Not Bollywood or Hollywood
Lockdown in woods
Tete-tete with Jackie Shroff

When you ask a big Star, Indian cinema actor Jackie Shroff about what is keeping him busy this days, he says its farming keeping me busy. Specially in lockdown I was spending time in my farm, farming, planting, cooking and being with nature. Even at home, he prefers not to watch too many movies. Instead he watches documentaries on new Japanese farming techniques and the medicinal value of plants. “This gives me a lot of joy. This is my life. Plants give you vibrations,” he says.

With hit films Ram Lakhan, Kaash, Parinda, King Uncle and many more, has career of 37 years and more than 200 films on sleeve. At 64, Shroff comes off as someone who’s just learnt to enjoy his career. It seems the method to his
madness is to have no method at all. He’s embracing the interesting parts coming his way without overthinking it. His recent web series is making noise too. But leave aside everything, its time to go to farm and brethe the fresh air

Fungul internet in farm 

Now during lockdown, I am staying in my farm, three hours away from Mumbai. There is no internet here, but there is natural internet that connects me to nature. There is fungus internet, which enables networking of trees. You can see trees talking to each other. Seriously, if you google you will know that its fact. Hidden under your feet is an information superhighway that allows plants to communicate and help each other out. Its made of fungi. The wood wide web, mushrooms might be the most common one, where their bodies ar emade of threads, this threads are internet linking the roots of different plants. These fungul internet make communication between plants.

To see beauty of nature is my business here People don’t have time to look up at sky, we all are busy with hustle and bustle of life. The time in farm made me see the beauty of nature.

I have planted tree called baobab, if you read its benefits you will be impressed. The roots are not underground, the roots are up in the sky. There is one baobab in museum and zoo ranibuag in Mumbai.

Cooking gujarati delicacies

Here in farm, with old cooking methods I have prepared Gujarat delicacies like dhokla and thepla. I like muthiya also, specially the methi ones. I do dough binding at my pace and then we roll it during the lunch time. I will prepare food from bottle gourd too, infact I am growing dudhis in farm itself. We will pick up some and prepare dudhi halwa and muthiyas with it.

Rustic, raw and roots

There is also sweet and sour taste Ambada fruit grown here. And thanks to my cooking skills that I could manage a very tasty vegetable made from this. It was a treat. Simpler it is, better it is. Don’t put lot of spice but just simple light cooking. Cana flower plants roots can be cooked on dry wood fire. Natural roots seeds food is good for health.

Wash utensils with clay

Don’t clean vessels from detergent, it creats lot of toxic on earth. Use miti ( clay)to wash utensils. Don’t leave toxic earth for coming generations.

Fashion code in farm

Simple. Apply sarso tel ( oil), salt and pinch of turmeric mix on the body. Use some leaves and soft cottan cloth to cover the body. Wake early in morning and chew Giloy and panphutti in your mouth.