A basketful of yum: Fusing recipes from the USA and Europe with Indian flavours / Photo: Murali Kumar K. / The Hindu
Martha Kohlhagen, who settled down in Bangalore and runs a gourmet enterprise. She makes preserves, sauces, and desserts
Chicken breast stuffed with apple and onion relish, lemon tarts made with lemon curd, pannacotta vanilla cream dessert using caramel sauce, fresh vegetable salad with orange vinaigrette and chicken and pesto pastry. Such delicious food was prepared at Foodhall in 1 M.G. Road recently by Martha Kohlhagen with Chef Lynn Clemente, from Vivanta by Taj Whitefield. They also shared insights on what goes into preparing a good continental meal.
Martha, from Colorado in the United States, made Bangalore her home six years ago. “I first came to the city with an IT firm,” says Martha. But her interest in food led her to start her own company, Martha’s Preserves, in the city, which offers gourmet preserves, sauces, and desserts.
With continental restaurants mushrooming at every corner of the city and shows like MasterChef becoming increasingly popular, the interest in continental cuisine has been growing.
“There’s a huge market and interest in continental food. It’s a question of how you go about it. Where do you get ingredients? You have to pay attention to and look for what products are available in the market,” says Martha, who launched Martha’s Preserves in December last year.
“I have taken traditional recipes from the US and Europe and blended Indian flavours within them. My most popular products are my pineapple chilli jams, pomegranate orange marmalades, chocolate and pesto sauce. I have introduced French caramel sauce and fig and raisin jam. All of my products are an infusion of flavours of different cuisines.”
All the products of Martha’s Preserves are a 100 per cent natural, with no preservatives. “And it’s good, good food. I don’t compromise on the quality of my products. Each bottle is full of fruit and vegetables” adds Martha.
Gourmet food to her is about using the best ingredients to bring out the best flavours. “There is a difference between eating and really enjoying food. Gourmet food is about enjoying what you eat and saying ‘wow, that’s really good!’ It goes back to the quality and care in making the product.”
Martha speaks of what constitutes continental cuisine, and says depending on how you prepare it, there is something for vegetarians in it too. “It’s primarily preparations of meat and vegetable. If you are a vegetarian, you can expand on the vegetarian part — it’s a good balance of various types of food in one meal. The main course must be as good as the accompaniments and vice-versa. You can stuff the same things in a zucchini as you do in a chicken and it tastes equally good. All my products are vegetarian. But the lemon curd does have egg.”
Martha’s facebook page, Martha’s Preserves, also has recipes, which suggest ways in which you could use her products. You could also visit her website www.marthasfoods.com
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Sravasti Datta / Bangalore – September 01st, 2013
As a first step to address the issue of man-animal conflict, the Karnataka Forest Department has decided to put elephant tracking Global Positioning System (GPS) on four wild jumbos. In fact, an improvised version of the GPS collar developed by the Department of Electronics Study, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) here, would be used.
With this, Karnataka would become the first Indian state to use GPS collars on jumbos, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) G S Prabhu told Express.
The four elephants are from the Bandipur National Park. They have been posing problems in Kodagu and Hassan districts, attacking people and damaging crops. More pachyderms would be collared if the present mission turns a success.
The GPS idea has been employed in Sri Lanka, where 10 elephants were collared. This helped the forest authorities to track their movements and alert villagers much before they entered human habitation, said Prabhu. The GPS is based on a network of satellites using which the location of an object on the ground could be obtained, within a few meters accuracy. So these collars obtain an extremely accurate location for the elephant every four hours, night and day. They then transmit that information (six locations per day) once a day to another satellite that relays it back to the ground. This way, they would give extremely precise data on elephant movements every four hours.
Prabhu said the improvised version of the GPS collars developed by Department of Electronics Study are water-proof, cost effective and have a better battery life. The collars used by the South African forest authorities were not water-proof, but very expensive. Even the battery life was less. The cost of IISc-developed collar is `1.5 lakh and it weighs less than two kg. The collars would be fixed around the neck of elephants after tranquilising them. Once done, the movements of elephants could be monitored on computers, laptops and even on mobile phones.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Shyam Sundar Vattam – Bangalore / August 30th, 2013
‘If the government decided to extend at least 5 per cent of the incentives given to industrial sector to agriculture sector, it would lead to a phenomenal change in farming sector.’
Mangalore :
Arecanut growers belonging to various organisations have come together under a federation to fight for their causes.
