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| Saseendran, Vengappally, Vythiri, Wayanad |
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When Saseendran purchased seven and a
half acres of coffee plantation in Wayanad and
removed all coffee plants from it, neighbours thought he had removed
reason
from his head. And when he pulled down
the areacanuts and coconuts in the farm
and dug ponds in their place, they concluded that he had reached the
nadir of
his sanity.
But 20
years later, Saseendran’s place at Vengappally, Vythiri, Wayanad is a
much-sought-after destination of farm tourism and an accepted centre of
biodiversity in Kerala. It has a collection of about 2000 varieties of
trees,
1600 herbs, 12 ponds, hundreds of birds, indigenous cows etc.
And
moreover, he now earns more than what he would have got had he retained
the old
coffee plants and coconuts. This is a
reward that nature has gifted to one who has loved her and cared for
her.
In his farm
there is a small office, which stores the certificates and accolades he
has
received from various agencies. Step
beyond this house and it is the cool environment of the farm that
greets the
visitors. No wonder, the farm seems
quite a few of them. Some, as students
and professors of biodiversity. And some
as farm tourists, seeking a place of calmness.
His method
is
to cultivate maximum varieties of a species.
For example, there are 24 varieties of bamboos in his farm. No wonder, it has been selected as a learning
centre by the Biodiversity Board.
For 5 years
from 2001, he was a panchayat member.
During this time, his effort was to collect farmers and
train them. As part of that effort, he
visited many farms
and learned about farming in detail.
This was the turning point in his life.
He surmised
that in the future there will be visitors eager to see farms and the
natural
biodiversity of Wayanad. That is why he
planted the seeds of farm tourism long before many even dreamt about it.
And his
hunch has been proved right.
Biju
Raghavan (text), Ullerikkaran (photo), Mathrubhumi News, July
13, 2023
