Food For Thought

A handful of start-ups help create urban kitchen gardens across India, promoting sustainable lifestyles and a connection to nature

- Sumana Mukherjee

The basil plant was a gift from a colleague, who had assured her that it was a hardy herb. But after just three days, the leaves were drooping and listless, and a few were turning brown at the tips. “My mum is an expert gardener and here I was, killing a basic basil,” my friend recounted. “Then I read up on the plant, cut back on the watering, moved it to a spot that got more sun—and begged it not to die on me. It worked!”

She may never know if it was her pleas or the controlled sun and water that did the trick, but the experience taught her the most important lesson of making food: It’s responsive. And, as she looks forward to hand-blending her first bottle of pesto, she’s figuring out that it almost always gives back more than you’d expect.

As an increasing number of urban Indians use their windowsills, balconies, verandahs, patios, and rooftops to grow what they will eat, they are finding help in unexpected quarters: A crop of start-ups with green thumbs, dirt under their fingernails, and names like Khetify and Urban Mali and iKheti. They promise to eliminate the distress that my friend (and her plant) survived, with dependable seeds, standardised potting mixes, finely calibrated light and water exposure, tried-and-tested infusions, and homegrown pesticide hacks; and even some real-time handholding with experienced farmers.