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!