Water scarcity in Kerala? Prima facie, it does seem ludicrous to suggest that a State receiving, on an average, more than 3000 mm of annual rainfall would suffer from water scarcity.

However, a 2013 study by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) found that “temporal variations in its [rainfall] occurrence leads to acute water scarcity during the non-monsoon periods,” particularly in the summer.

“About 50 per cent of the population in the urban area and 80 per cent in the rural area still depend on open wells for the domestic water needs in Kerala,” the CWRDM study goes onto state.

It’s something even Jos C Raphael, the Director of the Mazhapolima Well Recharge Programme, noticed during the early 2000s in his hometown of Thrissur.

“I saw was many wells, a lot of rain, but acute drinking water stress during summers. Nearly three-fourths of the population in the district depend on around 4.5 lakh open wells in Thrissur district for their own household water requirements. A majority of these wells are neither perennial nor sustainable,” says Jos, speaking to The Better India (TBI).

Jos has nearly two decades worth of experience in water resource management, and his insights are interesting.

With his residence close to the District Collectorate, the water crusader made it a point to address every newly posted District Collector about the importance of methods like rainwater harvesting.

“Since 2002, I think, every time a new District Collector arrived, I would visit and urge them to think and work upon rainwater harvesting. However, back then, conversations around rainwater harvesting in Kerala never really caught the attention of the people and media,” he reminisces.

There were attempts at raising awareness through grassroots outreach and multiple articles in various publications like Malayalam Manorama.

However, everything changed with the arrival of Dr V K Baby (IAS) as District Collector of Thrissur in 2008. That year, the Thrissur District Administration, together with the local gram panchayats, jointly launched a well recharge programme through rooftop rainwater harvesting by the name, ‘Mazhapolima,’ which in local parlance means “bountiful rain.”

So, what is Mazhapolima all about? Here is how Jos describes it:

In the rainy seasons, the rooftop rainwater is led through pipes with a filter at the end. This filtered rainwater is directed to open dug wells to replenish the aquifers. In such recharged wells, during hot summers, there is adequate water. It not only helps with the abundance of water but in coastal areas, this system helps to reduce the salinity, turbidity, and colour of the well water. The rooftop is cleaned before the first rain (in June, and the rainy season extends to November), following which other impurities are cleared out and then the water harvested is pure.

In 2008, the district administration kicked started this programme, receiving funding in 2009 from the likes of the Rohini Nilekani-run Arghyam Trust based in Bengaluru. The benefits of adopting this system of rainwater harvesting are clear—improving the groundwater table and raising water quality, particularly in the coastal belts where the wells suffer from saline ingress.

“In fact, this isn’t a technique that we suggested, but something that the Central Ground Water Board of India had long suggested. It’s a scientific technique, which we tried to spread all across Kerala,” adds Jos.

Initially, it was hard for the authorities to convince the locals that Mazhapolima would work for them, who believed that they only had to wait till the monsoon season to see their wells fill up once again. The process began with the mobilisation of gram panchayats, but eventually, a lot of support from the State came for this project. For example, the gram panchayats received a government order from the Local Self Government Department of Kerala to implement this scheme at their level.

In 2015, the Kerala government passed an order of a Rs 6,250 subsidy for well recharge, and when the next government took office in 2016, they upgraded the support.

Unlike the conventional rainwater harvesting tanks, which are limited by capacity, a rooftop well recharge system is a lot better and cost-effective—something many in Thrissur district soon realised across the highland, lowland and coastal areas.

Having said that, for a 1,000-2,000 square feet home, a well-recharging system would cost approximately Rs 8,000. On average, one household needs to pay around Rs 5000 to install the system.

As per the Mazhapolima programme, beneficiaries only need to spend a quarter of the cost. The rest is taken up by the State drawing funds from other public schemes like the Integrated Watershed Management Programme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the District Disaster Management Fund. Even the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and individual donors have contributed toward the programme.

“From 2008 to 2017, approximately about 30,000 well recharging units in Kerala were installed, benefitting 100,000 people. After that many gram panchayats and households have decided to take up this initiative in their own way and we have stopped counting the numbers since. The numbers today would be a lot higher,” says Jos.

He further says, “It has truly become a people’s programme. They do it on their own. However, this is also a consequence of household structures in Kerala as well. Here, each homestead has its own well. In the beginning, we wanted to adopt a traditional participatory community approach, but soon realised it depends on individual households as well, particularly those who can afford to install the system. Apart from the local poor, who avail of government subsidy schemes to construct these structures, many individual houses do it of their own accord.”

As per the same February 2013 CWRDM study, approximately 78 per cent of respondents in the coastal and midland area reported a “significant improvement in the groundwater availability.”

The increase in utilisable groundwater potential with Mazhapolima is estimated for the sample area representing highland, midland and lowland is about 7.22, 14.08, and 43.35 million litres respectively. The study also indicates that the impact of direct well recharge on groundwater regime in the coastal and midland region is very significant, whereas in the highland region it is marginal, the support says.

The first gram panchayat to adopt Mazhapolima was the Thiruvilwamala Gram Panchayat, and the impact on their day-to-day lives has been real. In many of these villages, people would depend on water tankers, particularly in April and May. In villages like Thekkumkara, where the district administration reportedly spent around Rs 14 lakh on tankers to provide water for all the 300 households in 2016-17, today has well-recharging units all over.

Also Read: Brilliant! This IIT Dropout’s Simple Solution Can Deliver Safe & Clean Water to 650,000 Villages

Yet, the challenges remain. For starters, many among the poor are yet to receive their subsidy money even after six months of applying, according to this Down to Earth report. Those whose bank accounts aren’t linked with Aadhaar are not receiving any State-sponsored benefits.

“Furthermore, there is more awareness required in other districts of Kerala, and shake people out of the illusion of seeing their wells full when the monsoon arrives. People need more convincing and to answer their questions, we need to spread further awareness at the grassroots levels. We need greater mobilisation and the State government could do better on this front,” argues Jos.

Nonetheless, the Mazhapolima programme has shown us the blueprint of how activists, communities, and governments can innovate to address the vagaries of climate change, thus protecting even traditionally heavy rainfall regions from undue water scarcity.

All it requires is some science and common sense.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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The sun was strong on the Vypin beach in Kerala. Lieutenant Rahul Dalal was enjoying the view while relishing an ice-cream with his wife when he saw a crowd gathered near the shore. Curious, Rahul ventured further and saw a hand rising out of the water. In an instant, he knew what was happening.

A man was trying to fight his way out of the water, shouting for help, but the strong evening currents had him in their deathly grip. Without a moment’s hesitation, Rahul dove into the sea, swimming as fast as he could toward the drowning man.

A Lieutenant in the Indian Navy, Rahul has been serving the Navy since 2014. The Better India (TBI) got in touch with the brave soldier to know more about this incident.

“I saw him struggling in the water, and a crowd had assembled. Immediately, I asked my wife to call the ambulance and dove into the water. Thanks to my training, I am a fast swimmer and could reach him within a minute.

The currents were quite strong, but that wasn’t our only problem. The victim, Dileep Agarwal, is a non-swimmer,” recalled Rahul.

