tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32648551952495340842024-02-19T14:09:00.551+05:30Maitri FarmsMaitri Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265720797308488460noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264855195249534084.post-8909741797471035972016-01-01T18:27:00.003+05:302016-01-02T14:17:40.862+05:30The Kids LOVED it !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had been hatching the plot for quite some time ... finally got down to organising a kids camp. And they LOVED it :)<br />
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We kept the numbers manageably small. It was a 3 day - 2 night affair, with a trip to the beach thrown in. The feel of a real working farm with farm animals, plenty open spaces, sunshine, blue skies, fresh air, red earth and crystal water proved to be a hit.<br />
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The activities ranged from high octane stuff like exploring the farm, grazing the goats, tree plantation, and the beach visit<br />
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to relatively somber - setting up the tents, feeding the animals, camp fire, making a greeting card and bullock cart ride.<br />
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The funniest, was the fishing ... the kids were all excited yet it required of them to stay calm ... the longest period of silence they could manage was 30 seconds, and all their talk was in high decibel whispers :)<br />
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One of the aims of the camp was to make the kids a bit more independent. So in addition to adjusting to a new environment, we encouraged them to wash their own plates, change clothes on their own, fold their own bedding. We also wove in a short interaction on wise food choices. And the importance of avoiding new fangled chemical products ... in fact it worked so well, that couple of kids later raised objections on seeing a participant's mosquito repellent cream and sunscreen lotion!<br />
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There was the high energy mischievous kid who was also the most helpful with errands, the soft spoken petit girl who enjoyed everything, the tomboy, and so on. Looking back, we realise we learnt from every kid - their positivity, their creativity, their unconstrained thinking and behaviour.<br />
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Waiting for our next camp ...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12140442882299594682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264855195249534084.post-3688068701379759612015-11-06T19:20:00.001+05:302015-11-14T21:50:01.762+05:30Monsoon Updates<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just a few months ago, I blogged about the amazing summer. I was sorry to see it end, even as I looked forward to the productive monsoon season.<br />
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What was new and exciting this monsoon for me was our farmhand and his tarzan-esque skills. It meant loads of wild crafted crabs, mushroom and fish. Wild crafted foods (foods sourced from the wild without any human effort other than harvest) are probably the biggest joy for a sustainable-living-enthusiast.<br />
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Monsoon means plenty tree plantation, turmeric, paddy, and a mad dash to protect infrastructure from the incessant rains. So this monsoon we did the usual - prepared pits and planted tree saplings - hundreds of mangoes, cashews and nearly a hundred coconut! This should be our last year of massive plantation as we have covered most of our ground (next year we might have shade-loving intercrop trees ... lets see).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU7aF_zcXnGjp2LePpDLRycjjCplj0LPYQe-q7JD0LEReZMy3sVU5wT2JAqwemcb6yN8jFGRWcFc9Ds1FzEf6Xu831ZAkMV0nHUdgNWBQxqAeOh7l4XbZXroyWSHZmIl-ppWuZ_mY_YoB/s1600/IMG-20151106-WA0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU7aF_zcXnGjp2LePpDLRycjjCplj0LPYQe-q7JD0LEReZMy3sVU5wT2JAqwemcb6yN8jFGRWcFc9Ds1FzEf6Xu831ZAkMV0nHUdgNWBQxqAeOh7l4XbZXroyWSHZmIl-ppWuZ_mY_YoB/s320/IMG-20151106-WA0008.jpg" width="320" /></a>Then we tried some Indrayani rice. We chose a short variety of paddy as it is less susceptible to damage by wild boar. Though we did not have boar issues with the rice this year, it was another year of serious learning ... we did not manage the borders of the fields well and hence without standing water, we got a lot of grass in the paddy field. It has impacted yields ... but has taught us a valuable lesson.<br />
