Simply Fly
Page 53
Back when I still knew Gopi as a gentleman farmer, he invited me to his farm. Actually, he lured me there with a proposal that we go bicycling, a deal he knew I couldn’t refuse. He hadn’t been on a bike since his army days, when one was issued to all the junior officers to get them around the base.
That is how I came to accompany Bhargavi to the bicycle store in Bengaluru. Better not an ordinary bike, I thought, for the likes of this Gopi I did not know. So we got two snazzy ones: semi-mountain bikes with five gears and flat handlebars. Next day, off we went, the bikes tucked into the back of a little van Gopi rented.
‘It must have been quite a mess,’ someone remarked later when I said I had been to an organic farm. Images of debris rotting naturally everywhere, not to mention all those weeds and pests. Another mistake.
We arrive at this lovely place—secluded, perfectly neat, beautifully cared for. Tall palm trees loaded with coconuts grace the entire area, the leaves crinkling gently in the wind. Another world. No wonder Bhargavi loves this place. We are greeted by a tall, handsome man (Raju is his name), still here, now looking after the whole operation. Various small buildings appear, including a proper Indian house now. You squat over the toilet, pour water on yourself for a shower, sleep on a hard bed, and have dinner outdoors by an open fire, under the palm trees, after a drink of sweet coconut juice with rum, Gopi’s favourite. There are no deals here, and the mobile phone, like the worries, stopped working on the road from Bengaluru. (Gopi is a terror back in Bengaluru on his mobile phone.)
There is peace among the palm trees as we walk along at sunset, Gopi telling me stories non-stop, a farmful of stories. I hear about the leopard who came in at night and dragged off the dogs, one by one. (Sounds like the pest has become a pet.) He’s still out here somewhere, Gopi assures me, like the cobras.
Most of the stories concern Gopi’s experiments. He points to a ring around a tree, where the mess is ordered into that ‘delicious’ mulch for the insects. At one end of the farm, near the building where the silkworms are reared, Gopi shows me a structure with walls of plastic sheeting that can be rolled up and down, and the roof retracted. For years Gopi wanted to get his silkworms into an outdoor atmosphere, where they could be ventilated naturally. On television, he had seen the new dome stadiums with retractable roofs in America. But that was a little costly—even for Gopi. Then he came across these structures in Holland, where they are used for growing tulips. So he brought in a Dutch guy to build one here, to see if he could adapt it to his silkworms. Back at the house, sitting on the veranda, Gopi points to a lump of leaf hanging over us. It’s a tree ant colony, he explains, and pokes a hole in it, lifting up a bit of the leaf to show me the activity inside. We watch in fascination as the ants pull back the bit and knit the tear closed in a few minutes.
Gopi takes special pride in picking up ideas from other farmers and feeding back what he finds out. ‘Farmers from every nook and corner of the state visit his farm regularly,’ wrote the March of Karnataka ‘and he is always willing to give tips to modify their methods.’ (I’ll bet.) They still come to look, but no longer to laugh. Nonetheless Gopi is concerned that any talk of ‘farming with nature’ can make a person seem like a ‘Luddite’, on the ‘fringe community of farmers’. Not that it stops him: you can’t be ‘a natural farmer in isolation when farmers all around you are spraying poison,’ Gopi has written.
The next day we are off cycling. Can we find a quiet road, with not too much traffic, I had asked. You could say that Gopi has complied. Until mid afternoon, every vehicle we see is capable of running on grain: all three or four bullock-carts and bicycles.
‘I’ll bet he stopped and had to explain every tree to you,’ his sister said to me, laughing, a few days later in Bengaluru. No, not every tree, I replied, not quite, although Gopi did explain every single mango tree in bloom (his special favourite). Actually Gopi has all sorts of favourites, so we were off the bikes more than on. When we stopped at an exquisite tree flowered with ‘Flames of the Forest’, Gopi said, ‘I wish I were a bee Henry!’ Helicopters with honey! I think he was serious.
Eventually we reach a small town where we visit a temple and get red dots on our foreheads from the Hindu priest, a friend of Gopi who invites us home for tea. After that, a brief stop for adjustments at a local bike shop brings out a crowd of kids; even the owner has never seen a bicycle with gears before. Then it’s on to paved roads back to the farm, with the occasional bus and truck going by.
A kid follows us on his bike. What a pest. Go away kid, I think to myself. Then I hear an enthusiastic ‘This is much better!’ and I turn around to see a grinning Gopi on the kid’s bike, a temporary deal having been struck to the delight of both parties.