This compounded the rescue operation for the young lieutenant as a frightened Dileep grabbed Rahul’s head in a frantic attempt to save himself and tried to climb on his shoulders, pushing him further down. Just as Rahul escaped from his grip, the victim held his neck tightly, making it difficult for him to breathe.

However, the lieutenant managed to loosen Dileep’s grip, approached him from behind and started speaking to him. He mentioned that he is a Navy officer and can save Dileep’s life if he just held the lieutenant’s shoulders and let him lead.

Soon enough, both the victim and Rahul were moving toward the shore. It isn’t unusual for a crowd to get petrified at a scene like this. Perhaps most of them lack the confidence to save a drowning person’s life, especially an adult, which is what stopped them from swimming to Dileep’s rescue.

“The officer also had to deal with the desperate and panicked victim who was pulling him down, putting both their lives in danger.

The officer calmed the victim and made him hold onto his shoulders, after which he started swimming toward the beach.

Rahul mustered all his strength and managed to reach the shore with the help of some locals,” a post on the official Facebook page of the Indian Navy reads.

On reaching the shore, Rahul realised that Dileep had stopped breathing. It had taken the Lieutenant a minute to reach the victim, but due to the panic-induced struggle, it took them 20 minutes to reach the shore. Within this time, Dileep had swallowed too much water and along with that, algae and seaweed.

You may also like: Manipur’s ‘Miracle’ IAS Officer Wins Hearts Again, Comes to the Rescue of Poor Mizoram Boy!

“As soon as we reached the shore, I checked his breathing and pulse. His pulse was close to normal, but he had stopped breathing. So I opened his mouth and realised that his air passage was blocked by bits of leaves and seaweed. I rested his neck in a way that the air-passage gets cleared and took out the garbage he had taken in. Then, I performed CPR on him for a good two to three minutes before he finally threw up,” the 27-year-old told TBI.

By the time Rahul resuscitated Dileep, the police and the ambulance had reached the location, thanks to Rahul’s wife.

They took charge after that and sent Dileep to the Kochi Government Hospital where he is now doing well.

“As an armed forces officer, it is our duty and responsibility to help anyone in need. And that’s exactly what I did. The incident occurred on Friday, April 5 and on Saturday, I was in Mumbai for a marathon. Dileep had called me then, but I could not answer his calls till Sunday. He thanked me and told me how it all happened,” Rahul shares.

As it turned out, Dileep was on his honeymoon in Kochi and had reached the place that same morning. His wife was supposed to join him in the evening. Meanwhile, he decided to visit the beach and saw some people bathing in the water. Dileep unwisely chose to do the same when the currents started pulling him down.

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“Dileep is a non-swimmer, but he still took a risk which could have been fatal. The waters are not always safe, and one must not trust them blindly. If you can’t swim, it’s best not to enter the water without trusted friends to help you. If not for me, we could have been looking at an unfortunate event right now. Stay safe in the waters,” Rahul advises.

An accident is an unexpected, unfortunate incident that happens suddenly. It is unavoidable. But some accidents can easily be avoided if one acts with good sense and caution. In light of what could have happened to Dileep had Rahul not been passing by, Murphy’s Law makes more sense than ever, “If something can go wrong, it will.”

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Vinu Daniel is a leading exponent of sustainable architecture in India. However, he never intended to become one.

Born and raised in the Middle East, Vinu always aspired to become a musician.

However, his parents wanted their son to pursue a conventional profession, so, after passing out of school in Abu Dhabi, Vinu moved back home to Kerala to study architecture at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum.

“I got into architecture thinking that it was a creative space, where I could express myself. I had no idea what was in store for me. Within a year or two, I was angered by the pedagogical framework within which conventional architecture was taught. Adjusting to it was difficult, and I felt that architecture had become all about satisfying one’s ego,” says Vinu, in a conversation with The Better India.

This is a sentiment that many experts have expressed in the past.

With advances in building technology, many architects have envisioned and executed luxurious forms and geometries. But indulging themselves or their clients in these ventures has also generated excessive amounts of waste.

However, a chance meeting with legendary architect Laurie Baker in his fourth year played a critical role in making him fall in love with architecture.

“Baker explained how buildings could completely co-exist with nature and avoid waste. He also told me something very profound about a chance meeting he had with Mahatma Gandhi,” says Vinu.

Inspiration

“It was also through the influence of Mahatma Gandhi that I learnt that the real people you should be building for, and who are in need, are the ‘ordinary’ people—those living in villages and the congested areas of our cities.

One of the things he (Gandhi) said has influenced my thinking —that the ideal house in the ideal village will be built using material that is found within a five-mile radius of the home,” wrote Baker.

Vinu felt that Baker’s words were truly inspiring and he could relate to them.

“In urban spaces, there is a need to include waste and debris in construction. This method would serve millions with housing needs and not burden the environment,” says Vinu.

After his graduation in 2005, he worked with Auroville Earth Institute for the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Post-Tsunami construction.

On returning from Pondicherry in 2007, he started ‘Wallmakers’ which was christened thus by others, as the first project was just a compound wall built utilising mud bricks and beer bottles, which was lying waste.

By 2008 he had received an award for a low cost, eco-friendly house from the ‘Save Periyar’ Pollution Control Committee for the house which was constructed for a cancer patient.

Thus far, Wallmakers have mostly constructed residential structures, while also working on different religious edifices, commercial buildings and even pavilions.

“Initially, I found it very difficult to convince clients that sustainable architecture is needed in commercial buildings. Unlike residences, they require it more because these are spaces where a lot of people communicate and interact. Commercial spaces aren’t merely about the floor area ratio, but also about making people comfortable, interact and happy to work with each other,” he says.

Turning point

For Vinu, however, the penny dropped with the construction of the Valsala Cottage from 2008 to 2009. This cottage, which won him the India Today eco-friendly house of the year (South Zone) award, was for his mother’s brother in their native place Mavelikara.

“It was a difficult time for me. The masses didn’t accept my design philosophy and ideas. I had a tough time convincing people. However, one day, my uncle came and asked me to build him an innovative, beautiful and sustainable houses using mudbricks. He gave me a free hand to do anything. It gave me a lot of freedom to think differently,” recalls Vinu.

At that point, he was at a crossroads in his career, asking himself whether he could continue pursuing eco-friendly architecture.

“I decided not to condition myself into thinking in terms of conventional structures. I wanted to be free with my designs, break convention. This cottage allowed me to do that,” he says.

The cottage predominantly uses compressed stabilised earth blocks (CSEB) which are essentially mud blocks. It is “construction material made using damp soil under a high amount of pressure to form blocks. CSEBs are composed of dry inorganic subsoil, non-expansive clay, aggregates and Portland cement, are an environmentally friendly alternative to clay bricks,” says HAPPHO, a Pune-based construction solutions company.

What Vinu did was apply traditional climatic and ventilation techniques in a contemporary way.

Most houses in Kerala have something called a Nadumuttam (a traditional open courtyard) which is offered to the sky. The Valsal cottage similarly has an eye-shaped courtyard space at the centre of it. Additionally, it also harvests rainwater and redirects it to the plants outside.

