IDUKKI: When Alka Eskail first arrived in Munnar, accompanied by her husband Gabriel, 32 years ago as a tourist, little did the Goan know that the hill station would become her hometown and that she would turn into a haven for her family.
From the three acres of land she owns in Bisonvalley, Adimali, which the couple bought back in 1995, the 59-year-old now earns between Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh a year. Alka has proved that farming can be a profitable avocation even for migrants like her. And for her efforts, she will be honoured by Bisonvalley Krishibhavan on Chingam 1 (August 17), celebrated as Farmers’ Day in the state.
Speaking to TNIE, Alka said she visited Idukki in 1991 with Gabriel, who was working with the Welcome Group in Manipal, for sightseeing after he was egged on by a colleague, who was an Adimali native. “Although we returned soon, my husband was impressed by the climatic conditions here and longed to settle down here,” recounts Alka.
The very next year, Gabriel was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Alka decided to move to Idukki to fulfil his wish. The family bought three acres of land in Bisonvalley. With Gabriel’s condition making him incapable of physical activity, Alka decided to toil on the land to earn a living.
With merely a few years of toil and hard work, Alka turned the land into a green oasis of cash and food crops, livestock and even fish, providing the money to meet her family’s expenses and more.
“She grows cardamom, coffee, pepper, ginger, turmeric, rubber and vegetables on her farm. She also rears cattle and goats and has a fish farm. Alka Aunty has always been excited as a woman single-handedly involved in farming activities. At a time when even traditional farmers are quitting the activity, she is an inspiration,” said Saranya Biju, a neighbour.
After Gabriel died in 2020 she has only her 25-year-old son Shiraf for support. Alka is thankful for the support of local residents, who never allowed her family to feel alien in a new land.
“We used to cultivate paddy in Goa as the climatic condition there did not suit other crops. However in Idukki, the climate is suitable to grow variants of crops and if successfully cultivated, farming is the better business to earn good dividends,” she said.
In the function to be held at the panchayat community hall on Thursday, Alka along with eight others from Bison Valley will be honoured for their success as farmers.