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The entire process of paddy - from preparing the fields to sowing, transplanting, harvesting, threshing, and milling - is pretty knowledge-intensive ... rather experience-intensive. The local farmers are a treasure trove.<br />
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We continue to struggle with vegetables. Cattle got to our cowpeas and moong and bhindi and gawar which we planted late summer / early monsoon. And then we were just too busy with the tree plantation and paddy and turmeric.<br />
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Our experience from turmeric last year was so good that we decided to double our turmeric this year. The results so far look promising :) This will be ready for harvest in Feb.<br />
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Maitri Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265720797308488460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264855195249534084.post-90656127774995109772015-06-25T23:36:00.000+05:302015-06-25T23:36:30.916+05:30Bountiful Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had read plenty of Konkan's bountiful summers, and experienced them sporadically as well ... but my long stays on the farm this summer took me to a different level. And I am only talking about wild crafted stuff (raan mewa) ... not cultivated!<br />
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It started in late Feb with my tribal farmhand starting to use green <i>Karvanda </i>(sci name : Carissa carandas) to make wonderful chutneys with dry copra and chilli. (Note the use of dry copra as the poor guys don't have access to fresh coconut). Then the karvanda found its way into yummy curries of dry fish (dry mandeli / dry lepa) ... here the karvanda was cooked and yet retained its tangy punch.<br />
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Shortly after, started the green mangoes. Chutneys again, then the dals. The farmhands pickled some as well.<br />
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In parallel started the green cashews ... cashew curries fit for kings! It was amusing to see such a rich diet in the midst of such a minimalist environment.<br />
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<i>Kokum </i>(sci name : Garcinia indica)<i> </i>made its appearance then. Shubhra (better half) was kind enough to indulge me with my requests for all sorts of food processing for Kokum. So after a few weeks of activity, we had Kokum sherbet, <i>Amsul</i>, and plenty candied kokum peels for the kids. We did not manage to make use of the seeds, next year will hopefully get some Kokum butter. Kokum is nearly as versatile as coconut ... every part is useful.<br />
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By this time, cashew had started maturing so often the evening tipple was accompanied by home roasted nuts (yummy, albeit not pretty). Even the Karvanda were ripe and plentiful ... nothing beats a mouthful of ripe sweet karvanda ... especially when you are slogging away on the hillside and meal time is still an hour away.<br />
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In late May, when I thought we had reached the end, mangoes started ripening. The wild variety - small, intensely sweet, intensely flavourful. Soon, we found ourselves craving for them after every meal :)<br />
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Also late in the season, my farmhand showed me how the wild <i>Jamuns </i>(sci name : Syzygium cumini) which I had totally ignored so far) taste really nice when really ripe ... meaning when they fall off from the tree or sometimes after softening them in the hot sun. As with Karvanda, the trick here is to get a mouthful ... picking on singles is just not it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After having dreaded the summer all these years, I am now waiting for summer of 2016 :)</span><br />
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Maitri Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265720797308488460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264855195249534084.post-35879863683267111492015-04-14T18:33:00.003+05:302015-04-14T18:34:38.727+05:30We've hit GOLD!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrwJBXRhY4KOv6JcHOSTgNOaV5I5wBYgA4HarsGlc23C3iuR5wFF3Aa05vzEpTw4ELoC_K8sdreX8rUijdgXDZpbtkfzc-I1RWVJEVbZTDJ7EDUTsJTosFGsQ761VNYkcb_09jsoa0Qnm/s1600/IMG_20150414_174909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrwJBXRhY4KOv6JcHOSTgNOaV5I5wBYgA4HarsGlc23C3iuR5wFF3Aa05vzEpTw4ELoC_K8sdreX8rUijdgXDZpbtkfzc-I1RWVJEVbZTDJ7EDUTsJTosFGsQ761VNYkcb_09jsoa0Qnm/s1600/IMG_20150414_174909.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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Allow me to explain the euphoric title :)<br />
