Sunday 31 May 2015

The Perfect Rake


Tall, lean, good-looking,  and super efficient.......
 
I am not talking about Rhett Butler in 'Gone with the Wind' here, just a lowly, common Garden rake.
The one with which you can rake piles of leaves with just a flick of the wrist!
I had been searching for one since a long time...

We had been returning from one of our equipment installations in Calicut.  Calicut (now Kozhikode) being my birth-place holds many wonderful memories for me.  My grandfather’s lush green paddy fields, the heavenly aroma of Chakkavarti ( a jackfruit preserve) made so lovingly by my grandmother over a wood-fire and the languid summer holidays that we spent there. So is it any wonder that I try to prolong our visits to this place? 
Hubby accepts my quirks, but once we are on the road, he is loathe to stop. 
 
 We were driving thru small towns with huge names. Try pronouncing Karimbanappalam, Payyambalam, Thaliparamba,Pulimparamba, Muzhappilangad and Cheruthazham  in one breath. That all the signboards are in Malayalam don’t help either. And typical of NH 17, the towns are all clustered around the highway.  It was slow progress and I was enjoying the sights of the little shops laden with tapioca, coconuts and the Nendra-bananas. 
 
 “Stop! Stop!” I yelled to hubby......something I would never dare to do unless it was an emergency. He pulled over to the side of the road and turned to me with a warning ‘this better be very important’ look. I jumped out of the car and ran back to one of the shops. When you jump out a car with a MH number plate in one of the small un-pronounceable villages in kerala, you sure do attract attention.  The shop keeper beamed at me as he slightly nudged the tray of assorted imported chocolates in my direction.  But that wasn’t what I wanted. What had caught my eye was a couple of dusty rakes hanging outside the shop.  He rolled his eyes and handed me one of them. So light! I made sweeping movements with it, tossed it from one hand to the other and nodded my head. How much? Rs 150 he replied gruffly. I paid and turned around to see a gaggle of amused onlookers behind me. I ran back to the car, tossed it into the boot and got in. Vivek was catching a shut-eye and asked “What did you get”, probably expecting some nice goodies to munch on.   “A rake” I answered. He rolled his eyes and said “Hmmphffff”  rather gruffly and started the car.

Well, back on the farm, the rake is a beauty.  It really makes it easy to rake the leaves, no more sore arms and tennis-elbows, and the compost pit is filling faster than it did before.   









 
 
 

The Raked


 
 
and the UnRaked

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

6 comments:

  1. An interesting writeup about the rake!
    The rake seems well put together & I cannot make out the details in the first photo, but the handle too looks interesting.
    Nandan (Bellare)

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  2. Well done Tanuja.

    Value for money or much more than that?

    Delighted that Rake costing Rs 150 turned out to be a great productivity tool + a device which made the necessary chore smooth & easy to perform.

    Wonderful!

    I am very happy for you!

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  3. Thats indeed a good rake. We also have similar experiences in kerala..... when we stop & buy those "chatti's" ( cooking vessels/pots)

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  4. Loved reading your blogs. I am a farming enthusiast and I have been thinking owning a farm myself. I am all gung-ho about organic produce and that is what I will be aiming for. But I have a question.
    Is organic sustainable(economic)? I believe for wide-spread adoption it has to be economically sustainable as well. Fukuoka san clearly demarcates and explains his yields but from your experience what do you think? Does our Indian economic conditions permit economic freedom to the sustainable farmer? I ask you because of your vast experience and well-educated stature. If you did not have a second business do you think you would be able to lead the life that you are leading now.
    The green revolution gave financial freedom to the farmers and thus of the many reasons this could be the most important one. Could sustainable farming provide one(financial viability)? If we are going base all the calculation on higher than market price for organic produce then, this sort of financial budgeting is flawed at the very least.
    Regards,
    Manoj

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is such a funny little story :) it really had me smiling and reminded me of the lovely time at the farm last summer!
    - Vera

    ReplyDelete

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