Participating in the first meeting of the federation, Ravikirana Punacha, chief coordinator of the Federation of Karnataka-Kerala Arecanut and Coconut Growers’ Associations, said the arecanut growers are affected by various policies of the government and the vagaries of the nature.
In such a situation, the federation will fight for the causes of arecanut growers in Karnataka and Kerala.
The first meeting of the federation here on Wednesday urged the Centre to direct the banks to waive farm loans. Farmers with small land holdings are finding it difficult to repay their loans because of various reasons, Punacha said.
There is also a need for the government to set up an arecanut board to help the farmers, he said.
The arecanut plantations have been witnessing various diseases in the recent past. Naveen Karvane, representing Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha from Sringeri, said the government should implement the report of the Gorakh Singh Committee completely.
The committee, which was constituted by the Centre, had suggested measures such as farm loan waiver in the case of arecanut plantations affected by diseases.
‘UNVIABLE’
Rohitaksha Rai, a farmer leader from Dakshina Kannada district, said that the arecanut cultivation has become unviable for many farmers as the growers have to pay high wages to the manual labour force. The shortage of labour is also adding to their problems.
If the government decided to extend at least 5 per cent of the incentives given to industrial sector to agriculture sector, it would lead to a phenomenal change in farming sector, he said.
M.G. Satyanarayana, vice-president of All-India Arecanut Growers’ Association, said an arecanut grower should be in a position to fix the price for his commodity. It is essential for the growers to think in that direction, he said.
Pradeep Kumar, a farmer from Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, suggested that the farmers should form a cooperative group or company of their own for the collective bargaining while buying inputs and while marketing their produce.
Some of the farmers suggested that they are ready to switch over from arecanut to other crops, provided the government gives them adequate compensation.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Agri-Biz / by The Hindu Bureau vinayak.aj@thehindu.co.in / Mangalore – August 22nd, 2013
The premium variety of mushroom is being grown only in a few countries such as Japan, China and South Korea
Seeds of weather friendly strains are ready for commercial cultivation
Shiitake, the premium variety of mushrooms being grown only in a few countries such as Japan, China and South Korea, is now ready for cultivation in Indian cities, including Bangalore.
The Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) has developed new strains of this mushroom suitable for cultivation in the country.
Known for their medicinal properties, especially anti-cancer use and cholesterol-reduction ability, these varieties are now available at Rs. 1,200 a kg in Bangalore as they are being imported. “It may cost only about Rs. 50 a kg if we grow them here,” says Dr. Meera Pandey, principal scientist, Mushroom Research Laboratory, IIHR.
Dr. Pandey, who spearheaded the efforts to develop the weather-friendly strains of Shiitake, told The Hindu: “We have not only developed protocols for cultivating this variety in the Indian environment, but also produced the seeds for their cultivation. Those interested can buy these seeds from us if they book in advance.”
These varieties are normally grown in a situation where the temperature is below 25 degrees Celsius. Dr. Pandey said they could be cultivated in areas in and around Bangalore without any artificial temperature control from July to January/February when the temperature is normally cool.
She feels that north-eastern states, barring Assam, are highly suitable for cultivating Shiitake in the natural environment. Similarly, the IIHR is also planning to popularise them in Oooty, Coonoor, Chickmagalur, Kodagu and Kodaikanal.
The IIHR mushroom laboratory has also developed a technology to grow these premium mushroom varieties at homes through ‘ready-to-fruit’ bags.
These bags will have mushrooms which are about to sprout and all that you need to do is keep them at a place away from direct sun light and sprinkle water for about a week to 10 days. This will yield about 250 to 400 grams of mushrooms in two batches, Dr. Pandey says.
This can only be done from July to January/February if they are being grown in natural environment in and around Bangalore. While the prices of the ready-to-fruit bags for Shiitake varieties are yet to be fixed, she says it is expected to be in the range of Rs. 20 to 40. Those interested in buying Shiitake ready-to-fruit bags can contact Dr. Pandey on 080-28466420-Extension-347 during office hours (email: meera@IIHR.ernet.in).