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This month we harvested our first season of turmeric. We harvested 400kg wet rhizome from 4 gunthas (4000 sq feet). We are still in the process of building our soil and haven't seen encouraging growth so far ... we hadn't harvested any crop over 100kg so far ... so you can imagine our sense of achievement with this :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yP-iDGcwfJPro6AGu9Oer8gLXP2_SNU_HVG_L5WcJHB3Qn9J27iYOJweacjLE691ziipJQl-2z35Df-Aj8U6hXHGyAjMGgSayN76vkgKBiCHs45pgfrDd_CQADUfF33p6oraRd7gLjCk/s1600/Turmeric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yP-iDGcwfJPro6AGu9Oer8gLXP2_SNU_HVG_L5WcJHB3Qn9J27iYOJweacjLE691ziipJQl-2z35Df-Aj8U6hXHGyAjMGgSayN76vkgKBiCHs45pgfrDd_CQADUfF33p6oraRd7gLjCk/s1600/Turmeric.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a>We had planted about 50kg of seed. Part of it was planted on ridges while part of it was on flat ground. Rows were 18" apart and we planted at 9" spacing within the row. We had applied cowdung, though we had not been able to mulch it.<br />
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Stopped watering in mid-Jan. By mid-Feb it was ready for harvest.<br />
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Things we missed (and learnt) this year<br />
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<ul>
<li>Timing of sowing needs to be right - preferably before the rains start. We should have planted it late May ... instead we planted it in mid July. </li>
<li>We knew we had to do earthing up, but other plantation priorities meant we couldn't devote time to it. It resulted in lesser rhizomes growth.</li>
<li>We still need to learn - more labour efficient ways to weed, harvest, post-process.</li>
</ul>
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By conventional chemical farming standards, we should have harvested more than twice this amount! Experience is a good teacher. And we also hope our soil building progresses further.<br />
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What next ... Turmeric powder for the kitchen and the first aid kit (not only disinfectant but also great anti-inflammatory), and turmeric pickle ... yumm. Turmeric is a warming spice and so the pickle will be great for the monsoons and winter.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Inspired by Sourabh Phadke, we decided to build a mud and
stone structure for our residence. We decided to start small and hired a local
labour contractor to build a 2 room structure. We used laterite stone from a
quarry nearby and local mud, with mangalore tiles on wood for a roof.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrH6ZCMRBqRuXbO-NwGPRqWHbQKqCLXluGIzixZ7L-72O6VnIZtCFQ4Jz-9busU6TbUm48ZstzD7U02GaTGybpJ8NM7jipZIcWkfTSdLg5GJWQhHB0egYA-D-f5DXVXDrZQDGzlYQJfq9/s1600/DSCF2363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrH6ZCMRBqRuXbO-NwGPRqWHbQKqCLXluGIzixZ7L-72O6VnIZtCFQ4Jz-9busU6TbUm48ZstzD7U02GaTGybpJ8NM7jipZIcWkfTSdLg5GJWQhHB0egYA-D-f5DXVXDrZQDGzlYQJfq9/s1600/DSCF2363.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With that in place, the logical next step was to experiment
with natural alternatives for internal finishes as well as the furniture. The
option was to again hire the labour contractor … or start taking baby steps
ourselves. We decided to set a date, throw in a few tools, a few friends, and
loads of experimentation!</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The plan was to build a bed, a cupboard, a table and a
window sitout. Basic building blocks … laterite stone blocks, bricks, kadappa
slabs and mud mortar. We lost time to delays, plus I had underestimated the
building and learning process … we ended up with only a partly built cupboard
and a partly built window sitout. But the learning was outstanding! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEpZWnwRj91klL0B06Tun2b1o5ycfBViONR6-WQdvpulYpifGj5lAxZOIaLcomsaSJbAhPosgAq75EHqpj4bLXy3WR4OX3U4QyfFBPxuQ_WIoEKD8NAHMufyyKmjXldJ2NXEnCua7s38k/s1600/DSCF2382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEpZWnwRj91klL0B06Tun2b1o5ycfBViONR6-WQdvpulYpifGj5lAxZOIaLcomsaSJbAhPosgAq75EHqpj4bLXy3WR4OX3U4QyfFBPxuQ_WIoEKD8NAHMufyyKmjXldJ2NXEnCua7s38k/s1600/DSCF2382.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOSbrKTYv-iPkDpPppPauKoEjRVrYYqFGWZzoALlMhoxfnLdhYfT3j-s4IOZrg5MMzSwIEHm6dOeI8tUN-4TsCmQbSGpGq0zC_MKpduuqvfXHrXaWSLBihdL53eucGAugcQHXZ1G60hXv/s1600/DSCF2413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOSbrKTYv-iPkDpPppPauKoEjRVrYYqFGWZzoALlMhoxfnLdhYfT3j-s4IOZrg5MMzSwIEHm6dOeI8tUN-4TsCmQbSGpGq0zC_MKpduuqvfXHrXaWSLBihdL53eucGAugcQHXZ1G60hXv/s1600/DSCF2413.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We learnt how to prepare mud mortar (we truly appreciated
