Living the rurban' dream at Organo

Hyderabad: A 35-acre pocket of land in Moinabad has been turned into the abode of an organic community. This community, which has been named Organo, wants to make it possible to adopt an organic, sustainable way of life even in the midst of Hyderabad’s chaos. 

Nagesh Battula, a founding member of the community, says, “The Organo way of living is a movement, a change, a new wave of thought.” The residents of this community have a “rurban” lifestyle – a term coined by the residents themselves. 

The Organo Community is located nine kilometres from the APPA Junction on the Himayathsagar-Chevalla road. Its residents have turned the area into an eco-friendly haven with a minimal carbon footprint. 

Rajendra Kumar, another founding member, says, “We are the first community in the country to have incorporated the seven strands of sustainability including food, water, air, shelter, and energy. We grow our own produce in our kitchen gardens and ensure that there is no wastage of water by carrying out deep aquifer recharge.” 

The community was formed with the intention of countering the impact of growing urbanisation. It has solar energy units and a biogas plant to harnesses power to meet its own requirements. The residents rear their own animals including cows and chicken. The community’s waste segregation system ensures that garbage is properly disposed of. 

“A two-tonne biogas waste plant has been set up. It is connected to a 24 kW bio-generator which can provide power for up to eight hours,” says Nagesh. The residents of the community say that it is perhaps the only place in Hyderabad where the air quality is considerably good. They have planted medicinal plants such as neem and tulsi to detoxify the air. Eastern tunnels are used to generate air drafts that help in the circulation of cool air through the community. 

“We have made use of the same concept as using earthen pots to cool water, and this has worked for all the houses in the community. It is like natural air conditioning. There are lush fields facing the houses too,” says Rajendra. 

A structure made of bamboo with a roof area of 10,750 square feet, the largest of its kind in the country, has been built for the residents to meet recreationally, after work. 

Lakshmi Menon, a resident says, “According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the leading authority on biodiversity, 13 percent of all birds are at risk of extinction. Sparrows cannot be seen anywhere due to heavy vehicular pollution and construction. At Organo, we have made it our mission to nurture a habitat for all birds.” 

The entire layout of the community was planned and finalised by three architects. Nagesh Battula says, “My friends and I had the idea of collective farming, which was when the seed for Organo was sown. Individual farmhouses suffer from problems related to security, a lack of support and isolation; however, a community farming system motivates people. All the residents are professionals who work in the day and farm in their free time.”

Naandi’s prices lower than other organic produce 

Naandi is one of the largest organic farming communities in the country. Residents have their own kitchen gardens in which they grow produce for their consumption. Apart from this, the community has over 16.5 acres dedicated to farming. 

Neelima Pindipolu, a resident of the community, says, “We started as a collective farming community and are now expanding into the sale of produce. We have also propagated organic farming to neighbouring villages such as Yenkapally and Bakaram. Organically-grown vegetables have a lower yield than artificially-supplemented produce, but we stress on quality rather than quantity.” She says that it has taken four years to ensure that the saplings grown by them are organic from the seed stage. Their products are priced lower than most other brands of organic produce available in supermarkets. 

Produce from the Organo community is delivered twice a week to certain parts of the city including Kukkatpally, Banjara Hills, Nallagandala, and Jubilee Hills. “We receive many enquiries, we have just started making deliveries and will require some time for expansion to a larger scale,” says Neelima.

Many residents of the community are also interested in beekeeping. Ravindra Kumar Pydi, vice-president of the AP Beekeepers’ Association has assisted in the setting up of beekeeping units within the community.

Children of the community attend Organi School, where they learn about sustainability. Other private schools have also approached the community with requests for the conduction of workshops. “We have conducted programmes on sustainability for Oakridge School, Meridian School and Sreenidhi International School. Youngsters see our way of life, the way we make use of nature’s bounty, and how we try to do our bit for the earth,” says Nagesh. Students are also taught natural crafts.