Next day Gopi has arranged to visit his friend Sunil, who runs his family’s coffee plantation a couple of hours farther west. So it’s back in the van. The road is beautiful, surrounded by coconut farms (lots of coconut farms). This is a pretty competitive business, I think to myself. Not like helicopters.
When we arrive in mountainous country, with stunning scenery, I muse about cycling it. In no time it’s decided. Next year we shall do just that, from Sunil’s coffee plantation back to Gopi’s farm. As we drive along, Gopi keeps upping the ante. We’ll camp along the way, he says. Hey, how about if Raju drives ahead and sets up a tent at night. He can prepare dinner for our arrival (not to mention sweet coconut juice with rum). Maybe the family would like to come too. How about eight days? Mercifully the drive ends before he has us biking to Srinagar in the Himalayas.
Sunil has built himself a new house near the top of the mountain plantation. What a house! Marble everywhere, incredibly appointed, impeccably clean. We walk down to the valley where the coffee beans are being husked and washed. Sunil explains that chemicals are added to the residue for treatment before it is released into the river. I can hear Gopi’s mind start up, like one of his helicopters. ‘Why don’t you just pump it back up the hill?’ You are not allowed to do that, Sunil explains. There are rules about these things. Gopi is gazing off; ‘rules’ don’t figure in his scheme of things.
The next day we walk through the plantation. The land is as clean as the house. But Gopi is looking beyond the cleanliness. His mind is on high gear, spinning off one suggestion after another.
He looks at the leaves, which are covered with white spots, and tells me that these are the most oversprayed places on earth. (‘Coffee-growers drench their plantations with pesticides and fungicides … and saturate their crops with chemical fertilizer,’ he had written in a newspaper.) ‘Why don’t you isolate one section and try different things?’ Gopi says to Sunil, who replies, ‘I should do that.’
Wait a minute, I think to myself. If this is a ‘plantation’, why is Gopi’s place a ‘farm’? On farms, you reap what you sow. On plantations, you reap some by-product of what you sow. If Gopi plants palm trees to harvest coconuts, what does he farm?
Then I remember yesterday, all those ‘farms’ along the road: coconuts are a competitive business. In Bengaluru, I can buy one—a big heavy coconut— for eight rupees.
And the guy cuts it open for me and throws in a straw. He will even carve a section out after I am done drinking to fashion a spoon so that I can scoop out the white stuff. All that, shipped all the way from these ‘farms,’ for eight rupees. Do you know how many coconuts it takes to get what Gopi gets for an hour in one of those limousines in the sky: ten thousand! No, Gopi can’t be in it for the coconuts. The deal is just not sustainable. Yet Gopi is most determinedly in it. So what’s the deal?
Then it hits me: Gopi is a farmer after all. His is not a plantation to grown coconuts; it’s a farm to grow ideas. Conventional farmers exploit; Gopi explores. He plants experiments, fertilizes them with imagination, and harvests the ideas that take root. These he offers on the open market for the price of our attention.
If you think that’s cheap, then you are making what could be our final mistake. For these ideas takes a great deal of human
determination to exploit. It is so much easier to keep the environment clean by the application of chemicals. That is why the world is such a mess. And that is why I have written Gopi’s story.
INDEX
9/11 terrorist attacks, 287
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 47
