K Balakrishnan spent his youth labouring in the vineyards of computing, with occasional time off to trek in the Himalayas. A renaissance man trapped in a modern world, he has spent many years of his life dabbling in artisanal cheesemaking and organic farming. Today he works on a project called ‘Demystifying the Avocado’, and lives on Chettiar Park Road. He always wears his shirt sleeves rolled up.