Coffee grows in Bangalore too!

 Coffee grows in Bangalore too!

The coffee bush is flowering in Hoskote

When I was a little girl and we came down to Bangalore on holiday from New Delhi, the garden was my haven to unearth lots of Natures treasures. And to manure the garden, Grandpa had a pit on the side of the garden which was hidden from plain sight by four coffee bushes. We have always imagined that coffee grew only in the cold climates of Ooty and the Nilgiri hills. Grandpa proved them wrong! As I grew and came to Hayes road to visit my grandparents, the coffee bushes flowered and fruited and Nanna put the picked berries out in the sun till they dried bone dry. Then she sent the help to the Shoolay grinding mills and they brought home aromatic coffee powder -- organic and home made.

Coffee bush loaded with coffee berries

So when my Grandfathers bungalow was demolished to make way for apartments, as the land was to be shared by us siblings, I was asked to take whatever plants I could to save and plant in my farm in Hoskote. All the bushes in the garden were going and I was foolish to ask for just one coffee bush and ofcourse the crotons which grew in the driveway which I watched Dad air layer and gift his friends.

 Flowering in Hoskote today!

I did not really check on where the bush was planted in Hoskote, and through sheer luck it was put in the shade of large Jamun and Jackfruit trees. It was also planted slap bang in the run off of rain  and so the area was always naturally manured with the tree leaves mulching with the soil around. I did not pay too much attention till we began to teach sustainable living classes in the farm. Then we happened to be around the bush when it was flowering.

The berries were made into coffee for himself by the caretaker

After 20 years we threw the greedy caretaker out as to our great shock he was building himself a two story house over the room we had built for him! Humans can never be satisfied with what they have, there is always the greed for more. Over the years he would harvest the coffee and get his 6 months supply off the tree, not giving us any and saying the birds ate up the berries.

The perfume of the flowers pervades the whole area

Its not yet a year since we threw him and his family out and the quantum of fruit we are harvesting from the farm is mind boggling! Huge quantities of chickoos and Jackfruit, Starfruit and Mangoes. We have never see so much fruit in our lives. Then I saw the coffee bush which had burst into blooms after one solid shower. The flowers were everywhere and they smelt divine. We stood entranced thinking of Grandpa whose tree it originally was, Dad who nurtured it during his life time and finally now ONE tree which we hope to enjoy the coffee from. The tree is such a strong connection between the generations and I'm so glad to have a live, breathing relic from Hayes in Hoskote connecting the generations through nature.

 

Fixing the water pipes in Pilerne, Goa

 

We just decided to drive down to Goa. I like being in the old house cause its an all embracing house, with the feel of our ancestors all around. Plus when we are in Goa, we are on the spot handling repairs. This time was no different. We had driven down and after a quick hot meal at Sawant Cafe in Pilerne, Marra we went to bed earlier than normal. Next morning I was woken by the Golden Orioles calling in the teak trees outside my window. 

Making a hot cup of coffee with supplies that I carry from Bangalore, I sat on the old bench which I dragged into the verandah, to watch the birds and sip my coffee. Thankfully the screaming Bihari servants in the next house do not wake early and I was able to enjoy a quiet hour watching the huge teak leaves plop in the open plot next to me and see the Oriental Magpie and Flower peckers set up a chorus in the trees.

While opening out the windows to let in the fresh air in the hall I noticed a tall plume of water -- taller than the house flying up into the air. It shocked me to my core and quickly waking Greg asked what to do? Too early for the plumber -- go shut off the inlet tap he said most logically. The sight had stopped my brain from working and I went to the meter and immediately shut off the inlet tap.

Finding my trusty phone I called Praveen the plumber who said he'd come before he went to work. No one pushes anyone urgently in Goa. Each one is susegaad and works at his own pace! As I was getting breakfast organised, Praveen arrived and went out to check what had to be done. Luckily the pressure was still high and he immediately explained what he would do. 

"In my lunch break I'll buy the pipes and solution and after work this is an hours job,"he said. Praveen also does our electrical work and its such a pleasure working with an honest and skilled man unlike the gougers we have in Bangalore. 

Praveen working quietly in the shade of Grandpas Adao tree.

"These are really very old pipes," he said, "probably from your grandfathers time."

"Rubbish," I said, "these were new put in by my Dad when he renovated the house."

"No Madam!" he said, "Look at the thickness of the metal pipe. By your Dads time plastic was being used."

"Ok so how much are you going to open up? I asked"my heart plummeting to my toes thinking of a fat bill.  "Do it properly so there are no later problems I said."

The pipe had burst in one section

"I'll open the soil and lets check how much I have to replace," he said. Again my heart sank  as the pipe ran under the concrete path leading to the house. In the monsoons we cannot enter the house without that path we had laid down.

Digging began and no signs of the hole for quite a distance. Finally he found it and carried on digging. The pipe had corroded as everything in Goa does and he said he had to cut it, before he could add the new plastic pipes. Neatly and efficiently with the minimum of tools he cut the pipe and replaced it with joints and a new length of pipe. 

