intelligent vegetables

Life in india takes some delightful turns...
my new house mate brought me out to a farm 20km outside of mysore to an organic/ biodynamic gardening intensive based on Rudolph Stiener's work...www.basilacadamy.in
wow, the academics and details of growing high quality "intelligent" food from rich and fertile soil created from all natural methods including alignment with the moon, sun and constellation rhythms, cow dung composting etc. are fascinating ! cosmic farming on the Cauvery river outside Mysore...a welcome and serene departure from the city bustle. above pic is the layered compost piles we made.. cow dung slurries on a grand scale. And below is the group (a varied crew from Indian to new Zealand, canada and U.S) making the biodynamic soil and planting fertility boosters in cow horns (to be buried for months in either summer or winter depending on the mixture). Met some great characters here. Very interesting to "work" together...cultural differences are subtle and interesting... Indians have a great cooporation-team sense, whereas westerners seem to be more individually minded.


this Goshala Farm is something special (see purple lotus pond below) complete with morning and evening singing and music devotion in the small Krishna temple.
I am planning to go back soon to take a music writing stint and meditation break from city...

Now back in Mysore after this 3day course i am settled into my nest across the street from the Ashtanga yoga Shala of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the 93 year old legendary Yoga Guru and my original inspiration. He no longer teaches now (it is his grandson Sharath and daughter Saraswati) but i see him from time to time at his house and it often gives me tears of joy to see the light shining so bright in his eyes...he taught yoga to my Violin Gurus Manjunath and Nagaraj's father way back in the day so we talk of South Indian music.

I think of him when i am practicing music since with windows open sounds carry throughout the neighborhoods here.

Windows are surely open...its been very comfortable temps...70's 80's ...cotton is king.

Just finished a 3 night stint of concerts at Jogomohan Palace with some masters of South Indian Music. Getting around fine on my wonderful rented scooter, Indian traffic is a chaotic flow of horn language and anything goes, timing in the moment is everything...

Met some musicians here for recording projects and collaboration...

More soon, love and spice from India