Freelance artist Nachiappan Ramanathan used to make sculptures and design interactive art installations before he chose to return to his family’s farmland in Kodagu district, about 270 km from Bengaluru, in 2012.
An alumnus from the Shrishti School of Art Design and Technology, Nachiappan says he has no regrets of quitting the “delusional world” he was living in, for he couldn’t find his “rhythm” in the city. “There was too much traffic, too much socialising,” he says. “Daily life used to be energy-draining”.
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But work is not easy. “There are many responsibilities; the power supply is unpredictable; it’s a hard life,” he says. Yet, he is glad he doesn’t have to endure the stress of urban life, but work and co-exist with nature instead. He may have earned more in the city, but Nachiappan considers himself more financially sound now, as he is able to save more.
The designer in him is still alive, too. “I have built a farmhouse, a cottage with landscaping, and a tree house. I continue to sculpt, but as a hobby,” he says. Farms, for him, are creative spaces too.
Nachiappan admits he misses the city sometimes. But it is a comfort zone that he has stepped out of quickly, and happily.
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