Rooftop farming for the win!
HYDERABAD:Six months ago, little did Teja Kakumanu know that what he started will end up being an inspiration for many. Teja who is currently works in the direction department in an upcoming Tollywood film, found his solace in an unlikely hobby: farming. Now in a city like Hyderabad, where finding a green patch might feel like a Herculean task, Teja found a way to create his own little green corner and also put it to practical use. “There was a time in my life when the stress was getting out of hand. That is when I decided to bring farming into my life. It is my therapy now. My plants are what keep me sane,” declares the 31-year-old. He also adds, “This is where I come when I’m angry, happy or when I just need a minute to unwind.”
Strong roots
Teja’s inclination towards farming isn’t a recent happening. He comes from a “raithu kutumbam” as he likes to put it. “My father was a farmer. I grew up in a very remote village called Aparajapaalem which barely had 300 houses. Our house was in the middle of a lemon field and that was the kind of life I was exposed as a child,” he shares. After moving to Hyderabad for his education and later his occupation, he was thrust into the unfamiliar urban life. Six months ago, however he found home with farming which he took up to keep the stress of work away. “I started off with small plants in our balcony, but as the place got crowded my wife and I decided to shift it to the terrace,” he says narrating how his terrace farming stint took off.
Science behind the art
To put together a thriving farm that yields veggies for Teja and his family to consume isn’t a mean feat. He began with building his own wooden raised bed for the farming corner, fertilised the soil by reading up on it and also created the perfect growing environment for the plants in the concrete jungle that is Madhapur. “I follow the tutorials of Charles Dowding, an agriculturist who specialises in organic farming outside of fields. We call him Thatayya (grandpa) lovingly,” quips Teja. “Besides the usual curry leaves, chillies and coriander, I had a good run this winter with cucumbers, broccoli, kale, brinjal beets and spinach. But the summer was a little difficult. I had to huddle up the crops so that the sun wouldn’t dry up the soil. I also grew a few flowering plants and bushes, just to create a friendly growing atmosphere for the plants,” he explains. Teja got his sister who lives in the US to send him seeds of exotic produce like Kale and broccoli to sow here. He also shares that he makes his own compost now. “These plants become your babies and there is a gratification about seeing all your hard work coming to fruition that you rarely find in our busy lives,” he says.
Farming goes online
Although Teja took up farming to keep stress at bay, he went online with tutorials and timely updates only to keep up the motivation. “I wanted to make sure I don’t slack off. It’s like when you want to quit smoking you tell everyone about it so that they keep you in check. I started posting online to keep myself responsible towards those watching the crops I take care of,” explains Teja. And yet, the move led to many following his lead. He shares, “I get a lot of messages from friends and some strangers too about how they tried farming in their own little way looking at what I did. They send me pictures of what grew in their farm and it only makes me want to keep going.”
For Generations to come
The soon-to-be-father, who is expecting his first-born next month wants to pass on his agricultural history to his child. He fondly says, “We try to feed ourselves with whatever we grow organically in the terrace. It is good for my wife’s health and when the baby comes we intend to pass on this culture to him.” Teja also thinks that we have to make the environment better for own good through the little that we can do. “Every little action counts. Everything we do for the environment is inturn going to help us. We have to be selfish towards our environment,” he sums it up eloquently.