“This allowed for more internal cooling. Since hot air is lighter, it would escape through the central courtyard opening. Meanwhile, the upper stories had a complete wall made of beer bottle jaalis and CSEBs. In ancient houses, there used to be an upper area, which had a gable full of holes, allowing hot air to escape the building. In our case, all the hot air escapes out from first-floor room jaali. Using beer bottles also allowed the light to flow in seamlessly as well. This design created conditions for natural cooling, making air conditioners redundant,” informs Vinu.

However, creative differences in 2015 resulted in the modification of the structure. The structure was painted, the courtyard removed, and the jaalis were changed in the upper room.

“It’s all about priority. Back then the priority wasn’t that the house is cool within and liveable. The focus was on showcasing it to others backed by misguided rationales like if the air comes in, it brings along dust and thus maintenance might be a concern. We could have easily worked around this problem by using mosquito nets, etc. Only now that climatic conditions have changed severely are people aware of why these traditional and sustainable designs are needed,” he recalls.

Using what we have already used

Since the very beginning of his career, Vinu has been using recyclable waste. In the Wallmakers’ latest project, they are using pet bottles to build an entire house alongside material like mud and scrap wood. It’s a composite creation. These pet bottles filled with mud serve a structural purpose as they act as compressors and thus are used as bricks to construct houses.

For Vinu, necessity and innovation are significant facets of his projects. Depending on where the client’s structure is located, he comes up with innovative solutions.

In one such project, the location where his client wanted to construct a house was once a dump yard.

How do you utilise the trash around you? That’s when he first came up with the patented debris wall and shuttered debris wall, which he shares with fellow architect Shobhita Jacob.

“Once again, it’s coming back to the Gandhian philosophy of utilising material found within a five-mile radius. Just look around when you walk out. You will find lots of waste material like plastic and construction debris strewn around. Abiding by that principle, I cannot ignore this waste. One must start thinking maybe this is new material because this is all we may have in the future. We must prepare ourselves for the day when resources we take for granted no longer exist,” he says.

One excellent example of how Vinu employed the patented debris wall was for a house in Pathanamthitta, belonging to academic Biju Matthew.

“While all other walls of the house are built of rammed earth with mud sourced from the site itself added with barely 5 – 7% cement; this debris wall is built around a frame of 6 mm steel rods and plastered 22 gauge wire mesh which supports the layers of debris poured in with intermittent watering, finished with a final layer of plaster. This wall made of 80% building material remains, 15% gravel, 5% cement and 5% manufactured sand is not just resource and cost-efficient, but also surprisingly strong and of extremely pliable form,” says this column in Future of Design.

The debris wall is painted over with waterproofing material. Meanwhile, the shuttered debris wall involves a process of putting a shutter and pouring the debris mixed with small quantities of cement mixture to hold it well alongside with the mixture of mud to avoid honeycombing.

Back in Vogue

With climate change wreaking havoc on how we live our everyday lives and the emergence of an eco-friendly consciousness among many Indians, sustainable architecture has gone from a model once ignored to one which everyone wants to adopt.

The advantages are clear. This is precisely why it’s time to hark back to a time when the mainstream didn’t embrace Vinu’s line of work.

As stated earlier, his very first project was the construction of a compound wall.

Well, he was initially tasked with building the entire house until the client developed cold feet, leaving him to construct just the compound wall.

Also Read: Pune Couple Builds Cement-Free Breathable Homes That Don’t Need ACs or Fans!

However, Vinu wasn’t fazed and instead used it as an opportunity to work with labourers in making mud bricks for the wall. This gave him hands-on experience in making mud bricks, a material many consumers want today for its cooling properties.

Today, it looks like Vinu’s time has finally arrived.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Hailing from the Adivasi community of Kurachiyas in Wayanad, Cheruvayal Raman is no ordinary farmer. For one, he lives in a home that is over 150 years old and second, he has preserved over 50 indigenous paddy varieties.

Fondly known as Ramettan, he has spent almost all his life cultivating paddy through organic practices, like the generations before him.

“Our community traditionally practises farming, and our lives and livelihoods are intrinsically linked with it,” says the 69-year-old, in conversation with The Better India.

Raman remembers that he started working in the fields at the tender age of 10, but it would only be in 1969 that he would seriously begin cultivating paddy after his uncle left him 40 acres of land.

However, the pursuit of native seed preservation would follow almost three decades later.

“I embarked on this path sometime during the early 2000s. Wayanad has always been a region known for its paddy cultivation, but our native paddy varieties were losing out to hybrid and genetically engineered seeds. I earmarked a patch of 1.5 acres on my 4-acre plot of land and started cultivating each of the native seeds that I had collected. Each one of them has varying maturity periods, based upon which their sowing and harvesting take place,” explains Raman.

Some of the varieties that are a part of Raman’s collection include Mannu Veliyan, Chembakam, Thondi, Channalthondi, Chettuveliyan, Palveliyan, Kanali and aromatic rice varieties like Gandhakashala, Jeerakasala and Kayama.

So how does he store the seeds?

“After every harvest, I myself clean and dry all the seeds before I stash them up safely at my home, which doubles up as a storeroom. I have been relentlessly doing this year after year,” he adds.

In Kerala, the man is a legend, and people from across the world visit him and try to learn his techniques.

“My knowledge and learning is out there for everyone, and I will always keep my doors open for those with the heart to learn,” Raman says.

Besides the work that he does, a rather fascinating aspect of Raman’s life is his humble abode—which as we mentioned before is easily over 150 years old and was passed down to Raman from his ancestors.

Considered to be a rarity, these earthen structures have more or less vanished in the last few decades, and Raman’s home is one of the exceptions.

Why has he stuck with this ancient home like an old companion, even when there are more modern housing options available?

Made with cob and adobe walls, and a timber and bamboo double roof structure, such homes have long-standing endurance that has withstood natural disasters—something that modern structures can’t guarantee.

You can read more about Raman’s ancient yet sustainable home here.

Coming back to Raman, even though he has been felicitated with numerous awards and commendation letters by government organisations and colleges, he is alone in his crusade.

“I’ve been preserving these heritage seeds for the last 17-18 years, of which some have been passed down through generations and are almost 500 years old. But till date, I have not received any kind of support nor any grants from the government, agricultural institutions or any individuals for the painstaking work I’ve been undertaking. Neither have I ever sought any support from anyone too. And I have never sold any of these seeds for any personal gain,” explains Raman.

While Raman doesn’t sell any of his preserved seeds, he does share a kilo or two of these with anyone and everyone who approaches him.

But only on one condition—they should return the exact amount of seeds that they have harvested themselves.

“This way, there is still some hope of survival for these seeds and some validation to my efforts,” he adds.

Besides paddy seed preservation, Raman conducts studies on soil, water as well as paddy seeds and their growth patterns.

“I’ve been conducting these studies and experiments right at my home. From understanding crop growth patterns to the compost requirement of each variety, I learnt everything on my own through practical applications. This helped me understand even the tiniest strain of changes that can occur in crops,” shares Raman.

None of Raman’s four children, all of whom who are married, have showcased any inclination towards farming or intend to take forward the conservational endeavours of their father.

Perhaps it is because they have grown up seeing him struggle and suffer massive losses throughout their growing years. Another reason could be that they do not see any profitability in the field.

