Take on Life

Post composting and gardening life is a lot greener than before. I harvest basil, mint and beans on a regular basis and await a tomato to be plucked from my terrace garden. Composting turned out to be a lot more tedious than I thought but once I started I just could not stop. You see garbage turning into black compost in no time at all and with the help of some de'grade compost and dry leaves the process is a lot faster. Nature makes you learn how everything goes back to the soil and with a little push from our end pollution and waste is generated into far richer elements.

On another topic in a city like Bangalore, different things taking place everywhere. People are becoming more and more accepted in the city and more willing to open their eyes to reality. Coming from a family that has been slightly ahead of the times and encouraged me to pursue what I want not not of what is expected you realise how different your upbringing can be to people around. With most Indians society dictates what they should do and stay within the realm of things taking most command of the situation which is unrealistic and unnecessary not to mention intrusive. Society fails to understand that change is constant and keeping up with this can be a challenge yet a success if they want the people they love within to succeed.

Whether it is accepting a person's choice to marry someone they love outside the community or pursuing higher studies in a foreign land or even premarital sex all three are common habits observed with the present generation. The last 20-30 years has seen so much change in its time that the last 100 years before covered in the same amount. This of course allowed societies to take their time and move ahead in a trickle. With the progress of technology, information and various external influences today the present generation can always be in a fast-forward mode but what about those who pause every now and then?

The most probably answer that I can think of is effective and persuasive communication which can help in many ways. Support systems in forms of people and most of all trust with one another. Honesty may never be the best policy to go forward hey this is the real world, but trust we must if we are to be together. 

Bangalore Celebrates World Kitchen Gardening

World Kitchen Day was celebrated with gusto which saw hoards of Bangaloreans flocking to JP Nagar to check out the organic side of life. From wannabe gardeners wandering around looking for seeds and soil, to crowds loving the purchase of healthy organic products. Lots of exclamations of “Ooh’s and Aah’s” and “How nice!” could be heard, followed by dozens of questions, quite overwhelming for the organic sellers.

Sunday indeed saw a happy crowd as they bounced from stall to stall buying, learning, listening and being
pro-green on this green day. OFYT brought its 6^th edition to the city with newer faces, products and fun-filled activities for families to enjoy.

What struck this time was it was not a crazy mad rush to buy organic products and seedlings, but families and young couples wanting to be clued on how they can eat, live, go to work and exist in a better, cleaner and environmentally inclined world. And they were getting all the answers right here. Stalls for every kind of audience possible, from buying compost pots from daily dump for the busy workaholic who doesn’t have the time, to getting the right nutrition from grains and Millet's for an older crowd.

A kids corner in one section was filled with board games and colourful pictures teaching the how’s and why’s of gardening along with crossword puzzles of knowing your veggies, painting spots and small displays of biodiversity know-have’s of gardening like worms and compost, display of organic vegetables and fruits was completed with a sapling given away to each child who participated. A wonderful educational workshop as a stepping stone teaching kids about the natural world and goodness of gardening. Other products included Mystic Hues beautiful pottery designs to funk up your balcony with colours and Muddy Waters which sells ceramic landscape gardening designs that gives terraces and balconies a beautiful earthy feel, lots of foodie products such as Vaathsalya, The Wheatgrass Farm and organic hand baked cupcakes coming in vegan style at OFYT called Taantraa filled with various khatta meetha flavours. The millet drive Earth360 was full power with a tasting of multi grain porridge which ran out quickly and in no time saw people purchasing their starter kit’s along with helpful recipes. 

Fun ways of reducing, reusing, and recycling at home was shared by Malleshwaram’s experts answering all questions and a small demo on composting held a good crowd  entertaining enthusiasts with “Wormi words of wisdom” had them listening intently and enjoying themselves.

Besides the compost, gardening equipment and various products, Bangalore organic kitchen gardeners enjoyed a salad party at the back, “We exchange seeds, knowledge and meet new people, bit of a get together with fresh greens from everyone’s home thrown in”,  said an enthusiastic city farmer.

An lovely moment was when a couple were showing their small son the worms used for composting, “We don’t compost but we would like to start, we want our son to learn about gardening and being healthy” his mom said. Gingerly trying to touch vermicomposting worms, he watched fascinatingly as they wriggled deeper into the soil.

OFYT is created by Dr. B.N. Vishwanath Bangalore’s organic agriculturalist and Bangalore's city farmers and saw one its biggest turnouts in JP Nagar on Sunday 25^th August, 2013.