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by B. S. Sathish Kumar / Bangalore – August 17th, 2013
At affordable prices, AyurVaid is treating those below the poverty line with its blend of ayurveda and allopathy practices
“Earlier, my impression of ayurveda was that it is full of grandma’s remedies and not scientific” —Rajiv Vasudevan, Founder / Photo. RA Chandroo
Started 2006
Location Bengaluru and Kochi
Initial investment Rs 55 lakh
Social impact Provides quality ayurvedic healthcare to the poor at subsidised rates
***
A frail looking Mini Shaji sits on a bed in the corner of the general ward of AyurVaid’s hospital in Bengaluru. Wearing a brick red nightgown, Shaji’s painfully thin frame looks devoid of all energy, but there is a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Six months back, the 36-year-old Shaji, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, could not move without the help of a walking stick. A friend directed her to the AyurVaid centre at Ramamurthy Nagar. After 10 days of in-patient treatment, Shaji can now walk slowly without a stick. Though still weak, she’s now hopeful that the weight she lost because of her ailment will be regained too. Her doctor, Rashmi Johnson, says she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, swelling and deformity of joints. The doctors at AyurVaid have treated Shaji in the traditional ayurvedic way and she has discontinued her allopathic treatment of two years. The good news is that the pain has gone. Johnson says Shaji will need to repeat this treatment for 15 days every six months till she is cured. “She has started walking but we cannot cure the deformity once it is formed,” she says.
AyurVaid uses traditional methods of ayurveda, which translates into “life-knowledge”, to treat patients at its three hospitals in South India. It’s the first Ayurvedic hospital to get the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) certification, usually given to allopathic hospitals for conforming to prescribed standards of hygiene and operating processes. Interestingly, AyurVaid’s treatment methodology is a blend of ayurveda and allopathy. While it relies on classical ayurveda for treatment, its hospitals also use modern tools such as lab tests and scans, and sometimes refer cases to allopathy doctors, whenever required.
Its founder Rajiv Vasudevan, 50, stumbled onto ayurveda by chance. A BTech in mechanical engineering from NIT Calicut, he began his career with ISRO, before proceeding to do an MBA from IIM Calcutta. Vasudevan worked in the corporate sector briefly before joining the Kerala government as CEO of Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, where he was responsible for the formulation of Kerala’s IT policy. In 2003, Vasudevan was appointed special officer with the Government of Kerala with a mandate to devise a road map for development of biotechnology in the state. This put him in charge of authenticating and validating ayurveda drugs. “Earlier, my impression of ayurveda was that it is full of grandma’s remedies and not scientific,” says Vasudevan, who began to realise the holistic healing potential of this ancient stream of medicine.
Ayurveda has more relevance now than ever before, says Vasudevan, pointing out that the healthcare market today is dominated by acute tertiary and emergency care, with no concept of prevention. At most, there is primary prevention in the form of health check-ups. But, he says, the main requirement is secondary and tertiary prevention. “Say, somebody has the beginning of arthritis or asthma. How do I prevent it from becoming a full blown acute condition? This is where ayurveda can play a role.”
Under the same facilities, the treatment cost at AyurSeva is 60% of what it is at AyurVaid
Taking centrestage
Vasudevan started AyurVaid with Rs 55 lakh, pooled from his own savings, along with friends and family. The first hospital opened in Kochi, in 2006, followed by two more in Bengaluru, one in Mumbai’s Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, and one in Chennai. Dharavi was an attempt to develop an independent ultra low-cost yet viable model that would serve the healthcare needs of bottom-of-the-pyramid patients, but the 18-bed hospital closed in June last year after three years of operation. “The problem was we could not get enough patients because the poor usually go to a doctor only for emergency treatment, which ayurveda does not provide,” says Vasudevan. Its day-care centre in Chennai, too, closed down due to issues faced by its local partner.
Ayurvaid now has three hospitals, two in Bengaluru and one in Kochi, with total 51 beds, 17 doctors, 24 nurses and a patient base of over 35,000. These cover all major specialities including orthopaedics, neurology, dermatology, gynaecology, ophthalmology, auto-immune disorders and gynaecology. Treatment is segmented into two groups — AyurVaid and AyurSeva — both offered in the same facility. While the former is intended for middle and upper-middle class patients, AyurSeva is aimed at being affordable to the poor. “We follow a cross-subsidisation model,” says Vasudevan. An AyurVaid patient pays Rs 300 per consultation, while an AyurSeva patient pays Rs 100. The treatment cost for AyurSeva patients is 60% of what an AyurVaid patient will pay. AyurSeva patients are identified as those with a BPL card, or those who can prove that they can’t afford treatment.
