In Alappuzha, a Farmer Grows a Living ‘Pookkalam’ for Onam With 25+ Plants

In Kanjikuzhi, a village near Cherthala in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, a farmer has breathed new life into an age-old tradition. S P Sujith Swaminikarthil has reimagined the ‘pookkalam’ — the vibrant floral carpet laid to welcome Onam, not as something to be picked and placed, but something to be planted and grown.

Instead of gathering fresh flowers as is customary, he cultivated a living pookkalam right on his farmland. A once-empty stretch of land has grown into a vibrant display of colour and careful design.

A floral masterpiece in the fields

From a seed of creativity, it turned into something that stopped passers-by in their tracks. Sujith planted over fifteen varieties of flowers, including bendhi (marigold), vadamulla (globe amaranth), and pichipoo (a jasmine variety). 

The plants were arranged in neat, concentric circles, mirroring the design of a traditional pookkalam, but this one is alive, growing directly from the soil.

Covering six cents of land with a 24-metre radius, the display has become a striking sight. The rich colours and natural textures have drawn hundreds of visitors, many seeing such a creation for the first time.

Farming meets festival

The project was more than just decorative. Sujith included edible crops like green chillies and spinach alongside the flowers. In all, around 25 plant varieties were sown, blending beauty with function. 

He invested approximately Rs 25,000 into the project, to harvest both vegetables and flowers during the Onam season.

Santhosh Kumar M, vice-president of the local panchayat, called it a powerful symbol of what happens when farming is approached with creativity. It captures the spirit of Onam and shows how agriculture can be something joyful and inspiring.

A journey back to the land

Sujith’s story is one of return, not just to farming, but to purpose. After graduating in hotel management and working with a major gold firm, he chose to walk away from the corporate world in 2012 and reconnect with the soil.

What started as small-scale vegetable farming on leased land gradually grew into a mixed-farming practice across ten acres in Cherthala. Today, he grows vegetables, flowers, and more, integrating traditional methods with modern ideas.

His work has been widely recognised. He is a multiple-time recipient of the Kerala State Best Farmer award and was part of a state delegation to Israel to study advanced farming techniques. 

That experience inspired him to set up a model plantation back home, one that combines sustainability, innovation, and aesthetics.

Sujith’s living pookkalam reshapes how we think about celebration, land, and tradition. At a time when most floral carpets wilt by evening, his continues to bloom. It stands as a symbol of slow beauty, rooted, growing, and connected to the earth. It honours Onam’s spirit not through repetition, but through reinvention.

(Edited by Vidya Gowri Venkatesh)