We were invited by Rajesh, one of Kavitha’s students at the Gov College of Fine Art to stay over night at his forest farm up in the hills near Peechy dam.
Rajesh is an architect with a flourishing business in Mumbai, but he decided to return to his home town to take a degree in art history!
First he took us see the dream house he designed 20 years ago. Called the Christmas tree house after a Christmas tree 🌲 he planted in the garden!
An amazing place, with an open part of the roof to let rain in to a central pool inside.
Rajesh is an inveterate collector! Cupboards filled with a cacophony of objects collected over the years, and a very interesting art collection. The garden had nutmeg trees and pepper vines, so we came away ladened with spices!
Then we went up to ‘the farm’. It’s such a beautifully peaceful environment, tucked away in the hills, surrounded by coconut 🥥 and cashew trees, and pepper vines climbing up all the trees. His land extends right down to the river.
Across the valley the forest hills rise up in the mist and there are wild elephants and ‘ peacocks 🦚 dancing on the stones ’, and even the odd tiger 🐅.
We walked down to a tiny house he has built below the main house, and got some coconuts for breakfast. When Baby arrived he took the husks off with a special tool outside the back door.
Rajesh rents the house out as a homestay and Baby looks after all the guests. Baby is Christian and trains the local choir at his church…he sang us a carol!
On our way back to college we drove down to look at Peechy dam and the river that flows to his land.
We stopped at the Indian Coffee house on the dual carriageway for breakfast and afterwards he took us next door to see a wood carver, hidden away in his little workshop. The guy wanted to give us a gift and said I could choose anything from his shop…it was somewhat overwhelming… but I spotted a roughly carved elephant. He insisted on giving us three, and Charlie is thrilled because he can use it in his Jose Saramago elephant project!
