Witness the picture from my garden of some pots with miserable looking plants in them. I take great pride in Gardening as one of my principle hobbies and claim good amount of expertise having been at it for more that 3 decades.
In the month of January this year in a famous annual Flower Showin town there was a stall on Organic Farming. More curios than being impressed , from them I acqiured a kit consisting of 20 pots with growing medium, 2 small vials of biologicals and insecticide and a plastic basin with a vermicultuer setup, a small trowel, and a spray pump. I was asked to choose from a list of saplings which were mostly exotic with tomato,baingan and bhindi.The cost of the kit was Rs. 6000/-
The paraphernelia duly arrived after a month and a half having paid half the charges as advance. The saplings were duly planted. Not many of the exotics as ordered were available. I was explained the procedure of looking after various aspects of 'farming'. Incidentally the trowel handle broke off during the operation.(I suspect it was made in China)
Within next fortnight all the plants were burnt by the sun, although the site for the 'farm' was chosen by the organizers. It took another 3-4 weeks before the plants were replaced, this time with still less exotica. Later, I asked for more saplings and some seeds. This I had asked for 20 more saplings to be planted according to my knowledge and were provide at a cost of Rs 300/- and a fee of 300/- was charged as maintenance ! Unfortunately while the saplings were planted I was away on the Golf course losing to my opponets.
The pots are a witness to my experiment with organic farming. The vermiculture never set off. The yield from the 'farm' so far has been 2 baingans and 3 bhindies. I am not joking.
Now I realise how a batsman gets out with a DUSRA when his guard is down and not necessarily by the diktat of a 'fixer'
In my case this experience has been a case of what I have lablled "Gullible's Troubles". All along I thought my wife was a chronic case. But then as in many infections when your immunity is low you get infected!
