Sustainability is something we all talk about, but little is actually done to achieve it on a large scale. Many of us fail to leave the whims and fancies of the city life and go one to justify our arguments of a sustainable lifestyle. A peculiar case is of Vivek and Juli Cariappa who took the risk to leave the concrete jungles for the wildernesses, about thirty years ago. They decided to connect with Mother Nature and create a life that is self-sustaining.
How did it all start?
They met on a bus. She was 20, and he was 21. She had a dream, and he followed her.
Even though this sounds like a clichéd Bollywood drama, this is the real story of Vivek and Juli Cariappa. Juli always wanted to be a farmer. She believed that the earth was not given the respect it deserved and wanted to change it for good.
With loose dreams supplemented by a strong desire and conviction, the two set out on a journey to eliminate the use of chemicals- in anything and everything, in 1986. The two started off with 14 acres of land in Halasnur Village, Birwal about 50kms from Mysore. They did not know a lot about farming, but their will got them through.
Soon, they established Krac-a-Dawna Organic farming, which today supplies a variety of products and is in active collaboration with Orange County.
Krac-a-Dawna
Any species on this planet thrives on their ability to survive and for a human, a monetary return is the primary method of existence. With all the possible risks taken, and dreams lived, Vivek and Juli used their wild ideas effectively in helping themselves survive as a farming family.
Krac-a-Dawna provides one with everything and anything that is required to live a simple, yet sophisticatedly organic lifestyles. From vegetables, flour, fruits, jellies and jam to soaps and even clothes – Krac-a-Dawna has them all.
With over 30-acres of land, Vivek and Juli seasonally employ six more people for farm work. Their sons, Kabir and Azad also help in the farm work and work to integrate eco-friendly technological methods in improving sustainability.
Read More: India Has A Building Which Produces More Energy Than It Consumes: A Net Zero Energy Building
Their Family And Their Lifestyle
Their day starts at five in the morning. With two meals a day and long working hours on the 30-acre farmland, the family enjoys what it does. Vivek and Juli find it immensely satisfying that what the love, also helps in making them economically viable.
As for their children, Kabir and Azad have never attended the conventional educational system. The two have been home-schooled by their parents and share a relationship that according to Julie would not have been possible is the fast city life. They have been left free to dream, but Kabir and Azad meticulously strive in growing Krac-a-Dawan.
It is beautiful to note how peaceful a simple and self-sustaining lifestyle is. The beauty of nature and the miracles it has to offer, seem to be losing their meaning in this widely commercialized world. Vivek and Juli are probably among the few who have attempted to make the world adjust to their dreams. Their experimental ways have a lot to offer us, and being different in their approach has worked a great deal for them.
For all that can be learned from Vivek and Juli is that not everything can be achieved through exploitation, sometimes the will to nurture is far more benefiting, in the long run.
Image Credits: Google Images
You May Also Like:
http://edtimes.in/2017/05/organic-vs-natural-is-there-a-difference/
