SRIKAKULAM: Beena Dhilli Rao, a 66-year-old farmer, has had an interesting journey from politics to environmental protection. Rao, a native of Palasapuram village in Sompeta mandal, began his career in public life at the age of 20 with the Congress party in 1980. He became an ardent follower of the then APPCC president Majji Tulasi Das and was nominated as State Director for the Taddy Tappers Corporation (TTC). He was later appointed Chairman of the Trust Board of the renowned Sri Kodanda Rama Swamy temple in the Uddanam region of the district.
Dhilli Rao’s heart was broken in 2008 when the then Congress government in the State granted permission to a private company to establish a thermal power plant (TPP) at the Beela wetlands. Upset with the Congress government’s decision, Dhilli Rao resigned from the party and renounced politics, dedicating himself to the movement against the TPP and rising as a key leader of the anti-TPP campaign.
The agitation against the TPP intensified and turned violent at one point, with environmental experts and agriculturists from across the State joining the protest. As a key leader of the movement, Dhilli Rao had the opportunity to discuss various issues with these experts. Through these discussions, they instilled in him the importance of environmental protection for healthy survival.
Dhilli Rao absorbed the essence of their messages, realising that opposing the TPP alone was insufficient to protect the environment and that adopting organic farming methods was essential to safeguard the soil and water from pollutants.
Inspired by the experts’ guidance, he switched to organic farming in 2011, cultivating vegetables, paddy, and millet crops on his three-acre plot.
Since then, he has remained committed to environmental protection by using organic farming methods. In addition to farming, he began planting saplings on his birthday, January 1, every year from 2011 onwards. He has planted several saplings at government offices, including the court premises in Sompeta. Dhilli Rao prepares organic manure, both in solid and liquid form, using animal dung, urine, straw—locally known as ‘Gaththam’—which he mixes with clay after ploughing the land.
This process restores energy and minerals to the soil, essential for healthy crop growth. During the 2014 kharif season, paddy crops across the district were damaged by pest attacks. Dhilli Rao’s paddy crop remained unaffected, as it had been grown using organic manure.
Speaking to TNIE, Dhilli Rao said, “I was influenced and recognised the importance of organic cultivation through the suggestions of noted scientists and environmentalists, and began practising organic farming. There is no difference in yields between chemical and organic farming, but organic farming is eco-friendly, while chemical farming is harmful to the environment and nature. My family members understand my ideology well and assist me in organic cultivation. I am firmly against applying for awards and rewards through recommendations. I am fully committed to protecting the environment to the greatest extent possible.”