The month we started working with whole ecosystems
One number
Ecosystems.
- 3–4 Oct — Climate Week India · 17
- 10 Oct — Curious Crow with Care Earth Trust
- 14 Oct — Living as Learning with IDG-ICN · 7
- 20 Oct — Master of Disaster, a Vijayadashami family game morning in Chromepet · 12
- 24 Oct — Chennai Social, online · 7
- Through October — ICF Library Days now at a second location (Chromepet 12, Perungalathur 8, across the month); Friday cooking moving to member kitchens; a Nook conversation beginning; an ecological ethics module in early exploration
What happened
3–4 October — Climate Week India
We spent two days at Climate Week India. Our fuller reflection is on the blog, including what we are carrying forward — continuing the conversation through more screenings around climate awareness and disaster mitigation.
→ Our Climate Week India reflections
10 October — Curious Crow, with Care Earth Trust
We attended Curious Crow, a nature appreciation talk hosted by Care Earth Trust. The conversation that followed led them to share two beautiful books with the ICF library — Home of the Blue Lily and Be My Happy Place. Our daughter is enjoying them already, and we hope that as the library grows we can put them into more hands.
14 October — Living as Learning: Inner Work, Outer Flow
We continue to hold space for the India Collaboration Network’s Living as Learning series — a phrase we offered to the series some months ago, and a space we have been holding alongside Rritu Rana for the past few months. This month’s session was Inner Work, Outer Flow: Holding Self and Collective, led by Jayasudha Roselet.
For those who want to explore the ground we worked on: Ken Wilber’s AQAL model and four quadrants, and the Möbius strip we used as a hands-on opening.
For us, the session landed somewhere personal. We are in the business of shifting collective values and mindsets. That is the work we have chosen. But doing it well requires systems, structures, and frameworks of our own, and we have not seriously begun to build those yet. We keep feeling stuck because we think the problem is the impossibility of shifting collective values and mindsets. When we zoom out, the clearer picture is different: if we had the systems and structures in place, we would be able to do that work much better.
Equally important was what sat quietly underneath that. The inner work is something we have already done. It is often the hardest first step. Worth acknowledging before moving on to what comes next.
20 October — Resilience Starts at Home, a Vijayadashami family game morning
On Vijayadashami, we hosted an intergenerational family game morning in Chromepet called Resilience Starts at Home. Families came together to play Master of Disaster, a board game by Bharat Play that opens up conversation about floods, heatwaves, and the ordinary breakdowns of water and shelter that disasters bring into a home. With thanks to Bharat Play for bringing the game to play with us.
24 October — Chennai Social, online
This month we moved Chennai Social online. Format transposed, warmth held.
What came out of the room was more than conversation. The group decided to take this gathering beyond an event, into an ongoing collaboration. Three commitments:
- Library support. Members will volunteer at Prakrith Arivagam, a library in Perungalathur, helping with cataloguing and other improvements so more people learn about it.
- Capacity-building sessions. Two members will lead sessions aimed at strengthening social purpose organisations in Tamil Nadu.
- A sector newsletter or zine. A small team will start a curated publication on developments in the sector, which will later open to more leaders.
Through October — ICF Library Days, now at the ICF office
Library Mondays began at Prakrith Arivagam in Perungalathur. This month, we have begun opening our own office in Chromepet as a second location, offering access to families in this part of the city. We are pleased that we have played a part in enabling more families to make reading a habit. Arasu has done much of the quiet work of keeping the rhythm going — showing up, holding the space, welcoming families. For an initiative that has struggled with consistency, this is a moment of celebration for us.
Friday cooking, now hosted by families
Friday cooking has moved to individual hosts’ kitchens. Families have taken more responsibility, bringing their own touch, making it fun. This is another initiative that has quietly shifted hands — people are now making it theirs and running with it.
Readathon and podcast
Readathon Live is moving offline. We will share more once the shape is clearer. The podcast — we have not been able to host more interviews this month.
What is taking shape
Two conversations began this month that are too new to call events, and too important to leave out.
A Nook in Chromepet. We are in early conversation with Project DEFY about setting up a Nook — their format for self-designed learning spaces — in Chromepet. The intention is to implement the theory of change we have been holding:
How can the place we call our workplace, our home, be better because of our presence?
That is the central question we hold at work. We are exploring ways of making a difference that is contextual, regenerative, and that builds a sense of belonging in the community. The Nook format offers us a clean way to integrate the three threads we care about — learning, earning, and living — into one place.
An ecological ethics module. Ethics and responsibility are finding more attention in public discourse, but the ecological dimension of ethics is still largely missing. We think it is critical, especially for grassroots leaders and those aspiring to work in political spheres. We spent a good part of this month quietly exploring what is already out there and where our work might contribute.
Something is brewing. Watch this space.
One thing we changed our minds about
We are a small team. We are carrying a lot. We need more time to appreciate and be grateful for everything we do.
We do not have to run and close every thread within the months that follow. Just because something isn’t taking shape doesn’t make the initiative any less. It shows us we tried. We are better for having tried.
We are also okay to say we are letting this ball go for now, and will pick it up when we are better equipped and more resourceful. That is what has changed.
How we’re standing
A couple of months ago, Jayashree joined the ICN coordination team, helping Rritu plan the flow of sessions, and more recently taking on the ICN newsletter. What began as support has settled into something steady. Not a one-off, but complementary to our own work, and a way to contribute to nourishing the wider space. We are glad for it.
What is coming in November
- 12 November — IDG event. Details will be shared on our social channels.
- Library Mondays continue at both locations, Chromepet and Perungalathur.
- Chennai Social continues, with its usual rhythm.
- Nook conversations with Project DEFY deepen. We hope to have more to share by the end of the month.
- Ecological ethics quietly continues to brew. If you work with grassroots leaders or in political learning spaces, we would love to be in conversation.
- A closing surprise for 2026 is being planned for December. More soon.
→ Everything, with dates and details
One ask
Much of the new work taking shape this month is about putting ecological ethics into the hands of people who are shaping decisions on the ground — grassroots leaders, and those stepping into political spheres.
If you know someone we should be in conversation with about this — a leader, an educator, a programme, a network — reply and tell us who. A name and a reason is enough to start.
Inner Companion Foundation · Chennai · innercompanion.in