THANKACHAN: FARMER WHO FACED SETBACKS WITH STEELY RESOLVE
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| Thankachan, Pullippadam, Nilambur, Malappuram |
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At the age of 11, after his father’s death, the responsibility of looking after the family fell on the young shoulders of Thankachan. Since then he has been shedding his sweat on the soil. Neither accident nor financial difficulties could move him from his resolve to excel as a farmer.
The landlords were reluctant to pay full wages to the 11-year-old boy. But Thankachan was prepared to work on rate contract basis. Slowly coins started jingling in his trouser pockets. After he graduated to bee keeping, the venture spread from one box to many. Seeing his pitiable conditions and the hard work, perhaps, thousands of bees too worked hard for Thankachan.
He then turned to rubber cultivation by starting a nursery. Soon it was another success story. But his venture into rubber slaughtering proved unlucky as he met with an accident. The treatment claimed his bank balance but he escaped with a disability of the leg.
Undaunted, he faced life again. This time by taking arecanut farms on lease. As this too started yielding profit, he soon purchased 7 acres of barren land at Pullippadam, Nilambur, Malappuram. It was here that his hard work and determination scripted another success story. The yield of coconuts growing in the rocky terrain would make any visitor wonderstruck. This has been facilitated by blasting the rock and filling the pit with good earth for planting coconuts.
He later turned to industrial sector. His factory is No:1 in the manufacture of quality rubber sheets. Latex from about 500 farmers result in manufacture of 10000 sheets per day.
As a philanthropist he has been able to provide assistance for the marriage of 20 poor women. He provides learning aids to poor students and visits hospitals to help the needy. His wife Chinnamma and children support him in these activities.
Courtesy: KP, Karshakan, October 2002
Contributed by: Administrator
