Visiting Kaushik

24 July 2019

It was about 100 kms to Amruturu, where I would meet Kaushik. Manasa and I left home around 6.40am, I dropped her to Madhukara's home and left for the rest of the ride. It was a lone long ride, thoughts and questions passing by just like the passing by vehicles. I was finding a reason to cancel this visit, like I do every time and I was glad I didn't cancel it. There was a kind of happiness that I'm doing something which is very dear to me, visiting a farm, trying to learn something about farming. This day had given me enough time to think through different things and listen to myself, I guess this is important and I must do it quiet often. 

It was one of a kind of experience to visit Kaushik. It gave me a chance to speak out the muted questions in my head. It is very unusual to meet someone like him, who is very decisive at his actions, may be because I lack at it. I do not think it is easy at all to just leave everything behind and hold on to something which we love dearly to do and we believe it would work. For me anything short of 100% planning and preparation would be nothing less than a risk. I respect his decision and his confidence in learning how to farm and succeed. Through out our discussion, he sounded very confident and with no regrets what so ever.

We met at his home and we started talking. All of it were probably answers to my never ending questions. All that I wanted to know was probably how do I do it? How do I start farming with whatever time and resources I have right now.
I'm sure, I cannot quit everything right now and get to the field, but will I be able to do it at some point of time? May be I was not even looking at the profit and returns from farming, I just want to get my hands dirty and grow something.

I met Kiran who was Kaushik's partner and a mentor. The starting point for both of them was balcony/terrace gardening. They also suggested and insisted that I must try it first before getting on to the large farms. We went to the farm which Kiran owns, it seemed like an acre by looking at the dimension. Both of them believed that it could be more than enough for making a profit out of it. It was surprising and also seemed possible. We did some digging to build a small storage room at the farm and that was the only work I could do.

We returned back to Kaushik's home for lunch and his mother had cooked a very delicious lunch. We just sat around the house and talk about different aspects. We watered the small vegetable patches around his house. As soon as I got to know that we might not go back to the farm again, I decided to go back to Bangalore. I waited until his sister came home and left soon after that.

I had a brief stop at a small tea shop. The experience of the solitude was unique. It was cloudy through the ride back to Bangalore.

Vanashree

12 Oct 2019

Third visit to the farm. Was a short visit, Preeti madam did not join us. We came back before lunch. There was a Pooja planned at Srikanth's place and we mostly spent our time picking things for it.

• Peeled the cocnut husks and gathered them.
• Gathered Seemebadane, Gava, Passion fruit, sugarcane, banana leaf, beetle leaf and Thondekai. 
• Learned how to find out if gava is about to ripe by slightly pearcing into the fruit.

Srikanth sir also shared his Himalayan trekking experiences. He gave me Seemebadane, Nugge Soppu and Barbados Cherry to carry home.

14 Sep 2019

My second visit to the farm. Every conversation has been a learning for me. Talking to Srikanth sir and Preeti madam has been so helpful. I got my chance to enjoy working in the farm. We had a discussion of revamping the vanashree website. General talks about how an intermidiate broker would charge a premium on the produce and how a farmer cannot do anything about it.

• Picked the coconuts and made a pile. Learned how a small trolly helped in reducing the work effort in gathering the coconuts. A huge coconut container which helps in drying it and also to gather it at one place. We also discussed how a value-added item (coconut oil / herbal coconut oil would help in earning more compared to just selling coconut and dry coconut.
• Plucked seemebadanekai, topioca and planted seemebadanekai (learned to plant it the right way). 
• Learned to identify how a seethapala would look like when it about to ripe.
• Shanmuga was spraying a concentrated common salt solution on the weeds. This would act as a natural weedicide without harming the fertility of the soil. 
• Anveshi and his wife had come to the farm. We had met on my first visit to the farm. He had come there with a big plan of starting something new. The idea seemed to be very broad. However such a detailed planned seemed to be important for starting anything new. 
• We had a short discussion about Prafulla Chandra, brother-in-law of Kuvempu and his contribution towards the field of agriculture. 
• Heard about the qtrove.

Srikanth sir clicked a photograph of mine while I was planting seemebadanekai sapling.

3 August 2019

My very first visit to the Farm. It was such an enriching experience and all the conversation made a lot of sense. The other visitors - Pradeep, Amareshi and ShriVidya were from different walks of life but their interest around the topics and their questions seemed were appropriate. Srikanth sir picked me from the Toyoto showroom, Kanakpura Road around 9.45am. Both Srikanth sir and Priti madam were open for conversation and any question. Soon I got into the car and we started driving towards the farm there were several conversation. I was just trying to get my confusions cleared by talking out the thoughts which keeps running in the mind.

The farm seemed nothing like a conventional farm which I have experienced before. A new world for me altogether.

Shanmuka and Jaya who stay at the farm all the time, take care of the daily work, while Srikanth and Priti visit the farm over the weekends. The animals at the farm, the endless trees and the plants in the farm were a different experience altogether. Understanding the whole mindset of such organic farming was something I was looking for and I got a glimpse of it.

My plan of going back to the farm frequently to learn was acknowledged and they agreed to allow me to go back over the weekends and work on the field.

Some additional info I could gather -
https://annadana-india.org/

2 August 2019

- Called Srikant sir and confirmed the visit to the farm. Was delighted and excited about the visit.

17, 18 July 2019

Messaged Srikanth sir about my interest. Had a phone call with Srikanth sir to visit the farm and he agreed.

5 July 2019

sent an email to Priti madam about my interest to visit the farm. 11th, got a reply with Srikanth sir's phone number.