While AyurSeva patients are admitted in the general ward, AyurVaid patients have the option of either opting for a general ward or private rooms. Nursing and doctors charges too are subsidised, although there is no change in method of treatment.
For now, there are more AyurVaid patients walking in, helping offset the hit on margins due to AyurSeva. The average price of treatment for an outpatient is currently about Rs 1,500 per day.
Due to low capital involved, AyurVaid broke even in just three years
Making a case
While lifestyle diseases is commonly associated with those living in urban pockets, Vasudevan believes the poor are equally susceptible to such chronic diseases. “The moment the poor get some money in their hands, that goes into food. They end up having rich oily food from the street, which leads to ‘lifestyle disease’. When they fall ill, they are unable to work, leading to poorer food choices,” he says, adding that this is a vicious cycle and it is important to extend ayurveda treatment to the poor.
Though government-run hospitals have made their presence felt, Vasudevan points to the generally poor conditions in such hospitals as a reason why healthcare needs better models like his. “What is really free is a question in government hospitals. For the money you pay unofficially to people, you don’t get quality treatment. There is no reliability and accountability,” he says.
However, the absence of medical insurance has been a deterrent. Though IRDA formally notified that insurance companies may cover ayurveda care provided in government or NABH accredited ayurveda hospitals, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY), a government-run health insurance scheme for the poor, which provides for cashless insurance for hospitalisation in public and private hospitals, does not include ayurveda treatment. Vasudevan feels that RSBY is critical to help ayurvedic treatments reach the poor, given that over 35 million BPL citizens are already covered under the scheme and the poor will have a very good option to consider for their chronic diseases. “Take sciatica or osteoarthritis for example. Without ayurveda coverage, a person may be compelled to go in for surgery [IVDP surgery or TKR] by an allopathy specialist. Surgery can be obviated in such cases through ayurveda, at a significantly cheaper cost, faster recovery and superior medium to long term outcomes,” he says.
Though challenges abound, for now there seem to be takers for Vasudevan’s business model. Acumen Fund, a non-profit venture philanthropy fund that invests in social enterprises in South Asia and Africa, has invested Rs 6 crore in AyurVaid in phases since 2008. According to Sachindra Rudra, director, Acumen Fund India, the investment was to help the firm expand its cross-subsidy model for treatment of chronic medical conditions using an appropriate integration of ayurveda and allopathy in a patient-centric, quality conscious and process-oriented approach.
As of FY13, revenues were Rs 3 crore, with pharmacy sales accounting for 20-25%, consultation income for 10% and the rest coming from in-patient and out-patient service fees. In the healthcare industry, where break even typically happens in six-seven years, AyurVaid broke even in three years. Vasudevan attributes this to the low capital investments needed in ayurvedic hospitals. In a regular allopathic hospital, each bed costs Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore, while an ayurveda hospital bed costs Rs 3-8 lakh. “We hope to be profitable as a company in four or five months,” adds Vasudevan.
Vasudevan plans to use the hub-and-spoke model to expand — one hospital with in-patient facilities in the city, supported by four day-care hospitals. “We want to start with the Bengaluru cluster and set up four more in-patient hospitals and 12-16 satellite day-care centres,” he says. The idea is to have hospitals everywhere, instead of having one large hospital in one part of the city. Though with 14.2 million people living below the poverty line, Karnataka itself is a huge market, over the next 18-24 months AyurVaid plans to replicate the Bengaluru model across Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and is looking to raise around $5-10 million in a second round of funding.
Yet another opportunity that AyurVaid is looking to tap into is to become a ‘diabetes specialist’ with focus on prevention, reversal and management of diabetes and diabetic complications. “With India emerging as the diabetes capital of the world, with over 70 million diabetics, and many undiagnosed/emerging diabetics, AyurVaid with its root cause management approach has clear advantages to offer,” says Vasudevan. But he will need a proactive government on his side to achieve what he has set out to. Whether that happens or not remains the million-dollar question.
source: http://www.business.outlookindia.com / Outlook Business / Home> Entrepreneurs> Health-Medicine-Fitness / Section: Enterprise / by Shabana Hussain / August 31st, 2013
The largest lung space in Bangalore, covering a sprawling 400 acres, Lalbagh is now home to 1,916 species./ Photo: Murali Kumar K. / The Hindu
Around 25 species of ornamental and fruit-bearing plants will be introduced
New species of ornamental, medicinal, commercial and fruit-bearing trees are to welcome you on your next visit to Lalbagh Botanical Gardens here.
