Nature's call ! (Pun intended)

Date: 28th and 29th November '09

Destination: Chitravana Resort in Mysore

It's not very uncommon to plan for trips or one day outings if you are in Bangalore; for the city , and I mean no offence to the Benguluru Rakshana Vedike, has hardly anything to offer apart from money lickin malls and movies halls to attract the nature loving and the adventurous crowd.

So after several brain storming sessions, numerous calls to travel agents and hours of net surfing - Bennet, Amrita (Ben's Wife) , Vinod (single and ready to mingle) , Vikram (my other half- I consider myself the better one) and I set off on a journey to Mysore on 28th of November '09. Well on the face of it, it wasn't a very exciting idea cause most of us had been to Mysore earlier but it seemed to be the wisest choice considering we hadn't zeroed in on any venue until Saturday (28th November '09) afternoon !
The plan was to spend time visiting places in and around Mysore and stay at a nice comfortable place. But by the time we left Bangalore it was around 5.54 p.m.
After about 3 and a half hours of driving with a brief stop in between at one of the popular CCDs on the Bangalore-Mysore Highway -we were almost bordering Mysore. Time was close to 10.00 p.m.!!
That's when some of the intelligent mortals realized that it was too late to visit any of the places in Mysore (including the palace, which was on high priority in our list) at that hour. So the immediate next plan was to look for a resort so that we could rest our butt till next day morning. So except for Vinod (who was at the wheel) the rest of us had our eyes searching for hoardings for resorts, taking down numbers and calling them up to enquire about the availability and the rates. We managed to find a couple of them and also came across a few resorts on the way to this one particular resort that we were desperately searching for.
Now the resort that we were searching for seemed to be in some god forsaken place. God forsaken because the person on the other end of the phone line (supposedly from the resort) could not really explain the directions in any comprehensible format given his restricted language skills. He seemed to be from some other planet for he could not understand or speak any of the likely languages spoken in the region ranging from Kannada to English to Hindi to Tamil and I was told all the other south Indian languages were tried as well . I wanted to try Bengali (as the last lethal weapon) but after seeing the disgust on Vikram's and Bennet's face (who were the ones trying to communicate with the guy most of the time) I gave up the idea.
All this confusion led us no where as we found ourselves stranded at some weird junction at 10.30 in the night!! We decided not to follow (not that we were following any of what he said) the so called directions from our friend to the resort.
The men by that time had been pushed too far for their thirst for alcohol and the women folk (in minority) were equally pushed for their need to relieve themselves - I need not specify the extent of desperation a full bladder on a bumpy road drive can push you to .
Finally one of the men got hold of a number which seemed to make some sense from the other end ;P
Amidst all the commotion we finally seemed to be following the directions as we found the resort hoardings at the right places, that definitely gave the men folk some relief - but for Amrita and I - relief was still far away- as far as the resort.
Our happiness knew no bounds when we finally reached the resort !! It was absolutely breathtaking!!!!! The tall and dense trees around and the pathway through the woods reminded us of nothing less than a fairy tale from the past. Spread across 10 acres (confirmed by the owner later on) the place was appropriately lit with lanterns just to give us an idea of how beautiful it was and yet kept us guessing and filled us with curiosity to discover more . The moon was in its full beauty smiling at us through the leaves with its bright light.
We (the men to be precise) settled the luggage and Amrita and I relieved ourselves to make sure there were no further hindrances to the lovely time that lay ahead of us. We could smell the fresh earth and the air. Bennet, being the true singer that he is, made the evening even more magical by lending his melodious voice to the Orchestra that was playing there.
Here we were at last , at a place that was far away from the maddening crowd and the loud noise of traffic - which was just right to bring us back to mother nature with its beauty in all its glory. We spent the night by the bonfire singing , chatting, taking pictures, feeding stray cats and of course drinking ! We were high on alcohol and on the beauty around us !!
Next day morning Amrita and I went cycling through the woods singing and discovering the place. Later in the day we found ourselves balancing in a round boat trying to keep us afloat alongside the world's best floating animals - the ducks .
We experienced climbing trees and making our way through cobwebs as we walked into uncharted territories.
The feel of fresh air, the calmness, the peace of mind, the fog in the morning, the dew drops along with the smell of crushed grass under our feet, the cool breeze, the first rays of the morning Sun, the trees , the birds and the bees - well I have no words to explain the beauty.
It surely was a very close encounter with Mother Nature and a truly amazing one at that !!

