Sajithlal M.K. and Rajaneesh Kumar S. S. are part of a rare but emerging crop of farmers who have no qualms about roughing it out to work on the land. As many people celebrate the harvest festival of Pongal today, it is apt to talk to these two professionals who are cultivating paddy.
Sajithlal M. K.
Sajithlal M.K. discovered his green thumb by growing vegetables in his kitchen garden. The 33-year-old computer engineer at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, found that farming was a stress buster and decided to expand his tryst with the soil by going in for paddy cultivation as well.
Sajithlal M. K.
“Once there were paddy fields as far as the eye could see in these parts. So I decided to give it a try and cultivated Kanchana rice on my land. The first harvest on 20 cents gave us 460 kg,” he says with pride.
Prior to growing paddy, he had to make the land cultivable for paddy. “Plantains used to be grown here and the land was on a raised level. So, I had to get labourers to level the land. I worked with four women from the neighbourhood to plant the saplings. It was a new experience, standing ankle deep in the cool, muddy field. I was apprehensive about slipping and falling! I chipped in to harvest the crop, with the four labourers giving me guidance. Yes, I was exhausted soon!”
Sajith has been following Subhash Palekar’s zero-budget farming methods wherein he shuns the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
“Although there were pest attacks, we could control it. I sought guidance from C.G. Gopalakrishnan, a farmer from Wayanad who has been doing zero-budget farming for many years now. I got in touch with him through a farmers’ network,” he says, adding: “Now my wife, Anitha B. K., is an expert when it comes to winnowing the rice.”
The yield came down in the second round of farming because of incessant rain. The third round didn’t disappoint, though.
His fields near his house at Mukkola, near Vizhinjam, is all set for the fourth harvest. Water shortage has affected the harvest, but it has not withered Sajith’s enthusiasm. He has already bought another paddy field close by and plans to cultivate plantain and ginger after harvesting the present crop.
Rajaneesh Kumar S. S.
Looking at his recently-harvested paddy field, Rajaneesh Kumar S. S. says: “It was my dream to cultivate paddy on my own land.” His paddy field is on 65 cents in the backyard of his house at Oottara, along Vizhinjam-Poovar Road.
Rajaneesh Kumar S. S.
“My mother hails from Nemom and I remember seeing vast expanse of paddy fields there. I have always been interested in agriculture, thanks to my father, K. Suprabhan, who used to indulge in small-scale farming activities on our land. But paddy cultivation is a first for us,” says Rajaneesh who has done upland farming on the land.
In fact, he had tried to cultivate paddy two years ago but had to stop mid-way. However, he wasn’t disappointed the second time around when he decided to try his hand at farming.
Except for labourers to till the land and reap the harvest, he managed everything on his own, with his nephew Gopikrishnan helping him out at times. “It took a few days for the labourers to plough the land. I joined them when the seeds were sown. Since it’s upland farming there isn’t any mud on the field, but the soil is moist. The biggest responsibility was to irrigate the crops daily. Thankfully, I have a well at home and for two hours at a stretch, starting from 5.45 a.m., I was on the field watering the plants. After two or three days, I had to sprinkle a mix of cow dung and ash. In five months the grains were ready,” he says.
Upland farming brings with it many challenges - it demands more water. “It is difficult to remove weeds. Also, upland farming gives lesser yield when compared to the usual mode of cultivation. Another problem was the hens from the neighbourhood. Nearly one sack of grains might have been eaten by them! But I have no complaints. All I wanted was to cultivate at least a day’s produce for my family and I have achieved that,” he says. His next plan is to cultivate tapioca and plantain on the same land.
A diploma holder in pharmacy, the 38-year-old is one of the founders of Aswas Community Pharmacy. “Nothing can beat the satisfaction I get while working in my field...,” he avers.
