Chittaratha, Adalodakam, Vayambu, Ramacham, Brahmi, Neelambari.... the names of plants with medicinal properties roll off Alex Selvaraj’s tongue with ease. Caressing the leaves of a plant here, breaking off a twig there or crushing a leaf between his fingers, Alex introduces me to several greens that have amazing properties to heal, soothe or cure many common ailments. He persuades me to eat some of the leaves that he plucks from the plants as we go around the garden. As I gingerly taste one, my palate is flooded with sweetness, another leaf tastes of mint while yet another has a garlicky flavour. Aromatic plants abound in the garden and scents of flowers, leaves and fruits exude heady fragrances.
Alex Selvaraj at Kuzhipallam Botanical Garden and Research Centre at Nellimoodu
For more than four decades, Alex has been at the forefront of nurturing these plants on more than two acres at Nellimoodu, a branch of the expansive Kuzhipallam Botanical Garden and Research Centre (KBGRC), which was started by his younger brother John Rose in 1972.
“Many of these plants once grew abundantly in fields and houses but as open spaces became scarce, some are now on the verge of extinction while some have become extremely rare,” says Alex.
Alex Selvaraj
Rooted in the robust soil of his native Kuzhipallam, tucked away in the south of Thiruvananthapuram, his attitude, bearing and dialect do not reveal anything of the entrepreneur and veteran farmer he is. Till he walks me around the garden and nursery. There are several such nurseries on that route to Kanyakumari. But if you dig a little deeper, you will find out that what makes KBGRC different from the others is their sheer scale of operations and a separate nursery and garden that is rich in flora with medicinal properties.
As managing director of the Nellimoodu branch of the KBGRC, Alex has seen the family business bloom and prosper. The seeds that John Rose planted have blossomed into one of the largest nurseries in the private sector in Kerala.
“He is an artist but from childhood he has been experimenting with plants. He set up a small-scale nursery on our ancestral property near Kuzhipallam. One of the first things he did was to set aside a space for herbs and plants with medicinal properties. As our father, Joseph, popularly known as Kuzhipallam Kesavan Vaidyar, was a reputed Ayurveda physician, we brothers had learnt from him the value of many of the trees, shrubs and herbs that we see around us. Unfortunately, he passed away when I was 20. So I could not learn how to make medicines from these plants,” says Alex.
However, Alex makes up for it with his phenomenal knowledge of flora. At present, their 40-acre garden at Kuzhipallam is an Eden of ornamental plants, lawn grass, bonsai plants, orchids and more while the branch of KBGRC at Nellimoodu has been set aside mainly for plants with medicinal values that the brothers assiduously nurture in their nurseries.
“Four of us brothers are actively involved in the business. While John is the one with the ideas and imagination, Joshy, the youngest, looks after the business. George Kutty, another brother, is in charge of administration and designing while I have been looking after this garden,” explains Alex.
Vayambu
Most over-the-counter Ayurveda pills, powders and potions depend on these plants that are valued for their medicinal properties. However, as fields and open spaces lose ground to buildings and cities, there has been a steady decline in the propagation of these plants.
“For instance, after the rain, roadsides and yards would be covered with Kaithonni, Poovankurunnila, Mukkutti, Nilappana and so on....Thanks to yards covered with granite and bricks and what not, these plants have become confined to our villages. Even there, labourers clearing roads uproot the plants and burn them. That is why it has become hard to find some of the plants that used to be common all over Kerala,” explains Alex.
Rudraksham
Every year, the brothers travel all over South India to source rare plants. Since the garden has acquired a reputation of being a one-stop place for many varieties of plants used for making Ayurveda medicines, they have buyers from all over India.
“Many Ayurveda colleges in Kerala approach us to source plants for their herbariums and gardens and also to make different kinds of medicines. We are happy to oblige since it means more people would be growing the plants,” says Alex.
Brahmi
In addition to plants that are used in Ayurveda, Alex and his brothers nurture the 10 kinds of flowers called ‘Dashapushpam’ offered to the Gods during the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam. Trees like Chamatha and Koovalam, the leaves and twigs of which are used for poojas in temples, can also be found here.
During the early years, the brothers used to participate in agriculture fairs and exhibitions conducted in the city. Alex recalls that the sales used to exceed ₹ 2 lakh on some of the days.
“At present, our buyers come here and so we have stopped participating in the fairs. It was too much of a hassle,” he says.
The garden has also become an important employer in the area, providing jobs for more than 150 households. “Thanks to this place, we have been able to earn our livelihood in our locality. A bus is sent to pick up the workers staying in different places in the vicinity,” says Sulochana who does the clerical work at the nursery.
Twenty employees take care of the garden at Nellimoodu while about 130 of them work in the garden at Kuzhipallam.
Alex remembers how they had to struggle when the garden began to take shape. Water was a problem and till the panchayat allowed them to use a well and sanctioned a loan for a pump to water their plants, the brothers had to manually water the garden.
Tube wells have replaced the wells and Alex says that many in the neighbourhood use the tube well for drinking water as well.
“Summers are still a problem for us. And the lack of rain is worrying. Nevertheless, people are more in touch with their roots and many city dwellers come here to buy plants for their homesteads. They buy saplings, shrubs, herbs... There is a certainly a renewed interest in ensuring that these plants continue to thrive in the years to come,” he says.
