December 2022

Be Library
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS – DECEMBER 2022
December 13, 2022

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE: FRIENDS YOUR KIDS WOULD LOVE – CHARLIE MACKESY

A book for all ages! This Christmas bestseller is a simple, yet beautifully illustrated conversation between a boy and his four-legged friends about the meaning of life and the various ways they can get through it. Through the reflections of each character, you experience different perspectives and empathise with them all the same. It is a short and sweet journey that places value on companionship and kindness – traits we need to grow into a better world together.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING: STORY FROM THE LIFE OF A GIRL RAISED BY THE WILD – DELIA OWENS

An emotional, thrilling and suspenseful tale of a girl who is abandoned by her family and goes seeking shelter in the wild. Raised by perennial trees, fireflies and strict nature, the ‘Marsh Girl’ becomes a hearsay for the nearby village. When a popular village kid is found dead, she immediately becomes the prime suspect and gets tangled with the civilised. As reality unfolds, she discovers her longing for human connection but is unaware of what the world has in store for her. Where the Crawdads Sing brings with it a message from nature as well as human behaviour, a story that will draw a range of emotions from within.

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Avoca Dabra – Suma Ganesh
PLUM CAKE TO MAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS MERRY
December 13, 2022

The holiday season is here and it won’t do without a scrumptious plum cake! If you’re a newbie to baking, fret not! The traditional plum cake uses rum or brandy, or even eggs in the process. However, the recipe for plum cake has evolved over the years and everyone has their own style or process of making it.

So, if you’re a newbie to baking, fret not! It is the perfect cake to try your hand at.

Christmas is the time to fill your world with joy, colour, laughter, love and light. So make sure you add these special ingredients when baking a cake with and for your family and friends.

Below is the recipe you can try for an eggless, rumless plain ol’ plum cake.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (maida) 
  • 150ml milk
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 200gms sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon mix-fruit jam (or any jam you love)
  • A pinch of garam masala (a little bit of spice is key)

Now we know that a plum cake is incomplete without fruits and nuts. You can choose the ones you like the most – cashews, almonds, black currants, raisins, or dried berries. The quantities also depend on your liking.

Steps:

  1. Take maida, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and sieve it. Add sugar to this mix.
  2. In a pan, head butter and milk till it is lukewarm. Add sugar caramel to it and mix well (procedure to make sugar caramel at the bottom).
  3. Add the milk, butter and sugar caramel mixture to the bowl and whisk it.
  4. Then add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla essence and whisk it till you get a smooth consistency (ribbon-like consistency).
  5. Now add the jam (whisk it a little before adding to avoid lumps) and your choice of fruits and nuts to the mix.
  6. Finally, add a pinch of garam masala and mix it well. Your batter is ready.
  7. Grease the baking tin with butter and dust it with maida. You could also use butter paper for the inner surfaces of the tin.
  8. Pour the batter into the tin. Place it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius for 30 min.

Now, goodness takes patience. Sit back and let time do its thing!

After 30 min, insert a knife into the cake to check if any batter is sticking to it. If it is, your cake needs a little more time. If not, it is ready to be devoured!

Sugar Caramel to make your plum cake sweeter

Take two parts sugar and one part water into a pan and heat it. Make sure to not take too much sugar. For the above recipe, ½ cup sugar will do. Keep stirring it lightly. The sugar will start to melt and turn brown and sticky. Once you see lines forming when you pour the sugar, you know has turned to sugar caramel. This makes one of the key ingredients for your plum cake. Keep this small recipe handy to add to other desserts too.

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The Poomaale Estate, Coorg
NEW SEASON, NEW PURSUITS – FARM ACTIVITIES AND MORE VISITS FROM WILD FRIENDS
December 13, 2022

The nature of farm activities at the Poomaale Collective is getting more experimental. New initiatives to calibrate the food intake of each member are in progress. They will help us understand the quantity of food we need to grow to suffice and the variety we need for a nutritious, balanced diet. In addition, water and waste management activities like greywater recycling took place. We have also procured a good variety of native heirloom seeds, a one-time purchase, to build our seed banks and become seed-sufficient down the line. The highlight, however, was the occasional visits from vipers, crates and even the Indian Cobra to our farm which is an indicator of a fertile coffee farm. We look forward to a merry and eventful winter at the collective.

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The Hyderabad Collective, Hyderabad
ECOLOGICAL DESIGN EXPERIMENTS FOR A PROSPEROUS FOOD FOREST
December 13, 2022

The Hyderabad collective was blessed with wild, forest-friendly Sitaphal produce. We also witnessed the last of the monsoon grasslands that are extremely beneficial for the development of a forest ecosystem. The Lake Soil Experiment was initiated to improve the soil health of the cultivation patches and make them more suitable for growing. We hope to see favourable results. Our staff at the farm was successful in procuring the waste rice straw from nearby villages. We are using this ‘waste’ in several farm activities like mulching, making veggie beds and composting. The first stage of forming an ecosystem is in place with a focus on veggie beds where resilient, native species are planted. Windbreaks to protect veggie plants were planted too. The upcoming months are full of anticipation, hope and more attempts to enhance the ecosystem.

