That was my childhood. I grew up with the monks, studying Sanskrit and meditating for hours in the morning and hours in the evening, and going once a day to beg for food.

This further inspired their journey and became in part the reason for it. After explaining what they were doing one of the women gave them four tea bags one to be delivered to each of the leaders of the four nuclear powers and to also deliver a message “when you think you need to press the button stop for a minute and have a fresh cup of tea”. He lives a simple life in Hartland Devon with his partner June Mitchell and son Mukti Kumar Mitchell.

Now living in England Kumar is founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international centre for ecological studies and of The Small School. August 9 1936) is an Indian activist and editor. He insists that reverence for nature should be at the heart of every political and social debate.