“It is alright that no one has offered to help me or volunteered to take forward my work. I’m 69 and had quite recently, even suffered a heart attack during an educational visit in Dubai. But that couldn’t stop me, and I intend to do this as long as I can do so. I’m only sad that all these years of effort would amount to nothing once I’m gone,” he sadly concludes.

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Raman may be a lone warrior in a world that is relatively aloof towards agriculture, but he isn’t willing to give up anytime soon.

We hope that this man and his years of hard work don’t just receive widespread recognition but also find supporters, who can join him in this pursuit and when the time comes, take his work forward.

You can reach out to Cheruvayal Raman at 9947222180.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Every time I close my eyes to think of my childhood, the memory of waking up in the morning to the sweet chirping of sparrows comes rushing back.

And, how just before breakfast, my mother and I would feed breadcrumbs and fruits to a fleet of crows that regularly visited our kitchen window at every meal hour.

I was not raised in a village cradled amidst nature. I grew up in a city, and yet, I was gifted these precious glimpses of nature. Today, I realise that I was lucky because both the morning chirps and pleasant visits have become a rarity now.

While every year on March 20 (World Sparrow Day), we acknowledge the tiny missing sparrows that once hopped and chirped all around, and dive into long discourses about what led to their disappearance, with a gnawing threat of their extinction in mind, how much action actually goes into it?

That is one of the many thoughts that urged this man to take a step.

Meet Sreeman Narayanan, a simple man who has embarked on an extraordinary journey to protect just not sparrows but all birds—with a single act of kindness.

“We all know what is happening around us. We can see it, feel it, but we do nothing to change it. I can’t be part of that lot,” expressed Sreeman, while in conversation with The Better India.

The man single-handedly has been changing the fate of Muppathadam, a village in Ernakulam, Kerala, through various conservation initiatives.

And, the most recent one is a rather sensitive move to help the birds glide through the scorching summers unharmed.

“This year’s summer has been so hot that it is burning the life out of us. Just imagine what it must be doing to the tiny beings. While I can do nothing about the weather, I can at least try and make it easier for them. Here, the water sources have mostly dried up, so I thought of giving them an alternative, and provide water to them,” said the 70-year-old who purchased and distributed as many as 10,000 earthen pots in and around the village for free, so that these birds have open access to cold water at every corner.

Each pot is big enough for 100 birds to drink from it, he adds.

Expense? What is money for?

Sreeman holds multiple professional identities that have earned him recognition. A dual postgraduate degree holder in Economics and Malayalam, he is an award-winning writer who bagged the 2016 Kerala State Institute for Children’s Literature award in poetry for his work ‘Kuttikalude Gurudevan.’

Also Read: Chennai’s Sparrow Queen is Trying to Bring the Little Birds Back to the City!

He is also a wholesale lottery dealer, a restaurant owner, and a Gandhian, who has dedicated his life to live by Gandhi’s principles and has distributed more than 5,000 copies of Gandhi’s autobiography to propagate his ideas.

Yet, he says that his true identity lies in being a good human being.

“I love working, so I continue to do something or the other. However, it’s not for money, but to have a purpose,” said Sreeman, who spent a total of Rs 8 lakh to purchase the earthen pots.

A father of three children, Sreeman says the expense doesn’t matter to him. “I have completed all my duties as a father. They have their own lives now. I don’t believe in saving up for the future while ignoring the present. So, I use the money earned from the restaurant and the lottery business to abate the destruction of nature and make it a better place than it is today,” he said.

Titled ‘Jeeva jalathinu oru manu pathram’ (earthen pot for life-saving water), the project was started in 2018. Its previous success inspired Sreeman to continue it this year as well.

As a result, more than 9,000 pots have been distributed in residential associations, educational institutes and clubs. With less than a thousand pots left, he said that he has ordered for more, and will continue this until every corner of the village has a pot of life for the birds.

This effort is not in isolation, as he distributed more than 50,000 saplings worth Rs 15 lakhs across the district, all for free. He planted 10,000 trees in the houses of his village. “There was one condition given to all of them. To make sure that the let the saplings grow into trees, and that they would spare the fruits of at least one tree in the compound for the birds to eat,” he said.

Sreeman is a living example of how each an every one of us can make an extraordinarily positive impact, provided we want it with all our heart.

Kudos to him and this initiative!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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“Capturing the truth in the scope of my lens gives me a different kind of satisfaction. It’s not always planned, more of spontaneous expression, in my case,” says the 32-year-old from Kerala, whose photograph clicked during the floods, has traveled across seas to gain international recognition.

Meet M L Sreejin, a junior health inspector, who managed to capture the right shot at the right time, depicting a medical officer treating a critical baby on a boat clinic, parked at Chanhamkari.

A true reflection of the situation, the photograph beautifully intertwined the devastation while also depicting a ray of hope.

Based in Kuttanad, he belongs to the Edathua Community Health Centre (CHC), and is part of the medical team which worked to bring relief to the flood-ridden areas of Kerala.

In addition to being committed to providing quality medical help to people in remote areas, Sreejin harbours a deep passion for photography.

Speaking to The Better India, he shares, “I had saved up for years to buy a DSLR. Finally, I bought it in 2010. Since then, there has been no stopping.”

He continues, “Luckily, my work allows me to travel and see the beauty all around me. All my camera does is click and capture, the right moment and the right emotion!”

He continues, “On July 25, 2018, sometime in the afternoon, we received a call asking us to come to Anjoorupadam, Changamkari, urgently. At the time, we were in the flooded fields of Alappuzha. On the call, we were told that a four-month-old baby was burning up with severe fever. We decided to prioritise and turned our mobile clinic towards their house.”

Upon reaching, they were shocked.

The surrounding areas were waist-deep in water. The family could not have gone to the hospital as their house was situated on an isolated island, surrounded by paddy fields.

It was almost ‘floating’, he adds.

“It was a sight I can hardly put into words. So we informed Dr Sini C Joseph of CHC, about the incident. Along with her, nurses C P Santha, J H I Shajiman K R, and P B Indulekha, joined me in rushing to the spot. Once they began the treatment, I jumped into the water to get the best shot of Dr Joseph examining and giving medicine to the child, while sitting on a country boat, our mobile clinic. It was not planned, nor did I expect it to be recognised by an organisation like the WHO,” he adds.

But Sreejin’s spontaneous click soon grabbed international attention, an image that has now become an icon of the helping hand extended by the Kerala health department during the floods that ravaged the coastal state last year.

Owing to this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has featured the image in their annual calendar!

But it all came after a few hiccups.

Not trained in swimming, he and the nurses were scared to travel in a country boat in the paddy fields which were filled with neck-deep water. “It was then that a local of Edathua, Shajimon, came up and encouraged us to picture the larger cause of saving a life, to overcome our fear,” recalls Sreejin, who is originally from Thiruvananthapuram.

Speaking about the journey to discovery, he adds that the Alappuzha District Mass Media Officer, Suja P S, was instrumental in getting the WHO’s attention. After noticing the photo on the report, she reached out to him to inquire about it, then sent it to Dr Asha Raghavan, WHO consultant, who furthered it. And, eventually, they got the good news.

Also Read: Every Week, Odisha Doctor Walks for Kilometers to Ensure Tribals Get Medical Care!