The over 200-year-old garden is to get around 25 new species from the National Botanical Garden, Kolkata.
“We have brought species…that could suit Bangalore’s climate,” deputy director of the gardens J. Gunavanth told presspersons here on Monday. “We are identifying space across the gardens to plant them, as there is a space crunch,” he said.
Among those being introduced are palm varieties such as thatch, gingerbread, cabbage, feather, feather duster, desert fan, Nicobar and ruffled fan palms. Some other plant species are velvet apple, star apple, Hanuman phal, brush cherry, as well as poon, empress, olive bark and locust trees. Most of these species are natives of South America, tropical Asian countries, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Africa.
REPLACEMENT
This comes even as around 50 to 60 species are planned to be replaced. Some of these trees are more than 100 years old. “An old tree fell last week and many others are old,” Mr. Gunavanth added.
DIRECTORY
The largest lung space in Bangalore, covering a sprawling 400 acres, Lalbagh is now home to 1,916 species.
The Horticulture Department plans to come out with a handbook or directory of plants in the gardens for the benefit of visitors. “Endangered species that are over 100 years old will be featured in the handbook,” Horticulture Department Director D.L. Maheswar said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Staff Reporter / Bangalore – August 06th, 2013
A massive crowd turned up at the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens to enjoy the biannual flower show – Photo: V Sreenivasa Murthy / The Hindu
Over 50,000 people thronged Lalbagh on Saturday, resulting in windfall collections
Like butterflies, thousands fluttered into Lalbagh on Saturday for the annual Independence Day flower show. According to official figures, over 50,000 people thronged the venue, resulting in windfall collections at the gate.
The show, which was opened to the public on Wednesday, took wing on Friday with nearly 60,000 footfalls thanks to the public holiday for Ramzan. With one more day to go before this long weekend ends, the Horticulture Department expects the total figure to touch two lakh. “We are expecting one lakh people at the very least on Sunday,” said Deputy Director of Horticulture J. Gunavaantha.
The Ikebana display and the flower-laden houseboat appeared to be the biggest draws. Almost every second visitor could be seen walking out with Ikebana showpieces. George and Christina Butcher from England bought such a large display that they had to carry it together with the taxi driver, who brought them to the venue. “We don’t know how we will take this back with us. But we couldn’t not buy them,” said Mr. Butcher. “I have never seen something so beautiful,” gushed his wife.
TRAUMA OF TRAFFIC
However, the city’s meagre infrastructure once again played the party pooper. The roads leading to Lalbagh were clearly in no shape to bear the extra load. Negotiating traffic on Lalbagh Double Road, J.C. Road and Hosur Road is a tortuous experience even on a normal day. But on Saturday, these roads were practically impenetrable.
The jam on K.H. Road extended all the way to Richmond Circle Flyover. The situation was not too different at Dairy Circle, Lalbagh West Gate and Main Gate junctions as well as the R.V. Road Junction. Special arrangements were made at the multistorey parking lot at the Shanti Nagar KSRTC bus depot as well as the BBMP multistorey parking lot on J.C. Road.
Yet, hundreds could be seen stalling on the road waiting for a parking spot and blocking traffic. Policemen were at their wits end trying to wave these vehicles forward but they stuck to their ground. Commuters arguing with each other and with overworked traffic constables was a common sight throughout the day.
The crowd displayed their lack of civic sense by littering the venue. It was a sad contrast: lily and chrysanthemum blooms on one side; chocolate wrappers, ice-cream sticks and corn cobs on the other.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Staff Reporter / Bangalore – August 11th, 2013
“Agarwood plantations is a profitable crop that can be grown without depending on workers. It can be grown as a main crop or in between other crops. Agarwood has huge demand in the international market and fetches more value than sandalwood,” said Vanadurgi Agarwood company’s technical advisor Dr V Bhaskar.
He was speaking during a meeting of Agarwood planters and a workshop on Agarwood, held at Kundapur Hangalur’s Anantapadmanabha Hall on August 13, 2013 under the joint aegis of the Vanadurgi Agarwood India and Bharatiya Kisan Sangha, Kundapur.
The Agarwood can be easily grown in between the crops of coffee, Betelnut, coconut, cardamom etc. as a mixed crop in malnad or aremalnad regions. Many farmers are interested in the crop and have already started growing it, he said.
