BENGALURU: What started as a few pots and some seasonal flowers, has grown into a full-fledged entrepreneurial venture for this Hyderabadi. Md Khaleel Hussain from Borabanda has turned around his life and followed his passion for building his own business of growing and selling of different kinds of water lilies and adeniums. Currently, he has around 100 varieties of water lilies.
Khaleel has been a nature lover ever since he was a kid. “When I was five, I used to save up money to buy seeds and pots,” he says. As his family, who didn't encourage him much, was often moving houses, it became difficult for him to have his own garden. But that did not deter him and he kept his dream alive. Around nine years ago, he started bringing his dream to reality by growing small succulents and seasonal flowers and vegetables in his roof-top garden.
Although Khaleel has never done any formal course in gardening, his knowledge about his precious lilies is extensive. He says he learnt everything from practice. Thanks to his nature-loving friends, who each have a garden of their own, he learnt the basics and managed to progress to what he is today. “There are specific conditions for each plant to grow. I learnt that with my friends and started my garden,” he says.
Khaleel, an introvert, has always been creative. He was into designing and decor, which is why he worked as a graphic designer for an IT company. Up until a year ago, Khaleel’s life was running smooth. However, he was let go by the company that he dedicated 11 years of his life to. “My wife was the one who pushed me into taking up gardening full-time,” he says.
Now Khaleel sells plants and propagates and creates different hybrids for his customers. He tends to two categories of water lilies - the hardy and the tropical. While the former is easy to handle, sturdy and can be grown with little care, tropical is more temperamental. He has created many hybrids, and his personal favourite is a cross between two tropical species - Tanzanian and Tina.
With the summer coming to an end, Khaleel’s rooftop garden is starting to regain its lost colour. In summer, he draws water from the borewell and pumps to fill up 150 tubs or more for his lilies. His hard work seems to have paid off, as his customers always leave with smiles. He doesn't consider himself as an expert, for he believes he has a lot to learn. Along with his wife’s and friends’ unending support, he has started to dream of something even bigger - his own water lily farm.