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The Mumbai Collective
GOOD THINGS TAKE PATIENCE
December 13, 2022

It has been a patient wait for Mumbai but to be honest, worth it. We strongly believe in not rushing things and allowing ideas to manifest. As custodians of the member interest, we adopt a very conservative attitude towards setting up collectives and ensure that the members’ interests are protected at every step. On the same note, we have been involved with thorough due diligence of the site and are currently in a structuring exercise for The Mumbai Collective.

The seed community has not only been patient but has also played an advisor and critique of the different approaches we considered. This underlines the beauty of a collective and we are mindful of the trust that has been placed in us. Expect the official launch of the collective in Dec 2022.

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The Bhopal Collective, Bhopal
INCHING TOWARD INCEPTION
December 13, 2022

The due diligence exercise of the shortlisted site continues. We are really excited to be doing a collective at Bhopal. The site being considered is within touching distance of the city. This is a phase of the collective creation process that takes patience from our side. Like in Mumbai, we are taking our time to understand the legal clarity of the land parcel but we are very close to an announcement towards the end of December. Watch this space for updates.

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The Storyteller – Suhail Bagdadi
JUGGLE BELLS, JUGGLE BELLS: CHALLENGES OF MAINTAINING A FARM WHILE DOING A FULL-TIME JOB
December 13, 2022

Running an orchard is a full time job. But with a full time city job, that’s two full time jobs. With close to two decades in the fast paced media business, my first proper brush with running the orchards I had inherited was overwhelming, despite having seen them being built over decades.

Juggling between the two required distinctly different skillsets, a redefinition of the concept of time and switching between two personality types. One on the edge, over the success or failure of a Friday film release and the other trying to fathom being told in October that the epiphytic orchid growing on the mango tree will flower soon. The soon being the month of May. That’s seven months ahead, during which I would have launched about 25+ campaigns.

Though not exhaustive, here are some elements you can consider while balancing the two

1. Why a farm?

Its raison d’Être? Is it a hobby farm where you spend time destressing, experiencing the rural life or are you going to be economically dependent on it?

2. Find the right fit

Annuals need daily effort, easy access to the land and markets, and for you to spend more time on the land. Perennials take longer to grow and bear fruit, but give you time to understand other aspects of the farm.

3. Experience your land

Spend at least a few days each season observing your land in different seasons. Keep journaling your observation – tree health, root rot, pest attacks, the soil, changing flora, fauna, wildlife etc.

4. Time management

Running a farm can be an overwhelming and time consuming. Figure out the time you can dedicate? Every weekend or a few annually? Plan what you would like to achieve during your time there. Include building a nursery for back-up plants to replace old ones or those felled by pests. Trees take long to grow and any damage could set you back by a few years.

5. People

The people around you will make or break your efforts. Are you and your partner / family aligned? Do you have a reliable man-Friday? Is your team motivated? Do you speak the local language? Interact with other farmers, visit farms and join farming groups. There’s a wealth of knowledge and experience that people are willing to share

6. Paperwork

Update your land records annually. Keep an eye out for any changes or claims on your land. Interact with and maintain friendly relationships with the local community, suppliers, authorities and bank staff.

Thankfully, mangoes being perennial, we can contract the maintenance and harvesting to an external party at a pre-negotiated price. This serves many in the region well as it allows them to adjust their level of involvement with the farming process.

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Roots & Wings - Suma Ganesh
ZERO IS HERO – WASTE MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR YOUR HOME
December 13, 2022

‘Zero-waste’ is a fad word we have been hearing for the past few years. But the fact is, most Indian homes have been zero-waste traditionally. It is only in recent times that reuse is seen as a thrifty habit and not as a responsible one. Forgetting our traditions, aping the west, and reviving the traditions – we seem to have come full circle. With a bursting population, this circle, unfortunately, has cost the country and the planet a lot.

Our household had turned towards consumerism too, but we slammed the breaks and started taking cognizance of our behaviour. All it took was acting with love. Love for every living being and the Earth.

Now when we buy greens or eat fruit, it is almost impossible for me to discard the seeds or roots. Spinach roots, mint plants, the root of lemon grass, seeds of lemons, oranges, chikoo, ripe dried red chillies, capsicums – all these are jewels and it is criminal to throw them away.

