Ananthoo's updates

When all trees have been cut down, when all animals have been hunted, when all waters are polluted, when all air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money. - Cree Prophecy

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Interesting meets

Last week was a special one! I really had 3 good meets and so very heartening and informative ! I should be really lucky to have had such a hatrick.
Nammalwar was in town and suddenly his appointment with some minister was moved by a day and so along with a couple of friends I got a chance to pile on. We spent some 2 hours talking about various ‘organic matters’ and then I got to accompany him to another friend’s land on the OMR (madras outskirts) to have hands on experience of converting a waste land to (prospective) organic farm! Nammalwar is always amazing! He just jumps in with the tools and starts off at the slightest trigger. Its an experience to just walk with him in any land/farm. Tons of info just ooze out. He would have so much to say about most of the plants we cross and their medicinal value, origin etc.
Here the bonus was the knowledge transfer to make the best of small lands esp in the urban outskirts (where due to real estate values we are losing agri lands by the minute).
How to create beds, raise them, mulching, sowing seeds, covering, land preparation, best utilization of exisiting landscape, using the ‘unwanted’ stones in that land for bed sides- were just some of the ideas he sowed in to us. even educating us how to use the crowbar effectively! A memorable day for me.
A couple of days later with some friends I visited Tree natesan , and as always its such a pleasant thing to meet or talk to him. He is a mobile data bank. He would just throw the latin names, origin, myths that surround a species, some stories about how they came to India (or how they have been native plants for ages). On a glance at a field he would come out with what plants/ trees suit that soil the best and what should one do. To visit various farms with him and also some govt school that he is helping plan a computer room, a big library that he has helped organize in a rural area with so much contributions, lakes he has restored..time just will never be enough. The unique use of geese (& their shit too), how the korai pul (a weed) multiplies, chola kings' ventures in the sholavarm side, breaking the myth that eucalyptus ‘drinks’ lotsa water…this list can go on, bcos he will just spray so much info and all relevant in some way and the bonus will be his trials in early days and so special learning for us!

There was a third one- an amazing person, so down to earth inspite of his huge success & acclaim across the globe. But am not going to write about this person now as I didn’t seek his permission to mention that here in this blog. That shall happen soon.

Such people of fame and huge achievements being so humble and courteous, so forthcoming with information are catalysts for folks like me. They not only give hope but motivate you so much.

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