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| Sivanandan, Cerukara Thekkethil, Pathiyoor, Alappuzha |
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The
Hindi word for spinach signifies ‘one who sustains’.
In the case of Sivanandan, the cultivation of spinach (cheera) has
more than sustained him during the last 20 years.
During this time he has been able to generate income to build a
house, buy 40 cents of land and own 3 cows and 11 goats, all thanks to his
cheera cultivation.
20
years ago Sivanandan resigned a small time job at Pune and started
devoting time to cultivation of country greens.
Collecting a few seeds from a friend, he cultivated a small stretch
of land. The very first
harvest was a success and that set the direction of his life.
As
he progressed in agriculture with personal observations and experiments,
honours and awards too started coming his way.
These include the inaugural award for the best vegetable farmer by
the Pathiyoor Krishi Bhavan, the Pathiyoor Farmers’ Bank award, farmer
award of the Canara Bank etc.
Sivanandan,
who himself generates the seeds for cultivation, prefers organic manure
for the cultivation. At times
when he is forced to use chemical fertilizers, he makes it a point to
harvest the crop only after 6 days.
According to him, farming is a good method of cleaning the mind.
As one involves deeply in the cultivation, there will not be any
time for bad thoughts to occupy the mind.
Courtesy: T.Sivakumar, Karshakashree, September 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
