Anilkumar Kattil belongs to Perinjanam, Thrissur, and used to work as a bus driver for a private bus agency. During his free time, he used to cultivate vegetable on the patch of land flanking the road. Upon losing his job after the pandemic set in, he decided to concentrate on his ‘roadside garden’ which he had taken up as a hobby. What is special about this garden is that it is a ‘free-for-all’ garden.
Anilkumar has just three cents of land with his house on it. As he had no land of his own to cultivate these vegetables, and a keen interest in farming, three years ago, he began planting vegetables here after cleaning the area. He ploughs the soil himself, and cultivates vegetables and paddy the organic way (without chemical fertilizers). He prepares the bio fertilizers too himself. Anilkumar also placed roof tiles on the edge of the land to prevent the soil from eroding onto the road.
He initially began the apply after noticing some residents dumping waste by the street. “I cleaned up the waste, cleared weeds and began rising greens in develop baggage. I continued with the cultivation after encouragement from the panchayat and different residents,” he was quoted saying in a report.
He cultivates vegetables like brinjal, ladies finger, chillies, spinach, long bean, turmeric, and other crops that he wants and also lets passerby take it for free. Even though they offer to pay, Anilkumar refuses it. Instead, he asks them to plant something or offer organic manure.
Apart from cultivating vegetables and paddy, the garden additionally has some decorative flowering crops like rose and nandyarvattam (crepe jasmine). Anilkumar believes that other than harvests, this can be a good technique to beautify roads.
Image Courtesy: The News Minute