“One of the many reasons to come here and work was to get the opportunity of substantial work like this, while continuing my passion. Wherever I go, my camera is always with me. Be it the landscapes of Kuttanad or the simple village life here, raw and unbelievably beautiful. I was lucky to be gifted with such a moment to capture, and am grateful for the recognition,” he concludes.

Although Sreejin claims it to be a lucky moment, his precision and ability to encapsulate the disaster, the hard work of the relief teams and the hope they bring—all in the same frame, is touching.

Kudos to him!

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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As a three-year-old growing up in Palakkad, Kerala, Sangita Iyer would often visit a temple in the vicinity. There, while the adults prayed and sat in silence, she would marvel at a bull elephant domesticated by the temple authorities.

Its long trunk, the body big enough to hide the temple wall, and gentle eyes, were enough to captivate the toddler’s attention.

“I still remember how my grandparents and the elephant handlers felt comfortable enough to leave me with the elephant, totally unattended,” she recalls.

But the curious, inquisitive young girl who would grow up to become a journalist was showing the traits of asking hard questions even at that young age.

“Why are there shackles on the elephant’s legs if I don’t have them?” she would ask her grandmother. Even when the amused adults would try to convince her that it was hardly anything to be worried about, Sangita would continue asking questions that perplexed her family.

It was this childhood bond that she formed with the majestic beasts and a chance documentary she shot later, which steered Sangita towards the path of elephant conservation.

Today, apart from directing films and drafting supreme court petitions, she has created a charitable trust named ‘Voice For Asian Elephants Society’ (VFAES), which is based in California but fights for the rights of elephants in India.

“In June 2013 I ended up in the Wayanad district in Kerala where I witnessed a wild elephant being rescued. The majestic animal with enormous tusks had fallen into a trench. It was extremely emotional and deeply gratifying to witness the way people were working hard to rescue the hapless animal” begins Sangita in an interview with The Better India.

“Fast forward to December 2013, and a chain of events that took me to the temples of Kerala where I was absolutely devastated and utterly shocked by what I saw. Several elephants had been blinded, many had raw bleeding wounds on their ankles, the heavy chains cutting into their flesh, and almost all of them had enormous tumours on their hips. Despite such physical disabilities they were being forced to parade beneath the scorching sun, deprived of a proper home, food, and water.”

At the time, Sangita was living in Canada and had a graduate degree in biology and a postgraduate degree in broadcast journalism and production.

Being a videographer and a trained journalist, she had brought her camera with her to Kerala in 2013. Upon seeing the terrible conditions that the elephants were kept in, she began filming what she saw, but without a proper plan about whether she would compile it or keep it as a raw record.

The total video footage was 25 hours, and it featured the plight of captive elephants.

Although that wasn’t the plan when she began filming, Sangita was inspired to compile the material and make a documentary—Gods in Shackles. The exposé about how the poor wild animals are caged, beaten, starved and tortured to follow man’s instructions hit a raw nerve with the audience.

“The film has touched me so deep that I not only sympathise for our temple elephants but also feel like doing something to save them from the bestiality of our society,” is one such review.

The film was representative of the torture that captive animals go through all over the country, and it was Sangita’s way of issuing a call to action.

“The documentary was screened at the United Nations’ General Assembly on the inaugural World Wildlife Day in March 2016 and has won over a dozen international film festival awards, including two best documentaries of the year in 2017. It was also screened at the prestigious International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa,” she tells The Better India.

In August 2014, some of the footage in Gods in Shackles found another audience. The Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Bengaluru used still shots from the movie to file a petition in the Supreme Court to ensure the protection of elephants in captivity—especially in Kerala— which is home to the largest elephant population in India.

“Between November and May (2013), there [were] more than 3000 festivals conducted in Kerala, most of them exploiting India’s heritage animal, the endangered Asian elephants, as deemed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These majestic animals are reduced to slaves, and rushed from one festival to another, standing on hot iron planks behind the truck, paraded beneath the scorching sun and deprived of food and water,” says the petition.

Three years later, in September 2017, Sangita took the lead to file an intervention application and reexamine the topic to bring it to the court’s attention.

“The reason I filed the intervention application is that elephants are Schedule 1 animals that are afforded maximum protection. They were also declared India’s heritage animal in 2010. But despite these special titles, elephants don’t receive the protection they deserve. Globally there are around 35,000 Asian elephants, and they have been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). India has around 60% of the global elephant population, making it imperative to protect them in our country,” she explains.

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The issues that the wise, social elephants face are not alien to us. Every month, we read about the accidental death of a poor elephant who happened to walk outside of its forested area.

It is the ever-expanding human population that is encroaching upon their territory, and yet, rather than being compensated, the animals are subjected to poaching, captivity, and constant torture.

“Furthermore, as asserted by many climate scientists, human activities are exacerbating climate change, leading to further decimation of the wild habitat through floods and other weather-related events, leaving no place for the wildlife. Elephants are doomed in captivity and the wild. They have been kicked out of their own homes. This is the tragic reality of our precious heritage animal!” insists Sangita.

Through films that touch the heart and petitions that force the brain to think, Sangita and VFAES have been fighting for the rights and protection of elephants in India. Although the journey has been deeply fulfilling, there have been insane challenges to overcome as well.

“Old habits die hard, and it is tough to change the cultural attitudes that have seeped into people’s minds for over centuries. When I began to speak out against the exploitation of elephants in festivals, the festival mafias began to call me an enemy of culture and sent harassing emails to intimidate me,” she mentions.

You may also like: This Legendary IFS Officer is The Only One With Two Species Named After Him!

During the screenings across Kerala, the Chief Minister and the State Police Chief gave her 24/7 police protection. In fact, before the documentary was screened in Thrissur, the hub of the elephant entertainment industry, the bomb squad tested the famous Kairali theater.

“It seems like my fate was decided when I was three years old. Decades later, here I am, trying to unshackle the shackles that confine these majestic animals. And I am eternally grateful for my grandparents who fostered my special bond with elephants. They deserve a fighting chance, and I am determined to be their voice until my last breath,” she concludes.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Everyone wants their wedding to be unique and unforgettable. But in India, people go out of their way to ensure that their special day remains indeed special.

For some, it is a display of grandeur and extravaganza while for others, the day is earmarked to send out a message.

We have all been part of one or the other, but have you ever attended a marriage ceremony where everything that was served in the wedding banquet was cultivated and harvested by the bride and groom?

This farming couple from Kerala did exactly that. Love for agriculture was what brought the destinies of Vani and Vijith together, and over a decade ago, they decided to start their married life as an ode to that shared passion.

A native of Haripad town of Alappuzha district, Vani always nursed an affinity for agriculture, and for what it was worth, she even fought with her folks to opt for a degree in agriculture, despite showing an aptitude for a promising future in medicine. On the other hand, Vijith wasn’t as clear-headed about his future plans. Unsure about which career path to follow, he buckled under family pressure and took up engineering.

However, one thing that really interested Vijith, right from his school days, had been nature and he would sign up for every environment camp that came along his way. This devoted participation became even more pronounced during his college days. Along with many of his friends, Vijith would take part in several plantation drives, and go on to plant many saplings in his college campus.