We wash, dry and put seeds in labelled envelopes. Not always do we have space for the fruit tree. But it makes for a great return gift for a bday party or for a friend who owns a bit of land. We put the roots away in a warm, shaded spot in a jar of water on the terrace or window sill. As soon as they look ready, we find a place to plant them. Even if they don’t all survive, we feel fantastic if some of the plants start growing rich harvest. This habit has been passed on to my daughter too. Unable to throw a single seed away, she packs them in her little pocket and brings them back home and carefully hands them over to me for safekeeping.

The peels of orange and lemon are lovingly turned into bio enzymes for cleaning floors and kitchen counters, if not used for some delicious edible recipes. If nothing, she soaks the orange peels in water and sprays herself and her room with it to keep it smelling fresh and cool. The same goes for used tea leaves, used coffee powder, peels of vegetables, egg shells, coconut shells, and coconut husks.

When we crack open a coconut and use it, the shell and husk are put away in the dry composting pit, along with the fallen dry leaves and twigs from our garden. Within weeks we find this transformed into a pile of beautiful compost – black gold. Being South Indians, we end up with more than enough coconut shells. So the ones that don’t go into the compost turn into planters with winding vines and bright flowers.

We have also been bringing about changes in other aspects of our lives, but are far from the goal. A small step has been to wake up and be aware of the waste we create with every action. A long way ahead to be waste-free, but with some effort, this should be achieved – after all, we have to save the planet for our children.

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The Window Seat - Bipin Bala
RESILIENCE COMES FROM BEING A SPORT!
December 13, 2022

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from a negative situation – a trait not just required in Sports but equally important in life.

The earliest sport I competed in was a 25m race. I was just 4 years old. It is etched in my memory not because I won it, but because I froze at the starting line. Can’t fathom the reason, but I cried, and just to stop the bawling, I was given the consolation prize. Certainly not a great start to my foray into the world of sports, but this taught me that to succeed you have to try.

As the years progressed, I made it to the school, college & university teams of football, cricket, athletics (track & field), squash & tennis. I dabbled in every sport I got the chance simply because it gave me happiness. Sports has also taught me to be disciplined in life. It is a lifestyle change! Your diet, sleep patterns, training – come rain or sun, the small sacrifices and the never-say-die attitude.

My best friends from across the world are those I met either in a marathon or on a tennis court. The bond that connects us is special because we know the pain that one has gone through in training. On the field, the spirit of competitiveness is always high, and off the field, we share a friendly relationship.

Athletes get a “high” because they experience a rush of happy hormones after exercise. The release of endorphins, dopamine and serotonin makes you more alert and improves your concentration. Endorphins help in combating stress. Among other things, dopamine is released by the brain for athletes to focus better. Serotonin regulates sleep-wake cycles, body temperature, and appetite and lowers pain sensitivity. this makes training all the more fun.

In my corporate career, I have always tried to motivate people to get into this lifestyle as it has tremendous benefits. I am proud to say that there are quite a few people who have hooked on to sports and thank me for it.

For those not yet immersed in sports, start with walking. It is the cheapest form of exercise with excellent benefits. Walk for 30 minutes at a stretch per day. Do this for 21 days and see it transform into a habit.

And on the days your spirit seems to hide, ask yourself – Do you have it in you to get fitter?

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Laws of Nature - Shaurya Chandra
MOVING THE NEEDLE – TIME TICKS, CHANGE KICKS, STRENGTH BUILDS
December 13, 2022

Another year has passed. Until a few years ago, we purchased new calendars and diaries to celebrate and prepare for the New Year. But in the digital era, this reminder of a new milestone is well forgotten. Just like money, time as a concept is also digital now. However, nature reminds us of the passing of time through the constant physical changes it undergoes. It reminds us how old leaves shed and new leaves grow.

When left to itself, nature tries to make everything resilient. With time, every specie evolves to become stronger. Have we ever wondered why building resilience and adapting is the natural course of action for any biological system? Because subconsciously, we are aware of the impending end. With every passing second, we try to adjust to maximize the probability of survival. And hence evolution of species happens. Although this evolution is continuously happening, it is too subtle to be observed on the time scale of human life. That’s the way nature works, one small step at a time.

In the past year, Beforest farms have seen a lot of changes. From the study and implementation of check dams, the working out of the Food production Zone to hospitality activities getting started. A lot of new initiatives have been tried and implemented. On the legal and financial front, we are moving toward becoming more resilient when working at our farms in different geographical regions. On the human resource front, we have moved toward a more structured approach to manage our farms and organisation better, small increments at a time.

Time is a currency which, unfortunately, we cannot stop from spending. It is all about how we use our time to become more resilient. The year-end is a time to ponder how strong we have become physically, emotionally, mentally, financially and socially. With time slipping from our hands like beach sand, we need to keep moving the needle towards a resilient life.

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