The president of Bharatiya Kisan Sangha, B V Poojary inaugurated the programme. Vanadurgi agarwood industries chairman Surendrakumar Hegde, explained the importance of agarwood crop and said that with the participation of planters, the crop of agarwood has come out as a strong force in agriculture and business spheres.
Vanadurgi agarwood company’s technical advisor Srinivas, president of Kundapur land development bank and planter S Dinakar Shetty, agar planter Ramachandra Navada and organic agriculturist Ramachandra Alse were present.
Chief secretary of Bakisam, Venkatesh Hebbar welcomed the gathering. Vanadurgi agarwood company’s Thrimurthi gave a key note address saying that 180 – 200 people have already started agarwood plantations in Udupi and the farmers have responded well.
T P Vijay, conducted the programme. Santosh welcomed the gathering. More information was given with the help of a video projector. The technical officers of the company explained certain details to the questions raised by the planters.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daiji World / Home> Karnataka / by Silvester D’Souza / Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP) / Wednesday, August 14th, 2013
More than a hundred wind chimes, hand picked by a Feng Shui proponent and flown in from Indonesia, on display.
Feng Shui proponent Veena Nanda admires wind chimes at Sunshine Garden Boutique in Indiranagar. – Anantha Subramanyam K/DNA
The ancient Roman and Asian civilisations believed that the melodious tinkling of wind chimes hung in gardens and porticos was auspicious. The Romans trusted wind chimes to ward off evil spirits, while in India, China and Japan, they were hung in every corner of temples, palaces, pagodas and homes as a charm against evil and also to frighten away birds.
“Today, wind chimes are used to maximise the flow of chi, or life’s energy,” says Veena Nanda, a Feng Shui expert who is holding a festival of more than hundred wind chimes flown in from Indonesia.
According to her, wind chimes are one of Feng Shui’s “remedies that cure and energise simultaneously”.
She says: “Wind chime tones have a healing effect on our body. They calm the mind and awaken the spirit. They bring a sense of peace and well being as they subdue the negative energy and activate the positive energy most effectively.”
The best places to hang these chimes, she says, are gardens, house entrances, balconies and meditation or prayer rooms. Besides a bamboo hollow, her chimes have intricate patterns, designs and shapes at the base.
“These days, people don’t want anything that doesn’t add to their home decor. So I took care to pick these ones,” she says.
An enthusiastic gardener, Veena has also been practising the art of bonsai for 30 years. She has been conducting regular workshops on bonsai for 18 years, and has bagged several awards for this. Her fascination with Feng Shui, particularly wind chimes, came from her interest in bonsai, which, she says, is an addiction now.
“I conduct about two workshops every month, and 20- to 65-year-olds come to learn it. Earlier, I hardly had any male students. But now, as gardening is no longer perceived as just a woman’s hobby, every batch have an equal number of men and women,” she says.
This exhibition of wind chimes is being held at her garden boutique in Indiranagar. She has many kinds of garden accessories like sculptures, garden gnomes, bird baths, terracotta toadstools, planters and water features for sale.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by DNA Correspondent / Place: Bangalo
“The government proposes to establish ‘Hasiru Grama’ in every forest division in the State to promote cultivation of exclusive medicinal plants,” said B. Shivanagowda, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF).
He was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on medicinal plants organised by the Village Forest Committee (VFC) at Aranya Bhavan in Ashokapuram here today.
Over 100 growers of medicinal plants, native doctors and VFC members are participating in the programme which features lectures on sustainable storage, value addition, transportation and marketing of medicinal herbs which are on the verge of extinction.
Shivanagowda said that the three VFCs were monitoring the cultivation of medicinal plants grown in 16 villages abutting the forests. He assured that the department would provide all needed support for developing the sector with value addition in every stage.
He proposed to hold a medicinal herbs buyers’ meet to explore direct sale of the herbs to manufacturing units. He said that Shathavari, Makaliberu and Gowri hoovu plants had tremendous potential in the medicine sector.
Speaking on the occasion, APCCF Dr. G.N. Srikantaiah said that the buy back system would be immensely beneficial to the growers.
Chief Conservator of Forests (Bamboo mission) A.C. Keshavamurthy opined that Health Tourism would give a fillip to the growers as herbal medicines have become very popular now.
Chief Conservator of Forests K.B. Markandaiah welcomed. FRLHT senior Programmer Jagannath Rao spoke. DCF D.S. Gaonkar was present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 08th, 2013