It's hard to say goodbye :)

It 's been 24 hours since I got the news but I have still not been able to come out of the shock . And the fact that I have to have a happy face is what makes it all the more difficult. Not that I am not happy but the pain of staying away for three long months is more than the happiness of having him explore the world and the bright career prospects that it would bring in the future.

Well if you are still wondering, the news is that Vikram, my beloved husband, has been chosen for an assignment that would require him to be in the US for three months. The recommendation came in from the top boss so it is a matter of honor and pride. And a much deserved break in Vikram's career.

I remember the excitement in his voice when he shared the news with me - I was excited too but my excitement was soon replaced with this strange sadness. Sadness came from the realization that he is going to be away for three months that is 90 days which means 90 x24 hours and that translates into 90x24x60 minutes!! Not that we would have spend every moment together- not at least on the working days, but what about the weekends??

I am not going to have him around for 12 weekends :( Not having him around is going to be sad enough but the thought of friends trying their best to make up for his absence and in the process making it all the more painful made me feel like running away or disappearing into thin air or hiding myself.

Anyways I somehow held myself back and tried to concentrate on my work. Later in the day I messaged him congratulating him and telling him how happy I was with an extra dose of smileys that my Nokia phone facilitated. I wanted to hide my grief.

In the evening when we met I tried to sound super chirpy to make him feel that I am equally happy. But then I realized he is re-considering , I was elated :). We brainstormed and discussed the pros and cons of taking up this assignment. The pros weighed more than the cons!!

We finally decided it makes sense for him to go :)

I slept with that sad feeling with eyes that kept getting misty every now and then. Luckily Vikram didn't realize- thanks to the intrusion by the flu virus (read 'bad cold') into my body!!

In the morning Vikram made breakfast and then dropped me to work - on any other day it would have been a chattering session full of fun, laughter and jokes but today my mind was clouded with thoughts of not having him around to joke with or laugh with.

'It is only three months!', I consoled myself and made a promise to be happy about the new feat in his career and think of exciting options to spend my weekends without him like horse riding, joining a theatre group etc

But the fact remains- it sure is hard to say goodbye:)

Thank God It's Recession!

The world has been hit by a storm. And just like any other storm, this blizzard has also managed to touch millions of human lives on the wrong side. Devastating dreams and shaking every foundation of hope.
Every one is anxious about the future because no one knows when the situation will be restored.
The governments, around the world, are trying their best to cover up (screw up, who knows) and put the pieces together but there is no guarantee if the formula will work!
Some say it is like a mental ailment – like depression – where the doctor can never predict if the treatment will cure the patient or will push him deeper into it!!
I hear people talking about it in the pantry, in the corridors, in the loo, in meeting rooms, in public, in private, in hushed tones, in confident voices; discussing the cause effect and relationship, drawing analogies and making predictions about the future.
However not everyone is complaining – cause some people have alternatives!
Like this auto guy who charged me one and a half times the meter fare in peak traffic hours on account of economic slowdown in the US. He claimed that his income has taken a direct hit as a result of the slowdown. So I should pay him more – which I did, for I had no choice.
(For non Bangaloreans – auto guys charge a bomb if you are unfortunate enough to avail their service anytime between 10 p.m. in the night to 5.00 a.m. in the morning)
Now let me try to analyze the relationship here – the US economy has been hit hard as a result of which perhaps Bangaloreans (read IT Professionals) have become more cautious to spend money on public transport like auto because they cost more than booking a cab. And why do they cost more? Because, the fare is calculated based on the age (read experience) of the auto driver multiplied by the number of children he has, added to the number of wives he has to look after, whole to the power of the number of passengers/luggage bags in question.
Now considering India’s population, that comes to a mind boggling figure which drives passengers away.
Poor auto driver, he has no choice but to look for alternatives!
Four years in Bangalore has given me enough instances of having to pay more than the stipulated fare. However the reasons for paying the extra amount gets just better and better every year. From extra luggage, to heavy traffic or rains to reasons like the distance is too short or too long hence ‘khali aana padega’ are not uncommon.
But this recession bit was the best I have heard so far. Well, now that is awareness!!