the versatility of lateritic soil for building purposes), we learnt masonry
basics - plumb, line, role of mortar, etc, we learnt how to cut kadappa with a
power tool.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And we had fun :) On the job, as well as off it. Be it
splashing mud on each other, going for early morning birding walks, or musical
evenings!</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And we walked away with the confidence to pull off more of
this. Coming up next … more such furniture, mud plastering of internal walls,
flooring, outdoor tank.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RC9A5MguDLEgVV06g3QM72sLhuHUTE4cEykQASMohZYoFe3ffxl9foZr1dL97-mrZIv7CJCXBme3DkNWurxZagyVHiPo8sO8qpQqU7M3KD7uiiQ8tC-DPrYok4xHO-BsX8FmEVUpzLZ-/s1600/DSCF2418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RC9A5MguDLEgVV06g3QM72sLhuHUTE4cEykQASMohZYoFe3ffxl9foZr1dL97-mrZIv7CJCXBme3DkNWurxZagyVHiPo8sO8qpQqU7M3KD7uiiQ8tC-DPrYok4xHO-BsX8FmEVUpzLZ-/s1600/DSCF2418.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Participants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Anand Manjrekar … Interior Designer, perfectionist, music
aficionado.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Kalpana Dumale … Ex banker, kids’ favorite, birding
enthusiast</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Milind Ghadigaonkar … maverick biker, musician (Ukulele),
Jazz singer, generally happy soul.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Dev (9yrs) and Vaidehi (8yrs) … revelling in the generous
attention of the participants and generally having a good time</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Shubhra … administrator par excellence, Miss-reality-check</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mangesh … our tribal farmhand and ‘expert’ adviser</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Shreesh Ponkshe (Yours truly) … the ever ready student.</span></div>
</div>
Maitri Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265720797308488460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3264855195249534084.post-33548235839617227242013-10-02T11:31:00.003+05:302013-10-02T11:34:45.340+05:30Creating a new world! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7754">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are a small group of friends who came together with a common dream to create a habitat which supports sustainable and natural living. With this dream in mind, by 2012, we acquired about 20 acres of land which was a combination of natural forest and farmland. </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7747">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7748">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maitri is located in village Chandore, taluka Mangaon of district Raigad in Maharashtra. It is off the road connecting Mangaon to Dive Agar/Harihareshwar/Shrivardhan. </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7750">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7751">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is in north Konkan. </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7752">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7771">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maitri is home.</span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7772">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maitri feeds our body, mind, and soul.</span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7773">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maitri is a <i>katta</i> for like minded people.</span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7774">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maitri is an enabler for greater possibilities.</span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At Maitri, </span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We respect Earth and People.</span></div>
<div class="yiv9850072388MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1380690469314_7777">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have time on our side.</span></div>
</div>
Maitri Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17265720797308488460noreply@blogger.com1