- Kitchen Manager & forest restoration
- Commitment
- One year at Sadhana Forest
Nevish
Pulaha Fellow · Kitchen Manager, Sadhana Forest
Nevish is a 23-year-old woman who grew up in a poor family in Rajasthan. At home, she lived under strict family restrictions and pressure to marry, with little freedom to leave the house on her own.
One morning she left home and made the long journey to Auroville, without knowing what would come next. In Auroville she heard about Sadhana Forest and decided to visit. There she felt an instant sense of community: a place to stay, learn, contribute and build a future in harmony with the earth.
Since joining, Nevish has shown strong will, openness and eagerness to grow. She asks for feedback, looks for ways to improve, and gives herself fully to every responsibility.
She has now committed to one year at Sadhana Forest. Through the Pulaha Fellowship she will contribute to forest management and ecological restoration. She will also serve as Kitchen Manager, in charge of meal plans, purchasing, training and the chefs, preparing meals for the community and for more than 20,000 visitors each year.
Nevish in the forest and the kitchen at Sadhana Forest.
“We see in Nevish enormous potential to grow into a strong and impactful environmental leader.”
Aviram Rozin, Sadhana Forest
“Nevish and Naeem are now becoming part of this living legacy. Your support is giving them the freedom, stability, training, and trust they need to dedicate themselves fully to this journey.”
Aviram Rozin, Sadhana Forest
Last year’s fellows
Sandra and Soham, last year’s fellows, now lead Sadhana Forest centers in the hills of Meghalaya. Sandra, an environmental scientist from Kerala, directs the East Garo Hills center. Soham, a former life-science teacher from West Bengal, directs the East Jaintia Hills center and helps manage the other two Meghalaya centers. Soham joined the fellowship in place of Vinod, who had to leave for urgent family reasons.
In Soham’s words:
“Sustainable and good science can’t be done without understanding the social part of it. Here I get a non-judgmental space where I can grow and learn in my own way and at my own speed. I have become calmer, more stable and more sensitive towards people, and I can see more clearly what I want to do in the long term.”
Soham Roy, Pulaha Fellow
Join us in supporting the fellowship
As the Pulaha Fellowship enters its third year, we warmly invite you to join Caitlin and Jacques in helping young people live Jean-Luc’s dream: bringing the forest to life. A gift of any size helps sustain fellows like Naeem and Nevish as they train, lead and plant, carrying Jean-Luc’s legacy forward into new forests and new lives. Gifts through AVI USA are tax-deductible in the US.
Support the Pulaha Fellowship
Help the next generation of forest leaders carry Jean-Luc’s legacy forward. Gifts are tax-deductible in the US.