Early mornings at Punchakkari in Vellayani are usually tranquil, with barely any visitors other than the walkers along the Kireedom bridge and Onam-time herd of YouTubers who come decked and ready for those ‘naadan vibe’ reels.
For farmers like Reghu N, however, it’s anything but leisurely. By sunrise, he and his wife Lathika are deep into work on their 60-cent farm, where vegetables for the sadya platter are set for harvest.
“We started some months ago so the yield would be ready around Onam. The seasonal sale fetches decent profit, which is used to repay the agriculture loan and reinvest in the next cycle” says Reghu, collecting cucumbers for the nearby Vipani centre (market).
While Reghu has been farming for over two decades, more professionals are now embracing farming for the sheer happiness it offers. They get busier during Onam, cultivating vegetables and flowers and selling them in local markets.
Until recently, most of these came from Tamil Nadu. Now, Vellayani, Neyyattinkara, Pallichal, Nemom, Aruvikkara — and even city terraces — supply fresh produce.
Shibu Kumar, a KSRTC driver, owns a farm at Vlathankara in Neyyattinkara, where he practises composite farming. “I wasn’t this keen till some years ago when I went to Tamil Nadu to fetch fertiliser. They asked if I needed ‘injection’ for plants to increase yield. This got me thinking about what we have been consuming. This misuse of chemicals is terrifying,” he says.
“That dread made me take farming seriously. Despite my busy schedule, I make time for my farm. The first lot of the produce goes to my own home, and the rest to the market.”
In an adjacent farm, plantains are being sorted for Onam. “Weather can play villain. What is needed is proper guidance from agriculture experts and provision of technical inputs and machinery tailor-made for these farms,” adds Shibu, noting the agriculture department’s involvement has improved in recent years.
Joy Balan, a college history faculty and avid farmer, agrees. “There needs to be a focused approach towards helping enthusiasts so Kerala can once again be on the ‘grow-at-home’ track,” he says.
G Mani, another farmer, sees a positive shift. “After retiring from government service, I ventured into farming, and now I grow what I need. Especially during Onam, for the past some years, harvesting and making sadya with it is gratifying for more reasons than one,” she says.
He recalls Onam as a harvest festival when yields would arrive from the end of Karkidakam till Uthradom day, when the illam nira (filling the household granary) ritual was held.
“The festive flavour in Kerala during Onam was not about gold-laced white dresses and thumping celebrations. It marked the culmination of a harvest season that begins in Medam and ends in Chingam, when Onam falls,” he says.
“Changing times have dimmed the agricultural significance of Onam. When I cultivate my own vegetables, I get a high of the old fervour. And it’s heartening to note that my tribe is growing by the day.”
The Farm Journalists Forum, comprising mostly government retirees, organises weekly markets to sell vegetables grown on terraces and backyards. They call themselves ‘journalists’ as they keep track of agriculture trends and publicise relevant info.
“This Onam, we are organising a three-day sale from September 1 to 3 at the Gandhi Bhavan at Thycaud,” says C S Ravindran, the collective’s president.
The ‘grow-at-home’ trend extends to flowers as well. Home ‘farmer’ Jayasree Krishnan says she has stopped buying flowers brought in from other states for her pookkalam. “So whatever is in my front/back yard, I make pookkalam with that,” she says. “Whatever excess I get, I share with friends.”
Ex-serviceman Vinod Vijayan, who took up floriculture two years ago, finds the season apt for “showing off” his flowers. He and his partner, KSRTC conductor Siju S, cultivate marigolds and other flowers on four acres under the banner ‘Ooranvila Krishi Koottam’, which also rears fish and grows sunflowers for oil.
“Last year, we threw open the farm for visitors. This year, we couldn’t, but the flowers are ready for sale,” says Vinod, standing amidst his hybrid marigolds.
Floriculture has, in fact, now grown across Thiruvananthapuram, with social media buzzing with sale updates. At St Xavier’s College, Thumba, ‘Aaravam’ showcases flowers from what organisers claim is the city’s largest sunflower farm.
At Punchakkari too, marigolds and sunflowers line a one-km canal stretch, sold at `100 a kilo. “This was a wasteland before the farmers’ collective decided to grow flowers for the Onam market,” says Binu Punchakkari, member of a nature collective.
This season’s most fragrant story comes from Neyyattinkara, where Class 8 student Ajeesh N’s five-cent backyard blooms with marigolds. “My school, Vrindavan, helped me set this up as part of a student project,” he smiles.
Ajeesh, a burn survivor with over 40 per cent disability in his right hand, works on the project with his family. “The school scheme was to help such students. Besides that, we invested around `4,000 for this venture that began in July. Now, ready for harvest, we plan to charge `100 per kg of flowers,” says his father.
Ajeesh beams, perhaps thinking of the spirit of Onam that brings sunshine, cheer, and, this year, his debut as one of the city’s youngest farmers.