PALAKKAD: Into the seventies, many of their ilk -- retired government employees -- would perhaps prefer to rest in the comfort of cosy homes. Not A Narayanan and P Thankamani. The couple has chosen to live in their 7.5-acre farm at Thadukassery in Palakkad which they had purchased while in service. Their abode now consists of just two rooms, a kitchen and a bedroom. And the duo is enjoying every bit of the twilight hues of life spent amidst plants and animals in a rustic backyard tucked away from the din of urban society.
The farmland is uneven and has slopes. There are drains and many thorny plants. A walk through the farm gives a glimpse of the rare varieties of organic plants grown there, comprising fruit tress, vegetables and medicinal plants. Two-and-a-half acres are dedicated to paddy, cultivated using traditional seeds. The farm is also home to native cows, like Vechur and Malanad Gidda, and different varieties of goats, including Attappadi black and Canadian dwarf.
Won’t it be difficult to manage all these at this age? Pat comes the reply: “Certainly not. We feel one with nature.”Among the prime attractions are 20-odd varieties of jackfruit trees that bear fruit all round the year, with some touching the ground in bunches. “Earlier, there were 41 varieties. But the floods of 2018 took a heavy toll. The current varieties include Vietnam early, chembarathi, sugandha varikka, seedless jack and rose varikka,” says Narayanan who retired as a KSRTC bus conductor in 2002.
The farm has around 30 banana varieties, says Thankamani who retired as the principal of the Government Moyans HSS, Palakkad, in 2005.“Other fruits include star fruit, kepel (a sapling of which costs upwards of `1,000), angosteen, West Indian cherry, white apricot, wood apple, around ten varieties of mango, four varieties of rose apple, different types of guava, three varieties of dragon fruit and egg fruit,” she adds. Among other special plants in various corners of the farm is a bitter gourd variety which does not taste bitter (elanji), and butter peanut and Malabar peanut.
Narayanan is also the president of the Jaiva Samrakshana Samithi whose members sell their produce (organic vegetables and fruits) on all Mondays near the KSRTC bus stand. While there is a shortage of farm labourers in the state in general, the couple, however, prefer local hands. “We should give employment to local workers even if it is a bit costly,” says Narayanan.
The duo has also been volunteering -- since 2009 -- to select students for the Vidhyadhan scholarship given out every year by the Sarojini-Damodaran (SD) Foundation, in the name of the parents of former Infosys CEO Shibulal. Students from financially weak backgrounds who score full A+ in Class 10 receive scholarships.
“Fifteen students pursuing MBBS from Palakkad get `60,000 annually. There are also engineering and under-graduate students. On an average, around 20 students are selected from the district every year,” he said. “Around 172 students have benefitted from these scholarships. They all call me ‘uncle’ and readily rush in to help when need arises,” says Narayanan.
As part of promoting organic farming, the SD Foundation awards the best organic farmer in the state with Rs 1 lakh every year. Narayanan was the first recipient of the honour in 2009. “The best district farmer is given `25,000. Those aged above 80, women and schools are given `10,000 each. The couple has two daughters -- Aarathi, who has business in London, and Ardhra, working in Malaysia.