I attended an organic gardening workshop last weekend which turned out to be quite fun and useful. First of all, I cant believe I woke up at 6:30 am just for it. I wished that the difference between my nightwear and daywear was made generally, of shoes. The taxi was waiting at the gate. It was getting light outside.
The event was in a village about an hour from the city of Bangalore.I messed up with directions and reached there a few minutes late while constantly abusing the poor driver.
The man leading the workshop was brilliant! We were about 20 or so. First we did a bit of theory then went out to the garden. It was about 8:30 in the morning with a beautiful morning sun in the blue sky. We started the day by forming a circle and did some light chanting.
OMMmmmmmmm.. ...
"Asato Ma Sathgamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyothirgamaya
Mruthyorma Amruthangamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Heem.."
Ommmmmm~
(Lead Us from Unreal to the real
Lead us from Darkness to Light
Lead us from Death to Immortality
Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all…)
We then walked around the garden. Our task was to walk around quietly exploring the garden on our own, without any interaction with the group.
As I walked around, I saw runner beans and sweet potatoes plants, baby aubergines and giant sunflowers.I admired the impressive structure of the ant hill by a tree.I noticed the dry earth scorched reddish by the tropic sun.I realized just how much I tried to avoid thick patches of green. Maybe because of some phobia with what lies hidden beneath the weeds. I avoided eye contact with everybody, it was the garden intrepreting my nature and me, the garden's. We were two. Then we were one. And then we were nothing; we didn't even exist.
Back to the room, where we actively discussed the things each of us saw in the garden. It was interesting to note what different people notice. I shared with the group my giant sunflower which seemed to have bewitched me and lingered.
Back at the garden, we filled a ceramic pot with soil, compost, sand and mulch and prepared to sow our seeds. After a shower of water for the seedling. We learned how to prepare home compost with kitchen waste, as well as garden ditch composting. There was a demo of how to make amrit paani( holy water)for the plants:
2 part cow manure, 5 parts cow urine and 5 parts sweet jaggery; in a large drum. Mix and stir well with long stick and cover. Let it stew for few weeks and what we get is amritpaani, an organic plant growth stimulant.
We broke off for lunch which was a nice spread of traditional South Indian meal.Relaxed a bit after lunch having a sietsa or chatting about gardening and everything else. Then finally, we each got some tools of the trade and got down to getting dirty and hacking at wild weeds to prepare a veggie patch. We then sowed alternating rows of raddish and tangy gonggori(a leaf used in south Indian pickles). The moment was very therapuetic. In the final bit of the evening workshop we learned a bit more on the practical aspects of organic gardening, plant health, pests etc.
Finally, we each got a bunch of assorted organic seeds wrapped in a newpaper ball.
The hour long drive back was a good 'on the road' experience. I was just noticing the scenes outside the car window. There was the sad faced teenage boy with a bouquet of flowers in his bicycle basket, a pot bellied south indian man with the holy ash on his forehead. His scooter was buzzing next to my window, I played a random beat on my lap and noticed how the man unconsiously tapped a finger to a similar beat on his scooty handlebars. The car moved on, and a beggar without hands, a funny looking fruit vendor.. .. ..
It felt like driving round n round to nowhere..just ride the wind with the smell of rain. Came home and played some God of War3, conquered the heart of Gaia, beat the water horses, beat posiedon, got driven down to the realm of Hades by Zeus,prepared dinner( farfalle with leeks, cabbage and apple sauce) popped open a bottle of red and enjoyed a good dinner with family.
Ended the day with a bit of facebook and a chapter of The motorcycle diaries Ernesto Che Guevara and ......fade out.
That was that day.
Today was a bitch.
Ces't la vie!!!!