“I’d like to attribute my passion for the environment to two significant people in my life—late Shiva Prasad Sir and Mohan Kumar Sir. Known eco-warriors in Kerala, both were teachers who would often be part of these camps. It was their knowledge and expertise that has made me the environmentally-conscious person that I am today,” shares Vijith with The Better India (TBI).

It was during one of these camps that Vijith and Vani met for the first time, and remained in touch for a very interesting reason.

“Perhaps it was instilled in me during the random plantation drives, but I’d this habit of collecting seeds and nurturing saplings, mostly native species like njaval (jamun), elanji (Bullet wood tree), to name a few. I’d supply these to anyone who’d ask me. My friends also helped me out in this pursuit. Because of this habit, Vani would reach out to me for different saplings,” says Vijith.

By then, Vani had completed her B.Sc in Agriculture, and was working with the Watershed Department in Thrissur while Vijith was employed as a Sub-Station Operator with the Electricity Board in Athani.

In the meantime, they would keep meeting during various environment camps and their friendship cemented further.

Seeing the passion that Vani harboured for agriculture, even Vijith’s interest peaked and they decided to pursue M.Sc in Ecology and environmental sciences from the Pondicherry University together.

“Unfortunately, Vani’s father fell ill after we had joined the course, and she had to drop out to take care of her parents and grandmother. Unlike my personal interest in plants and farming, Vani hailed from a family which used to farm quite actively, and grew many types of vegetables and edible tubers. Everyone in her family had good knowledge on not just farming but also on gardening as well as ayurvedic plants. To sustain the family, she decided to start farming across her ancestral land in Haripad,” recalls Vijith.

And joining Vani in this pursuit was Vijith, who had also left the course.

Together with a few friends, they started work over a 4.5 acre plot. Vijith credits Vani of being the major guiding force, whose vision, knowledge and experience helped him learn and understand the ways of farming more intensively.

“For me, it was the beginning of a life dedicated towards farming and along with that, biodiversity conservation. This plot was sparsely vegetated so we decided to do what we’ve done since our college days—plant trees and saplings!” he says.

Somewhere along this time, Vani popped the question to Vijith. “She has always been focused that way. All these years that we have been together, both as friends and as spouses, she has been clear-headed about what she wanted and also better at decision-making. Though I’d always liked her, I never gave a serious thought to getting married until she proposed!” laughs Vijith.

Along with marriage, she’d also proposed the idea of growing everything they’d need to prepare the wedding feast, which Vijith readily agreed to. “Perhaps it is possible today that people might want to do something this unique, but ten years ago, it was something unheard of. Our whole family wholeheartedly supported us to turn our wish into a reality,” he adds.

And thus began a full-fleged journey into the agrarian world—this time, hand in hand.

But the duo was adamant about one thing. Whatever they grew should be organic and advantageous for the environment instead of damaging it. An important aspect for Vijith and Vani here was to steer clear of agricultural politics.

“By agricultural politics, I mean how our native crop species have diminished and perhaps even gone forever, thanks to the prevalence of genetically engineered and hybrid seeds. We wanted to bring back different indigenous varieties of crops and cultivate those, as they were better habituated to our region and resistant to diseases. Soil quality as well as groundwater table also remains in check, unlike the hybrid seeds which overmine all the resources and leave the soil unfit for use after few cycles. This led us to collect and preserve native seed varieties of perhaps every vegetable, fruit and herb variety that we have come across so far,” explains Vijith.

Different varieties of beans, ladies fingers, chena (elephant foot yam), chembu (colocasia), kachil (greater yam), brinjal, plantain, mango—they have tried a hand at almost everything, and are going quite strong.

Furthermore, their relentless tree plantation endeavours have resulted in the creation of a self-sustaining farmland that has easily over 5,000 trees and plants. Some patches have been let alone to develop like kaavu (an ancient practice in Kerala under which forest fragments were given sacred and religious connotations, and left untouched by local communities).

Alongside, there are also 10 ponds spread across their land, of which some have existed before and the rest were created by the couple and their friends in time.

Using only organic and home prepared manure and compost for the crops, the couple began by selling their produce outside their home during the initial days.

“When the production started increasing beyond what our friends and neighbours could buy from us, we thought of opening a shop and things worked in our favour, when a nearby tailoring shop closed down and we took over. My sister and mother helped in revamping the store through their artwork, and we also have a vertical garden set up here. Because it is possible that we may not have enough farm produce for sale round the year, we have teamed up with other organic farmers who would like to sell through our store, Prakrithi Jaiva Kalavara. Alongside, we also sell value added products made from organic crops like dried plantain and beans,” Vijith adds.

A rather interesting practice that the couple have maintained from the start, despite opening their store, is that people are free to choose and pluck the produce straight from the fields.

In their pursuit of making their living space entirely sustainable, their farmland has three biogas plants, of which one was added last month. Compost is generated from these plants in just a day and even their toilet is linked to one of the plants. They also source in food waste from nearby hotels to their plants. In addition to all of this, the couple has installed a solar power plant in the farm that supplies enough electricity to power the house throughout the night.

Their farm is open to everyone who is interested in nature and farming and Vijith and Vani have been particularly keen upon hosting kids. “Initially, kids from nearby areas would come by and spend the entire day here. We would organise nature camps for a day or so. Upon seeing that these kids loved being here and even showed an inclination to stay back, we were motivated to host proper camps for kids with varied activities and thus, Mango Showers Camp came to being last year,” Vijith says.

Having completed with an edition of Mango Showers earlier this month, Vijith is quite hopeful for the camps to help children become more environmentally-conscious, and cultivate an interest in agriculture as well.

While Vijith has been taking care of the farm, Vani is currently in Thiruvananthapuram, busy preparing for the UPSC exams. “She felt that there were a lot of necessary changes that needed to come in the existing system. As simple farmers, it is not possible [to bring change], but if we are part of the system, there is still some hope for that. Even I had dedicated an entire year for the same but buckled down later. But she is determined and is putting her heart and soul in the pursuit,” Vijith proudly adds.

As of future plans for the farm, Vijith shares that they have demarcated three patches in the farm to nurture fruit forests. “We plan on kickstarting the plantation by the end of May, keeping the onset of monsoon in mind,” he concludes.

You may also like: Kerala’s ‘Guardian of Native Paddy’ Lives in a 150-YO Home Made of Mud & Bamboo!

It is heartening to see motivated young folks like Vani and Vijith, whose undying love for agriculture coupled with simple yet impactful steps towards biodiversity conservation hold great hope for the future. We wish the couple luck and hope their story inspires one and all.

For more information, you can reach out to Vijith on Whatsapp at 9497288586.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Situated on the banks of the river Periyar, lies the tiny village of Choornikkara. It is home to 35,000 villagers and surrounded by the three municipalities of Eloor, Aluva and Kalamassery.

Two decades ago, this village was known for its lush green paddy fields like Chavaru Padam (Padam is ‘paddy field’ in Malayalam), Muthiri Padam, Katte Padam, and many more.

However, it was only a matter of time until this village fell prey to urbanisation.

The 1990s saw a drastic shift of the villagers from farming to other professions. Farming yielded low profits, groundwater levels were severely depleted, and the pH value of the water was considered unsuitable even for drinking purposes.

