It's a three-acre plot tucked away in a small corner of Parassala. It is also Vinod's private 'banana republic.' What makes the place special is that it has over 300 varieties of bananas.
"You can find anything that doesn't grow on ice here," Vinod S, 56, says with a grin, as he walks through his banana grove lined with banana varieties acquired from across the length and breadth of the country. "There was a time when Parassala used to be known for different varieties of bananas, but we have lost most of them. Like this one," he says, pausing near 'Ottamungili', a rare variety. "It was in a tribal settlement that I got hold of this," he adds.
Other rare varieties like 'varikka,' 'pisang,' 'chennali,' 'irachi vazha' (a plantain which used to be added in meat dishes), 'sooryakadali,' 'Trivandrum' and 'Kozhikode' find presence in his land. Vinod dispels the myth that planting banana saplings near each other could affect the yield. "Both are misconceptions. For me the most joyful moment is when the banana produces its sapling and planting bananas together can help utilise space better," he adds.
Vinod, who runs a web-designing firm in Ernakulam, has been a banana farmer since the age of 12. But the bug to collect different varieties and trace back lost ones bit him only five years ago. And it was not just passion that fuelled it. It was when he was snubbed by an agricultural organisation when he asked for a few saplings that he took it upon himself to collect them. "Now I have a collection that even surpasses theirs," he adds proudly.
He reads extensively to trace out the bananas and goes scouring in tribal settlements to get hold of different varieties. He sets out with his son Ambaneesh V, an engineering graduate, to hunt for bananas. Father and son go laden with several bags of banana saplings which they then exchange for other varieties.
Even banana plants from Australia, Nepal, Africa, Latin America, Philippines, Malaysia and the Hawaii islands dot the collector's grove. "It is difficult to source them and for me it is a hobby. There is no financial return in this," he says.
His collection boasts of 'Anamondhan,' a plantain which can easily satisfy around 30 families considering the sheer size of its bunch. Then there is a variety which tastes salty and the the 'matti' banana which promises youthfulness and which is used extensively in 'sadya.' Another big attractions are the '1,000 finger banana' where the bananas are too numerous that they cannot be counted and the 'praying hands banana' where the bananas are conjoined resembling a praying hand.
Vinod, who has already made it to the Limca Book of Records, gives away saplings for free in an attempt to restore the place as a haven of banana trees. With more than 300 varieties of bananas in a span of 5 years, it isn't a distant dream anymore.
Vinod lives with his parents T C R Sahadevan Nair and B Rajamma and his son Ambaneesh.