Ex-techie grows terrace 'jungle'

Nataraja Upadhya’s 1,500 sq ft green space in Banashankari is a vibrant, diverse ecosystem

A retired engineer has created a one-of-a-kind green space on the terrace of his house in Banashankari.

Nataraja Upadhya, 58, began exploring the gardening potential of his terrace in 2010. It took him about five years to grow a fully sustainable and vibrant ecosystem.

He calls this ‘evergreen urban jungle’ by the name of ‘Ashrama Gardens.’ It now has 2,500-3,000 plants and is host to 50 types of butterflies and a dozen bird species.

The vegetation keeps the house cool even at the peak of summer. “In the beginning, I used to pat the terrace with plant compost to keep the house cool, but now the jungle does the job,” he
says.

Thanks to the ever-giving green space, the house doesn’t need a cooler or fan in summer, but, Upadhya says, it does get pretty chilly in the winter months.

Hailing from a farming family in Parampalli in Udupi district. He assisted his father in agriculture for 18 years before he moved to Bengaluru to study engineering.

Working in US

After a stint as a software engineer in the US, he sought early retirement in 2008 to support his specially-abled wife and two daughters.

“Even when I was working back in the day, the idea of nurturing an urban jungle was something that had fascinated me. When I retired, it was the perfect opportunity,” he says.

The jungle not only keeps him busy but also helps him live a sustainable life. “It did take some trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Also, I wasn’t keen on spending a lot of money and the goal was to use all the resources already available around us,” he says.

In the early days, Upadhaya would go on ‘plant rescue’ missions to save discarded and withering plants and nurture them in empty containers and rice bags.

“This is how the whole urban jungle came into being. It is only later that I beautified it and started using specific kinds of drums,” he says.

Drum ecosystem

Every individual drum on his terrace holds a mini-ecosystem within itself. “So, this is the system I’ve created. Each drum has a tree. The roots go to the base of the drum, the bushes come at the middle level and finally small shrubs and plants are on the top,” says Upadhya.

The trees are all medium-sized bonsais that don’t grow beyond 20 ft as the drum restricts them. “I don’t go around counting how many trees exist on the terrace. My house can handle up to 40 tonnes of weight and I’ve engineered the jungle around that restraint,” he says.

He estimates the jungle now weighs about 30 tonnes. “I have 300 drums laid out in my 1,500 sq ft terrace. So, my estimate is that they hold 2,500 to 3,000 plants and trees,” he says. About 250 of them are trees.

Medicinal plants

The mini ecosystem has fruit and vegetable plants and herbs. He grows medicinal plants to help people in the neighbourhood.

Upadhya spends an hour every day tending the terrace jungle and he spends Rs 2,000 every month on maintenance. “I try not to spend on acquiring exotic trees or plants, as they usually don’t survive the Indian seasons. I get most of my seeds and saplings at nominal prices from the Horticulture Research Centre and the various nurseries around Lalbagh. Also, there is a vibrant gardening community in the city, so we exchange saplings and seeds among ourselves,” he explains.

YouTube advice

Upadhya has documented the progress of his urban jungle on YouTube. His channel has 450 videos explaining biodiversity through his experience of creating the urban jungle.

He also runs a Facebook page to interact with nature lovers and guide them. It is also a platform where he shares his passion for nature and street photography. In 2018, Upadhya started the ‘Billion Trees and Beyond’ initiative to encourage people to plant trees. In two years, over 1.6 crore trees were pledged to be planted. However, the movement has come to a standstill because of the pandemic.

Terrace snapshot

Upadhya took five years to grow his ‘urban jungle’.

He spends Rs 2,000 a month to maintain it.

He grows fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs.

His terrace holds 250 trees that grow up to 20 feet.

He avoids exotic species not suited for Indian conditions.