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!