The joint was from the mains to the pipe below

"Leave  the mains off let it dry well ,"said Praveen and we did. Letting it literally cook dry in the boiling mid-day sun.

I think God is not only an all seeing God he also is wise and had this happen when I was in the house. By the time the caretaker comes its noonish and the pressure would definitely have gone down.

Give me the strength to carry on looking after the house which Dad entrusted me with I ask God as yet another issue has been solved on our visit..

Alaina has been blessed.

 

 Dad Andrew sang his natural seconds towards the end.

Sometimes when you least expect it our babies bring us unexpected joy. Alaina has always sung right from her baby years. Infact its such a joy to sit in the car with the kids and go on any trip as the whole journey is filled with their song. No la la and humming for them.   Their Mum has taught them to listen and learn the words as well. No baby stuff, -- sing full throated with the singer and sing knowing the words.

Therefore it really wasn't that surprising for me to hear that she had been asked just before her state swim meet -- yes shes a state swimmer too like her Dad! So! she was asked by her coaches to sing their National Anthem. What an honour but not so for Alaina who takes lead roles in her private school musicals.

  

Mum Annika was told to take the video from the other side of the pool

 So just before her State swim meet, she stood up infront and sang along with her little 6 year old brother. Alaina is an alto and not a soprano and there is a note at the end which she cannot really do justice to. So, in typical big sister manner, she called in little brother who has a pure soprano voice still to take that top note!

It was adorable! And the whole stadium as you can see erupted with applause at the end.  Needless to say her parents were proud and over joyed. For me my heart is full as I went to look after her for 6 months when she was born a 7 month old premie  in freezing cold Omaha, Nebraska. Whatever she does brings so much joy to me.

I just feel so sad Dad and Mum and Uncle Si  are not here to see the Furtado singing gene is being carried on. God bless her and may she always bring all of us continued joy in all she does.

Adopted trees hold my curse!

 

Sadly damaged by a miscreant who now holds my curse

We decided to adopt around 24 trees on the road planted by the BBMP with school kids. They were young but the forest department had waited, nurturing them to a decent age before planting them on the road during the rains. Every tree had a name and the school the child attended. A praiseworthy scheme which the BBMP had pursued to try and bring tree cover back to Bangalore.

 The mature flowering tree on Richmond Road 

Its been two years since we began looking after it because we know how beautiful the road with turn once the tree matures. But knowing that we do have people who are jealous and nasty I placed a curse on the tree that whoever touched or damaged either of them will languish with a string of bad luck. 

Planting in the farm

The trees we have put down in the farm are safe and are growing well. Infact the 10 year old ones are full of flowers and bring a lot of joy to the whole village. Knowing that its just a little effort on our parts to encourage these trees to grow it is sad that one tree has been so brutally damamged.

But I do know my curse goes to the person who has damaged it. does not take much to plant, but it also takes minutes to destroy. May my curse damage profoundly the person who committed this senseless act. And may the curse follow him where ever he goes.

Church of Our Lady de Penha de Franca

 

We were going for a family wedding and it was my first visit to Church of Our Lady de Penha de Franca in Britonia, Goa. Goa's churches are outstandingly beautiful, with some to rival any in Europe and this is one of them.

The Church of Our lady of Penha de França is one of the most extraordinarily sited churches in Goa. It is visible from far away and hence one of the most noted by all visitors to the territory. Located along the bank of Mandovi river, the church was first constructed in the 1626 and reconstructed in 1655 after the church suffered damage; it is now a national monument.

 Popularly used for conducting marriage ceremonies and other religious events the historic church also offers an impressive view from the riverside. I did not realise its position till we walked out of the service to the wide expanse of the sea to one side.

A yacht slid by as we stood watching the waves gently slap against the walls surrounding the church.  A gentle breeze lifted my hair and the light teal blue dress I wore as my eyes looked out to sea. All around guests to the wedding were snapping selfies as they stood on the steep laterite steps.

The inside of the church has been maintained and thankfully not modernised. We sat next to a beautiful side altar with St Francis Xaviers statue prominently in it. Carved in wood it showcased the skills of the artisans who built these churches.

I remember the pulpit in St Patrick's Church in Bangalore as a child. It was similarly carved like the picture above and sadly don't know what the authorities have done with it. By the time I attended church as a child,  the priest stood at the altar and preached and not in the pulpit.

Just look at that breathtaking side of the building where probably all the priests live. The water body is filled with pink water lillies and we all just stood gaping at the calm scene. So many guests had arrived from Bangalore and stood taking in the beauty of the entire church.

 

But the most beautiful part of the entire church is the altar. Its outstanding with its gold patina and elegant finish, it kept us riveted through the service.

Go visit the church if you are holidaying in Goa. Spend a few quiet hours there and I'm sure you will come back refreshed and happy just being in the presence of God.

