organic farmer

The change was not limited to what he had to unlearn, but in a shift in his mindset. Since he genuinely enjoyed farming, the transition was not that difficult.

“I will never stop serving my nation,” says former R&AW Chief PK Hormis Tharakan, who is showing that it's never too late to live organic! #OrganicFarming #Kerala

“You are what you eat. It is an irrefutable fact that our ancestors, including our grandparents, ate nutritious food and led a simple life. Their food wasn’t doused in chemicals, and they did not lead a sedentary lifestyle. They toiled hard in the fields to grow their food,” he says.

The concept of live-in relationships has always been a touchy topic in India and continues to be looked down upon in society.

Today, spread on a 2.5-acre plot lies a five-layered model economically-viable and sustainable farm, the fruit of Akash's labour.

It’s been more than two decades and he continues to grow chemical-free paddy. But that’s not the only reason the retired teacher-turned-organic farmer is famous.

Bhavya grows palak (spinach), methi (fenugreek), coriander and amaranthus, month-on-month in rotation, and harvests close to 400 kgs every month. All these vegetables are grown using organic methods.

Fondly known as Ramettan, Cheruvayal Raman has spent almost all his life cultivating paddy through organic practices, like the generations before him.

He set up Jaycee Agro Farms, with the help of his family, to tackle the issues of chemical-based farming, and bust the myth that organic agriculture is loss-making.

It is our pride that some of these farmers are our very own TBI heroes, who through years of effort, rode a wave of change in the field of Indian agriculture.