Fresh Tomatoes, Brinjal, greens, cabbage, bottle gourd, snake gourd, beans, ajwain are a only a few of the many things growing in Vani Murthy's house, within the tightly packed, urban neighborhood that is Malleswaram.
One of the pioneers of urban farming here in Bengaluru, Vani says, “I had not grown a single plant in my life. Now, I have a whole edible garden on my terrace. I am able to take food from my garden, for cooking, at least three times a week.”
What started off as an interest in Solid Waste Management led her gradually to growing her own safe and organic food.
“In 2008, a few of my friends and I got together to try reducing our waste. We visited a landfill to understand the reality for ourselves - the stench hit us kilometres away from Mavalipura. We were shocked to see huge piles of stinking garbage and the people living near them,” she said.
Malleswaram has become, thanks to their efforts, a self-sufficient neighbourhood in terms of waste management. Most of the bigger apartment complexes segregate waste, selling dry waste to collectors for recycling and using the wet waste to make compost. That’s what led Vani to experiment with compost - “I failed miserably the first time,” she adds modestly. “That inspired me to keep trying and I eventually managed to start growing my own food!”
From this point, there was no stopping her. Her success inspired hundreds of people, who continue to approach her hoping to make their own homes and neigbourhoods waste free and self-sufficient! Her Facebook page now has over 30,000 followers.
“Growing one’s own food is a skill every child should learn,” Vani says firmly. “When I bite into a tomato bought from the market and one from my garden, I can instantly tell the difference. The store-bought variety is full of pesticides,” she exclaimed.
The chief complaint about organic food is that it is pricey. “I understand the efforts of the farmer who grows food naturally - his crop grows slower and produces less, but there are no chemical additives. I’m happy to pay a higher price for clean food!”
Her friends and her formed the group, 'We care for Malleswaram' that puts up a stall in the quarterly organic food festival, ‘Oota from your Thota’. Here too, she meets people and helps them understand how to start their journey of urban farming.
Vani derives much pleasure from growing food each day. “I’m at peacee when I’m surrounded by my plants,” she said. Her balcony is packed with vegetables growing from small boxes of soil and leaves emerging from mud filled tetra packs. Vermi composting and Bokashi composting are her processes, which she does full time. Composting can take a few tries to get right, in her experience. Another ostacle that she continues to face is rats eating up her leaves and vegetables. Pests like rats and caterpillars were a cause of disgress, but that changed when she saw beautiful butterflies fluttering around her garden one day! “I have been rearing caterpillars ever since,” she smiled. Special plants are kept to feed the caterpillars and this too has become a trend among her fans. The facebook group has people sharing information on how to keep the food safe and also rear butterflies on the side.
Her logic to anyone who questions her interest in growing food is, “ We spend so much to make sure we get the right smartphone with good touch screen, picture quality and what not. Why not spend to eat safe and tasty food?”