 

12k walk about the churches of the cantonment

 

We all assembled and started from Garuda mall. Sunil Pichamuthu who had been our son Davids classmate and who lives off Hayes rd was the curator of the walk. "We will walk around the cantonment area and I will share whatever history I have of the churches."Said Sunil. Around 12 years ago when I was with the Deccan Herald, I ran a column called “Back & Forth” in which I wrote covering most the heritage buildings in the Central Business District (CBD) of Bangalore, which dated to the colonial era

The first heritage church we walked down to was the Tamil Wesley Church in Ashok Nagar. When I wrote about it it was still the old heritage structure, but now the old church has been replaced with a swanky new building, reflecting the new status of its congregation. In the old days according to history, it was a poorer church, where the drivers and servants of the British sahibs who attended an Anglican service in St Mark's Cathedral, were sent to.

The second church was the Mar Thoma Syrian Church on Primrose road. In AD52, It is traditionally believed that St. Thomas, the disciple of Jesus Christ visited India and established seven churches on the Malabar Coast.

The third church was the ​Holy Trinity Church which is a Protestant church, located at Trinity circle. This is at the east end of the MG Road and was once visited by distinguished personalities like Lord Cornwallis and Winston Churchill. It was established in 1852 and has a great military history attached to it.

Walking down to Ulsoor we reached the fourth church– The Wesleyan Centenary Kannada Devalaya built in 1913 on Bazaar street, Ulsoor. The stone building was painted a beautiful blue grey with white and brick red embellishments and seemed to be newly renovated.

  We walked down to our fifth church which was the beautiful Saint Andrews Church built in the famed Gothic architectural style. According to the church website, it was completed and opened for service on 18 November 1866. The cost of construction (including the land) was Sterling Pounds 4,500 (INR 45,000), the cost covered by private subscriptions and government grant.

St Paul's Church was the sixth church we visited and is located in Shivaji Nagar. It is located in the corner of Old Poor House Road, and Bowring Hospital Road, next to the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, Bangalore Cantonment. St. Paul's has the distinction of being the very first Tamil Anglican Church in the erstwhile Mysore State.

St. Mary's Basilica, a Roman Catholic church, was the seventh and last church that we visited on  M F Noronha Road, Shivaji Nagar It is among the oldest churches at Bangalore and the first church in the state that has been elevated to the status of a minor basilica.The design of the majestic Gothic-style church is credited to Rev L E Kleiner. It was consecrated on 8 September 1882.

I remember my Dad calling it the 1 anna church built during the terrible plague in Bangalore, where thousands died. The church was built with 1 annas collected he said. The total amount spent on the construction of the new church. including the pulpit and the statues, was Rs. 29,659, a laughable amount in today's expensive world.

At the end of the walk which really was 12k we decided to take an auto home as trudging home from Shivajinagar was not an option!

Its a labour of love

 

Our beauty --Freshly painted for Christmas

Every other month we drive down to Goa to look after Dads beloved house in Pilerne. He gave me the HUGE door key just before he died and made me promise to look after it. As a child I held his hand walking to the springs to get drinking water in his big plastic containers and my fingers encountered the huge front door key that he carried. Then the key worked in the quaint lock, but over the years he fitted a latch and lock to make the house more secure. I always wanted that key and Dad said you cannot get it unless you look after the house. I was around 12 and since then his words ring in my ears, as I now hold that prized key and its my job to do what he did for the house.

Carpenters fixing the huge doors 

Every time we go we tackle another issue. This time we brought in carpenters to loosen and straighten the big inner doors which secure every window in the house. Luckily after sending on pest control some years ago our job of replacement is whatever was chewed before the pest control kicked in.  Now its less stressful with termites chewing through all in their path.

Painting is needed every two years

The inner rooms and the exterior get done every two years. Using chunna I find keeps the insects at a minimum  and is affordable for such a big place. Anyway Goa's monsoons are very destructive and the house needs scraping off the moss and fungus before repainting. I am avoiding fixing modern windows in the dining room as these swinging in the hole, hingeless ones are very effective.

Thats all thats left of the toilet roof. by the damn termites

Tiles and rafters had to be ordered to repair both toilet roofs and the kitchen. Wood is expensive but then wed have no roof if it was not done now in the dry season. Tiles are not cheap and forget about the rafters. The bill rockets but we grit our teeth and do it. Best part -- the house pays for its upkeep thankfully avoiding my having to beg my siblings. Wise decisions by parents have helped me and my husband work on the house unfettered.

Painting the dining room

Its a nice fresh smell that assails our nostrils as we watch the men assiduously paint. Not living in the house as they paint is a great advantage as before we were breathing in all the scraping and paint smells besides the termite guard ofcourse.

 Piles of tiles to replace the broken ones

We also chopped off branches which hung over the house and smashed the roof every time the mangoes appeared in the neighbour's tree. Two years ago we had chopped them and they seem to grow back faster than ever. This time mangoes smashed 105 tiles and don't ask what it did to the roof. Asking the cousin is a waste of time, so we pay a slim man who shins up the tree with a really sharp machete and chops off the branches. All before the cousin whose tree it is gets wind of it from his servants. Then I get a stern phone call which I don't care about as the branches are already in a heap on the ground. How that tree harassed my poor father. No harrasment for me, just spend and get the job done. The caretaker is pleased -- less work for him!

We walk away with paint smells following us to the car. While the golden black capped Oriole calls from the teak trees and I'm sure Dad  & Grandpa are happy