Achar, Balakrishna, 125, 156
Acharya, V.S., 101
Act, Indian Partnership, 125
Act, MRTP, 347
Advani, L.K., 101
African safari, 236, 238, 239
Agriculture Consultancy Company, 90, 109
Air ambulance, 206–09
Air cargo company, 357
Air Deccan mishaps, 231–32, 302–05
Air Deccan, customers of, 278–79, 298, 312, 326
Air Deccan, Government licence, 127
Air India, 148, 150, 266, 306
Air observation posts (AirOP), 19
Air Traffic Control (ATC), 211, 218, 220, 226, 227, 241, 288, 290
Air Transport Licence (ATL), 290
Airbus Industrie, 320, 323
Airbus, 147, 257, 276, 284, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 328, 329–30, 332, 333, 340, 341, 355
Airports Authority of India (AAI), 240, 241, 278, 282, 288, 289, 314, 333
Airtel, 282, 290, 338
Allowances for employees, 284–85, 332
Ambani, Anil, 338–40, 342
Ambani, Dhirubhai, 339
Ambani, Mukesh, 338
Amenities, civic, 34, 97, 98, 99
America, 31–33, 71, 72, 91, 97, 120, 123, 128, 156, 157, 157, 167, 168, 183, 184, 186, 190, 200, 215, 217, 218, 234, 239, 247, 253, 257, 340
Amritraj, Vijay, 232, 349
Angadi, Vijay, 128
Anisette, 308
Apartheid, 236
Apprentice, 29, 82, 91
Artillery School, Devlali, 16, 113
Astrologers, 107–08, 145, 349
ATR aircraft, 257, 258, 261, 264, 266, 276, 277–78, 285, 287, 288, 289, 293, 297, 301–02, 324, 325, 328, 333, 341
Atre, Vijay, 205
Azad, Gulam Nabi, 142
Babbar, Raj, 299, 300–01, 311
Babu, Vidya, 147, 166, 170, 215, 226, 234
Bagnato, Filippo, 324
Bajaj (company), 81, 149, 359
Bajaj, Rahul, 124, 297, 358
Balayogi, G.M.C., 230–32
Bangalore Stock Exchange, 88–89
Bangladesh (see Pakistan, East also), 17, 23, 139, 147, 216, 223–24
Bank lien, 321
Bank managers, 42, 46–50, 80, 143, 305, 321
Basu, Kunal, 162
Belgaum, 209, 249, 297, 305
Bell Helicopters, 134–35
Ben, Capt. Abraham, 143
Bengaluru, 27, 30–31, 37, 48, 63, 64, 80, 83, 89, 90, 94, 102, 109–14, 117, 127, 129, 134, 137–40, 144–45, 147–48, 151, 156, 159, 161, 162, 165, 170–71, 175–76, 178–79, 183–89, 191–92, 196, 206, 208–09, 213–14, 216, 225–26, 231, 238–43, 246, 247, 252, 254, 259–60, 262–63, 272, 275–76, 282, 285–87, 289, 291– 94, 297–99, 303, 304–06, 309, 314, 316, 321–23, 326, 331–33, 338, 341
Bhansali, Vallabh, 316–18
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 93–95, 97, 99–103, 105, 107, 122, 146, 228, 259, 299, 300, 306
Bhargavi, 51–53, 59, 67, 113, 137, 138, 170, 226, 238, 284, 321
Bhatia, Rahul, 334–36
Bhatkal, Ajay, 271, 309
Bhubaneshwar, 11, 216, 225, 246
Bhujbal, Chagan, 229
Bhutan, 26
Bijapur, 8–9, 90
Biotechnology, 129, 242, 262
Biyani, Kishore, 346
Boeing, 147, 152, 253, 257, 276, 319, 322–24, 330
Bombardier, 239, 264
Bombay [Mumbai] Stock Exchange, 89
Bonaparte, Napoleon, 205
Bonded labour, 37
Bonderman, David, 340
Bonugli, Beulah, 232–34, 237–38
Borg, Bjorn, 232
Brady, Warwick, 328, 357
Branson, Richard, 237, 307–08
Bristow Helicopters, UK, 203–05, 245
Bristow, Allan, 205
Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), 278, 288, 289
Bureaucracy, 92, 127–28, 130, 136, 140–42, 148–49, 159, 166–67, 174, 178, 200, 204, 212, 217, 225, 241, 257, 278, 281, 286–87, 289, 297, 299, 302, 338, 357
Burns, Robert, 146
Cabin crew, 266, 267, 269, 278, 279, 284–85, 288, 302
Capital International, 305, 315, 316
Capitalism, 116, 122
Cargo companies, 356–57
Cartels, 130–31, 270, 315, 316, 347
Cavanaugh, Douglas (Doug), 151–55, 169–70, 178, 186, 214–20
Cavanaugh, Helen, 215
CEOs, 158, 160, 163, 178, 179, 182, 183–86, 242, 255, 260, 263, 264, 273, 283, 295, 307, 322, 324, 330, 343, 357
Challenges, 7, 14, 25, 36, 53, 67, 91, 94, 100, 102, 111, 114, 115, 179, 182, 210, 211, 232, 255, 266, 280, 306, 307, 327–28, 331, 344, 357, 359
Chandrashekhar, 46–47
Chattopadhyay, P.K., 288
