Jan Mar 2010
by Savitha Uday
The value and potential of uncultivated plant species is ignored in today’s global worldOnce upon a time human beings lived on whatever the land provided- naturally occurring greens were day to day fare. Many edible plants that grew where people lived were eaten raw or used liberally in meal preparations. Human beings lived with nourishment from shoots, fruits, berries, roots, mushrooms and medicinal herbs. Over…
by Kaushik Ramu
Dismantling a farmhouse and building a museum with the same wood can teach many lessons in craft as well as ecology.The Alps in Bavaria remind me of the lower Himalayas. Pine cones smell the same; the air has the same crispness. The deeper I went into the forest, the more I felt that I belonged to the earth, to things like streams and bark-pieces, that…
by Monisha Narke
A small organization, run by homemakers in Mumbai is taking small but significant steps towards spreading ‘a green wave’.I live in Mumbai and have a farm in the coastal town of Umbergao, around 150 kilometers away. We have an organically-grown chikku and mango plantation that provides for wholesome feasts during the season. At the farm we live in a cozy mud home; our bathrooms have…
by Durga Sitaraman
The alienation of man and land is at the crux of the unsettling of India, culture, and agriculture.When I moved back home from the US, five years ago, I did not expect much change to have taken place in just a span of 12 years. I was brought up in Nagercoil, a small town in South India, and had spent nearly fifteen years, from grade…
by G. Gautama
One of the questions that man has always had to live with is about the nature of his actions. On the fringe of one’s action choices we may have doubts – was it truly the best I could do? Or do I really know all the other solutions that have been tried?
It is time to check our bearings. Human civilization started a few thousand…
by Dr. Vijaya Venkat
Clad in a Japanese blue sarong, a bag of rice grains in his well-worked agile fingers and straw slippers on his feet, Masanobu Fukuoka appeared like a proverbial Zen Master in my life.Like the Japanese style of painting with simple but spontaneous strokes, Fukuoka opened up so many ideas in a clear way. Many of my beliefs as a nutritionist were kindled, others abandoned, while…
by Sinduja Krishnan
Our architecture takes immense inspiration from nature. The tallest trees help us vision the world’s tallest buildings and the flying pattern of a dragonfly gives us the wisdom to build helicopters. Most of our achievements have been from nature and yet, we barely understand it.Janine Benyus, an activist, thinker and creator has made it her mission to acknowledge what we take from nature. She and…
by Sumitra M. Gautama
Educating children about junk food is all about making the journey of discovery personal to themJunk food is like an elephant, and most strategies are like blind men. In attempting to connect with a child on an issue like this there are many factors to consider; so many that the average adult can be quite confused and unsure. So how then does a school evolve…
by Sharon Lyngdoh
Today, it is a tough task to teach children what is nutritious food. First of all, it has to be taught not theoretically (doesn’t work), but experientially, by actually eating healthy food as much as possible. The second difficulty is that as adults, we ourselves need to learn a lot – and changing our own food habits is not easy at the best of times.…
by Pooja Nayak
My eyes were slowly adjusting to the morning brightness when a shape emerged out of the nearest tree. The creature moved sensuously in its descent, one clawed foot at a time, an elegant slow motion- very much like a panther on the prowl. Eyes half-closed, almost meditative, it didn’t seem to be in a hurry. It inched towards a brown leaf, effortlessly gliding from tree…