Most paddy lands were filled up and restored except two—Chavaru Padam and Katte Padam.

Located on either side of the highway with a distance of a 100 metres between them, these paddy lands were turned into cesspools of sewage. Deemed irreversible for farming, filth from toilets, factories, butcher shops turned them into wastelands.

For more than 22 years, the 200-acre Chavaru Padam was a smelly place, and passersby would scrunch their noses up in disgust or hold their breath, while walking past it.

Today, things have considerably changed. More than 30 acres of Chavaru Padam and 15 acres of Katte Padam have been converted into a green haven of paddy fields.

And this is all thanks to a group of 18 youth volunteers from a group called Adayalam.

In an exclusive interview with The Better India (TBI), Ansar TM, the 33-year-old president of Adayalam, recalls the journey.

The idea of returning the wasteland to its former glory took root in 2008 when the group approached the local Krishi Bhavan and panchayat officials.

The authorities alerted them that Chavaru, spread across 200 acres, belonged to dozens of small landowners, do any action would require their consent and cooperation.

“When we summoned our first meeting, 150 landowners turned up. But by the second meeting, this number dropped to 100, and by the third, only 15 landholders showed up. Thus, we could sow paddy in only 1.5 acres at Chavaru Padam. It wasn’t much, but it was certainly the beginning.”

Challenges

The land had become entirely hostile to paddy or any crop. Toilet waste, refuse from the poultry farms, and butcher shops and piles of plastic clogged it.

Just clearing that waste cost them Rs. 1.5 lakh and many days of work.

“We borrowed money from several people. Three JCBs (excavators) worked five days. Two tipper trucks made several trips to remove the waste. Once cleared, we filled water in the plot. This water was sourced from the main irrigation canal.”

This wasn’t easy either. Two decades of no farming had rendered the small sub-canals of the main canal defunct. Besides, the canal which once measured two meters wide had become very narrow owing to encroachments and waste dumping. Toilet waste from surrounding areas had blocked sub-canals too. They had to first clean up the small irrigation canals before bringing water from the main canal.

“Once the land was ploughed, we filled it up with water and then drained it out. This helped cleanse the saline soil of the toxicities. We also tested the water from the wells nearby, where the presence of E.Coli and coliform bacteria was alarmingly high. After the first phase in our experiment though when the groundwater was tested, the quality of water drawn from many wells in the locality had improved.”

An example of this is a well belonging to the former panchayat president. Its water had become so toxic that it remained covered for decades, but today, it is a source of drinking water.

What was manually one of the biggest challenges was that the 17 volunteers were all working professionals who had different jobs. They spent hours in the morning before work and evening after work and gave up their holidays too for the success of the paddy project.

And though the hopes were high, the project was discontinued due to many factors until it picked speed up in 2015.

Adayalam was registered as a formal organisation, and the 17 members joined hands yet again to restore Chavaru Padam.

They submitted a detailed proposal to the panchayat committee. This time around they got consent letters from more landowners.

In the first year, they brought 15 acres of Chavaru Padam under cultivation, and there was no looking back. In the second year, this increased to 30 acres and later adding another 15 acres of Katte Padam, the group has been able to convert 45 acres of wasteland into lush paddy fields.

“We received a lot of support from the Panchayat and Krishi Bhavan, and the state government subsidised 89 per cent of the total expenses for salvaging the wasteland. We are happy that we could return the favour to the people after the successful harvest.”

Adayalam distributed the first harvest to 9,000 ration card holders in Choornikkara panchayat at Rs 35 for Rs 2/kg in 2017, shared one-fourth of the total profit to the landowners. Over the next two years, this amount became one-fifth of the total profit.

“We may have to bring the share to one-sixth this time because the government subsidies would be reduced as the land is now considered paddy land under cultivation,” says Ansar.

The owners are now a happy bunch. Most of them who inherited the land from their forefathers had no hopes that this wasteland could be revived. But today they are earning Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 from these plots.

Currently, the team only follows mono-cropping. The plan of action is to do two seasons a year, and bring more profit to the landowners.

Ansar also adds how the 2018 Kerala floods severely affected Choornikkara. 2018. The fury of the floods washed 15 out of 18 wards.

What resulted though, after the flood waters receded, were vast quantities of silt.

“Although it was considered a bane in many places, for us, it was like gold. We collected the fertile soil from many parts of the panchayat and dumped it in a yard which was later used for vegetable farming and other crops like banana and coconut. John Sherry, the Agriculture officer, gave us the idea to collect the silt. He drafted a project worth Rs 42 lakh and the government approved it.”

Sherry also happens to the brain behind ‘ecological engineering,’ the scientific methods that the group followed to transform the wasteland.

Other supporters and mentors included agricultural scientists Dr Sasidharan and Dr Madhu.

Under their guidance, the group followed a method of pest control, which Ansar claims is relatively new to Kerala. This method manages pests in a way that they get the food they need without attacking the main crop that is crucial to the farmer.

Here’s the process they followed:

1) The group travelled to Bengaluru to collect the seeds of a particular variety of marigold which bears large flowers and planted them in a stretch of 2.5 kilometres around the paddy field.

2) The seeds were planted in such a way that the plant would flower just as the paddy enters the milky stage which is the time when the grain fills up with a sweet milky juice, and the paddy becomes more prone to pests. During this stage, the marigold would attract pests, thereby saving paddy.

3) In the inner circle of the border of the marigolds, they planted three rows of cowpea plants. At the milky stage, these became food for the rats and rodents that also tend to raid the paddy field.

This biological control experiment was a huge success. The marigold attracted a lot of spiders which trapped swarms of pests.

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So then, is the process of growing paddy organic, we ask them?

“We can not claim to be fully organic. There were practical difficulties in turning the toxic wasteland into a fully organic farm. Moreover, none of us knew nothing about agriculture. Except for two, all our teammates come from non-agrarian families. However, we ensured that no chemical fertiliser was used. We conducted soil tests, and as per the recommendations of the test, we added boron, zinc, and magnesium as required. Our rice was sold with the tag pesticide-free.”

Impact

The people who once covered their faces to escape the stench of the wasteland, now come with their families to enjoy the abundant evening breeze.

“The groundwater reserve was purified, an achievement that wouldn’t be successful even with crores spent on mechanical filtering processes. We could revive the natural trickles that replenish the wells in the locality. Apart from the agricultural mission, we embarked upon, we have achieved what is most important for life —safe water!”

If this story inspired you, get in touch with Adayalam on adayalamshg@gmail.com

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Despite needing minimal maintenance, cultivating mushrooms is no mean task. But if one is patient and committed enough, even that can be easily mastered, says Shije Varghese from Kerala.

You can blindly take her word for it because this homemaker from the Eramalloor town in Kerala’s Alappuzha district has been growing mushrooms since 2007 and has turned it to a fruitful venture.

How fruitful exactly? Well, she earns a minimum of Rs 1 lakh every month!

Mushroom cultivation has become a very lucrative pursuit in recent years, with more and more people turning to it and striking gold. In addition to that, understanding its remunerative potential, the centre and state agricultural departments have also been vociferously endorsing mushroom farming.

Mushrooms or ‘coon,’ as they are called in Malayalam, are found abundantly, without being cultivated, across Kerala, and Shije’s love for them started at an early age.