Chennai, 79–81, 148, 196, 203, 243, 291, 293, 298, 305, 314, 333, 338, 356
Chidambaram, Dr P., 122, 144, 317
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), 104, 106
China, 17, 24, 26, 114–20, 122, 124–25, 158, 162, 210, 220, 223, 279, 357
Churchill, Winston, 318
Citibank, 273–75, 308–10
Cloud-watcher, 60–61
Common Man of R.K. Laxman, 311–13, 315
Common man, 92, 254, 255, 257, 258, 260, 278, 283, 284, 311, 338, 340
Communism, 116, 118, 122
Competition, 87, 91, 123, 124, 134, 179, 180, 181, 227, 242, 262, 264, 280, 282, 287, 293, 298–99, 303, 315, 319–20, 332, 350, 358
Conflict of interest, 203, 277, 334–35
Congress, 93, 94, 97, 102, 107, 108, 122, 214, 215, 241, 306, 341
Cost savers, 260–61, 269, 300, 348
Crusoe, Robinson, 185, 220
Currency crisis, Asian, 150
Customs, 171–76, 225, 240–41, 356–57
Dalai Lama, 299
Dalits, 2–3, 37, 87
Dams, 34
Death of a Salesman, 91
Deccan Aviation, 19, 27, 120, 126, 131, 134, 165, 167–68, 172, 179, 184, 186, 190, 191, 196, 202, 209–11, 214, 234, 246–47, 264, 295, 351
Deccan Cargo and Logistics, 358
Democracy, 96, 101–02, 122, 146
Deshpande, Bala, 318
Deshpande, R.V., 341–42
DGCA (issues licence), 127, 136, 141, 143, 159, 165–68, 170, 172–73, 176–77, 184, 211, 225, 234, 238, 241, 263, 277–78, 285, 286–91, 304, 337
Dichotomy, 93, 99, 130, 171
Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), 172
Discovery project, 210–12
Donations, 85, 100, 120–21, 199, 209
Donkeys, 64–67, 69, 92, 138
Doordarshan, 101, 103
Doz, Yves, 165
Drought, 67
Drucker, Peter, 123, 130, 182
Dubai, 111, 238, 240–41, 355
Dutt, Sunil, 311
Dutta, Meera, 292–93
Ecology, 40, 44, 56, 70, 76, 77, 78, 130, 221, 259
Economic reforms, Indian, 121–22, 124, 130–31, 144–46, 168, 179–80, 185, 242, 243, 259, 261, 264, 299
E-coupons, 325–26
Edelweiss, 337
Einstein, Albert, 60, 249
Election Commission (EC), 105
Elections, 99, 102–06, 108, 145–46, 161, 214, 216, 227–29, 306
Electricity, 34, 44, 59, 60–61, 63–65, 69, 90, 92–93, 99, 140, 251, 259, 285
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 60, 72, 86, 136
Employment, 98, 264, 284, 337
ENAM, 316–17
Enfield Company, 79–81, 90, 203
Entrepreneurship, 36–37, 47, 77, 113, 119, 123–25, 129, 131, 135–36, 152, 159, 161, 164, 178, 182, 188, 194, 237, 242, 243, 251, 255
, 260, 263, 279, 281, 294, 296, 297, 307, 327, 329, 351, 358
Equity partners, 305, 321
Equity, 129, 144, 157, 158, 315–18, 323, 337, 338, 341, 344, 347, 351
Espak Agro, 90
E-ticket, 271, 281, 292, 336
Eurocopter Helicopters, 152
Europe, 3, 97, 118, 162, 190, 207, 218, 234, 239, 256, 262, 264, 270, 272, 277, 305
Evangelical organizations, 230
Farming, creative ways of, 40, 46–47, 69–71, 76–77
Father Sergius (story), 132–33
Fernandes, George, 278, 286, 290, 291
Flight safety, 147, 166, 208, 231, 234, 245, 277–78, 286, 287, 293–96, 301, 303–04
Fonseka, Jude, 357
Food sale on flights, 284–85
Foreign airlines’ partnership, 306–07
Free trade zone, 119
Freedom movement, 29, 95
Frost, Robert, 220
Fry, Chris, 203
Fukuoka, Masanobu, 60, 164–65
Full Service Airline (FSA), 260, 269, 307, 328, 335, 347–48, 358
Gandhi, Indira, 23
Gandhi, Mahatma, 3, 4, 9, 26, 29, 94–95, 112, 124, 131, 199, 273
Gandhi, Rajiv, 88, 121, 144
Gandhi, Sonia, 144
Gandsi, 94, 102, 105
Gangtok, 17, 25
Gangwal, Rakesh, 334
Gaonkar, Harsha, 90
Gavaskar, Sunil, 213–14
General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT), 118
Gita, 26
Glitches, 184, 272, 333, 335
Gobar gas plant, 40, 46, 50, 54
Godfrey, Bret, 307–08
Gokhale, 9
Gopi, Captain G.R., Army days, 17–27
Bonding with land, 35–50, 53–57, 59–78
Country tours, 28–29, 31–33
Education, 97
School, 3, 5–6, 9–11, 150
NDA, 12–15
IMA, 15
Artillery school, 16–17
Management programme, 160–61