Happenings and thoughts from Vaanavil Farm & Food Forest, Vikramasingapuram, Tirunelveli District I will let the photos do rest of the talking for our February story. Regards Sudhakar
Category: Food for Thought
Home or Un or Farm schooling ?
Biggest problem with the word homeschooling is that it consists of the word home. Homeschooling generally means that parents take charge of the child’s education. It doesn’t mean that the child is going to be bound within the 4 walls of the home. Only conventional schools do that – treat schools like factories, offices and…
Stop seeking like-minded people to start living off-grid in a farm
An uncomfortable note from someone who actually lives it. There’s a question I get asked regularly: “Is there land for sale around your farm?”“Is it okay if we buy land near other organic farmers?” Most times, my answer is either no or please think twice. Not because I don’t want neighbours. But because I don’t…
“Plastic Arisi”
Have you heard people say the rice from PDS (ration shop) is “plastic rice” or adulterated with floating grains? Recently, I heard Dinesh tell Esakki akka to sort out the plastic rice while washing it. Turns out, they were not joking… there’s a story behind it. Okay, lets back up. What’s going on? India eats…
Ode to 7 years of Vivasayee’s Life at Vaanavil Farm & Food Forest
10th July 2025 I now live in a farmAt the edge of a reserve forestOutside a small villageRight outside a small tier 3 town It has been 7 yearsSince i made the switchFrom the city to the rural itchBecause the urban lifestyle was a bitch I was attracted to the romanceOf being amidst natureI wanted…
Where am I from?
People around here are often puzzled — and sometimes unsatisfied — when I tell them that my sondha ooru (native place) is Vikramasingapuram. It’s the town where my farm is, where my family lives, and where I’ve put down roots for the past seven years. But that answer rarely feels enough for many locals. I…
From City Life to Farm Life: A Journey Rooted in Health
A lot of you have asked about our transition — how Noushadya and I moved lock, stock, and barrel from city life to full-time farming. At a time when most of civilization is moving toward urbanization, as agriculture becomes increasingly mechanized and automated, it’s a valid question: Why go against the tide? There were many…
Iluppai Poo Samba : An aromatic rice variety of Tamil Nadu
When i was working with ITC, I faced a couple of instances of kidney stones. The painful experience in the hospital got me thinking about dietary choices. It was one of the many triggers for moving to a physically active farm life. Transitioning to Brown rice was one of the most popular choices that the…
Why Masala Lab needs to look at agricultural systems from an Indian lens and not an American one?
Krish Ashok is at it yet again. He thinks he has built a nuanced position for GMOs. Nothing could be far from the truth. His recent video conflates artificial selection that has happened over thousands of years with lab developed GMOs which have a questionable history over 50 years. At its broadest, the definition of…
Why Masala Lab needs to update his understanding of pesticides and organic farming?
Krish Ashok is at it again. He admits that food and agriculture are complex topics; yet he continues to make reels that over-simplify. Krish Ashok’s recently uploaded a video on Instagram reels “Pesticides in spices : Do we need to worry?”. The conclusion he wants hs to draw is that “We don’t”. His understanding of…
You must be logged in to post a comment.