Another chunk which is not quite unhappy about the slowdown is the tea stall guys that you find outside every company.
They have reportedly been doing great ever since the companies realized they need to do something about the bottom line because the top line is beyond control for now. And in an attempt to check the bottom line – they have resorted to stunts like restricting coffee and tea consumption, doing away with plastic cups and replacing them with steel ones which are to be washed before and after use!
Drinking tea, munching samosas, with a smoke and several thoughts in mind at a road side stall at the cost of hygiene is still a more popular option with the average Indian working class than having to wait for the cups to be free and washed to drink tea/coffee at office.
So much for the Indian appetite for tea/coffee and cigarettes. But the tea stall guys are not complaining!!
Recently I bumped into one of my friend’s friends at a popular breakfast joint in Bangalore on an early Sunday morning while coming back from the airport (read another part of the world- given the distance and logically the time taken to cover that distance).
This person (my friend’s friend) manages a runner’s club in the city and was with his colleagues and a group of runners.
Apparently they start their day at 4.00 in the morning on Weekends when most of the city would have just retired from their Saturday night party for a deep slumber.
He told me that ever since this recession business has started, his business has picked up. In other words, more people have started running!
Bhaaaaaaaaaaagoooooooooo (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) seems to have become the mantra for 20 plus some things to run away from their daily dose of tensions and sleepless nights over recession.
‘Someone’s loss is someone’s gain’ is what the zero sum rule says, keeping the quantum of loss and gain the same. However in this case the gain and loss figure may not exactly be the same but at least the gaining party can proudly say ‘Thank god it is recession’!!

The Retreat

In an attempt to save time to make more money and hence stay ahead of the mad rat race, we all look for the least time consuming techniques; for time is money!
Taking the shortest route to office, searching for the quickest dinner recipes, resorting to the crispiest text messages, stacking refrigerators with ready to eat curries, preserved meat, vegetables and living off energy bars is a way of urbane life.
But for M. A. Srikanth, a software engineer with Intel - Bangalore, life has taken a complete U turn as he chose to take a retreat to the roots.
Srikanth belongs to this handful of people who truly believe that Organic is the way to go!! Together, they are called the Organic Farmers Association. For the members of this association organic agriculture is a way of life.
They started in the early 80s with a passion to stay close to nature and a sense of contentment with a sustainable level of income. Some of the members quit their jobs and took up full time farming in the outskirts of Bangalore. While few others decided to strike the right balance between urban and rural life by choosing to live the organic way keeping their jobs intact.
Kanakpura main road, Ramanagara, Neelamangala, Channapatna, Anekal are some of the places where most of these farms are located. The border town between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Thally, also called 'little England' is a favorite among these farmers because of the fertile soil and salubrious climate.
Some of the members have even discovered new ways of farming like Mr. N R Shetty, a telecom engineer by profession, who believes in the natural way of plantation without using any alternate source of water or power. "There is nothing like a chemical, pesticides free bountiful land. Initially, just after retirement I was practicing at Sulatanpaly where I used to stay. Then after reading up and discussing with experts I tried an experimental way of farming in Neelamangala where I bought a small patch of land. I did not use water or power. The only water that was used was rain water. We drink harvested rain water when we are working on the farm," says a proud Shetty.
What made them follow the nature’s way in this fast paced life? , One might wonder - "When I was working at electronic city, suddenly I realized that it was not what I wanted to do in life. I wanted to live close to the nature, living out of agriculture. I went back to Ramanagara and started farming with my family. But life became all the more interesting when I learnt how to do organic farming," narrates Sadashiva, a degree holder in electronics engineering.
Sadashiva uses his own manure for cultivation. He also hosts field visits for school children and trains them on organic farming.



Mangoes, chilies, Ragi, green gram, Jackfruit, groundnuts, Soya bean - you name it and they grow it. Some of them don’t even have to buy anything from outside. Talk about being self sufficient!
However life is not always rosy for these nature lovers. The biggest challenge that is faced by these farmers is real estate prices. It is difficult to get land in the first place – converting it into a cultivable land is another herculean task.
But the sheer love for being close to nature without succumbing to the pressures of modern day life and a strong determination to protect the age old association with mother earth is what keeps these techie farmers going.
Out of around 200 farmers with cultivable farmlands around Bangalore, about one forth are software professionals who easily switch roles as computer key boards and laptops are replaced to make way for the scalpel and other farming tools.
Life sure has come to a full circle for these urban organic farmers as they use modern technology, computers and Wi-Fi internet connection to learn and practice primitive ways of farming!