But her decision to cultivate and sell these would take root many years later. “I was a homemaker and had little time for anything other than running the house and taking care of my children. But when they grew up, I realised that I’d lot of time in my hands and didn’t know what to do,” recalls Shije.

Coincidentally, a session on mushroom cultivation was held in her neighbourhood, and the agricultural officer reached out to Shije. She was initially hesitant, but her husband, TJ Thankachan, motivated her to attend the session.

Thus began Shije’s epic entrepreneurial journey.

Starting with two packets and six beds made of sawdust from rubber trees, Shije found success in her initial innings and with much support and encouragement from her husband, she decided to expand her venture.

“I set up a shed with about 300 beds and spent the next six months experimenting with mushroom cultivation. Sadly, it resulted in complete failure, leaving me quite dejected. But my husband was undeterred and motivated me enough to not give up. We then visited mushroom farms across different locations in Kerala and learnt where I went wrong,” she says.

Temperature and humidity are central for mushroom growth and given Kerala’s climate, maintaining these elements for round-the-year cultivation is imperative. Shije found her solution in bio hi-tech cooling system, which she implemented in her shed.

Bio-hi tech is a multi cooling system that helps attain the desired temperature and humidity required for mushroom cultivation.

“The production of mushrooms is controlled by climate. Since we don’t get the temperature range of 25 to 30 C and a humidity range of 80 to 95 every day, the production will be irregular. This system helps in ensuring regular production through a controlled environment,” she explains.

Another interesting implementation by Shije was a simple fan and pad mechanism from dried vetiver grass that she developed herself to further amplify the cooling effect.

Shije spent the next two years cultivating mushrooms on an experimental basis. She wanted to be sure of the quality of the produce before she turned into a full-fledged entrepreneur. By then, she also figured a way to culture spawns.

Once she became sure, the couple started selling their home-grown mushrooms under the brand name, Coonfresh. After seeing many ups and downs, Shije finally got to taste success, when the demand for her oyster and milky mushrooms began burgeoning steadily.

So much, so that the agricultural department started visiting her shed for the live demonstration of mushroom cultivation.

Soon, people began reaching out to her to learn, and Shije became a teacher as well!

Today, the demand for her mushrooms is such that Shije and her husband also run a courier service for mushrooms as well as spawns and supply these across Kerala. Shije easily earns over a lakh through sales every month.

“It takes about three months to harvest about a kg of mushrooms, which we sell at Rs 300. We also sell packaged mushrooms at Rs 40. Production can go down between March and May, but thanks to the bio-tech system, we can maintain a round-the-year production,” she happily adds.

Still modest about her successful entrepreneurial journey, Shije adds that mushroom cultivation can be taken up by anyone, all it takes to turn it successful is patience, interest and commitment.

“One doesn’t have to be a homemaker to cultivate mushrooms. I believe it is quite engaging and a fulfilling venture that can be taken up by anyone. Roadblocks are inevitable, but with dedication and interest, nothing is impossible,” she concludes.

In the future, Shije intends to start selling value-added products from mushroom under Coonfresh.

Shije’s love for mushrooms and undeterred commitment in its cultivation truly exemplifies the journey of an entrepreneur who never gave up and kept persisting.

You may also like: Two Birds with One Stone: Now Use Agro-Waste to Grow Your Own Mushrooms!

Her family has also been a pillar of support—her husband has continuously motivated her, while her son, Anto is part of the business and helps Shije with the online and courier support.

We wish them luck and hope their business keeps ‘mushrooming’!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Traffic cops across the country stand on busy junctions, day in and day out, in extreme weather and air pollution to ensure the smooth flow of vehicles.

While the nature of their work exposes them to the elements and that may be an occupational hazard, one cannot deny that this job requires a high level of commitment and sincerity, especially during the summer months.

However, thanks to a group of children, the cops and home guards handling the traffic in the towns of Iritty and Mattannur near Kannur in Kerala will feel a lot cooler this summer.

Saddened by their plight, these children, who are a part of Thalir Mukkatty, a local environment group, came up with an eco-friendly solution to alleviate their discomfort.

So, what is the solution? Well, a protective layer made up of the arecanut leaf!

Dried arecanut leaf sheaths are taken and cut out in the size of police caps. They are then soaked in water before being placed inside the cap.

Found abundantly in Kerala, arecanut palm leaf sheaths are known for their heat dispelling traits upon moistening, and the kids tapped right into it!

The group comprises Pranav Prakash, Suryanarayanan, Albin Babu, Anagha Padmanabhan, Aditya Rajesh, Aswathy Padmanabhan, PP Sreerag, KS Yadu Nanda, PP Anurag, SP Anunanda, KT Trishna, KT Tejas, KT Tanusha, Karthik Sasi, Deepak Jayaram and PP Mrudul.

They were guided by Sajesh Parakkandy, a Civil Excise Officer deployed at the Excise Range Office in Iritty.

In a conversation with The Better India, Sajesh mentions that he has used a similar sheath in the past.

“I used to wear this myself and had even raised awareness about it, a few years ago. Many police personnel, as well as local citizens, had gotten these from me, but their usage died down. Last month, an experiment by these children revived interest in these sheaths, and I am so happy to see that the cops have responded positively,” he says.

Sajesh also said that making these sheaths was not exactly an easy task.

“But the kids were really involved in the process, which made it fun. We have organised many environmental activities in the past, and these kids have been some of the most active participants. They are quick to join any initiative that I come up with,” he laughs.

As mentioned earlier, Thalir Mukkatty has been involved in many conservational activities, including plantation drives, using upcycled plastic bottles as water dispensers for saplings, waste collection initiatives in the region.

You may also like: Bhungroo to Olla: 5 Simple Ideas That Can Help Farmers Save Water in Summer

It is inspiring to see such a driven group of young crusaders, who are leaving no stone unturned to save their environment. Sajesh, who has been a guiding force for these kids, also deserves praise.

This is undoubtedly a pretty ‘cool’ invention, and we wish them luck in all their future endeavours.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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One of the things we take for granted in our lives is a library. Perhaps it is because we can find one at a stone’s throw in most cities, towns and even some villages across India.

But for the Muthuvan tribal community living in Edamalakkudy, one of the remotest hamlets in Idukki district of Kerala, the possibility of borrowing books from a library or even have one in their locality was a distant dream.

Until 2010.

That year, two things happened in the hamlet: one, Edamalakkudy became the first hamlet in Kerala to have a tribal gram panchayat and second, a ‘library’ was established at a tiny tea shop at Iruppukallu area of the hamlet.

Perhaps this is the only library in the world that you’d find in the middle of an impenetrable forested region, where one could only reach by foot till a jeep made its way to Edamalakkudy for the very first time in March this year.

With a total of 160 books when it started, this little library, quite literally in the middle of nowhere, charts a fascinating tale that revolves around the contribution and dedication of two individuals: a tea shop owner, PV Chinnathambi and a teacher, PK Muraleedharan.

Muraleedharan is no less of a living legend amidst the Muthuvans, who made Edamalakkudy his home two decades ago to make education accessible to the Adivasi community.

In conversation with The Better India (TBI), he shares the catalytic incident which led to the founding of the library.

“One of my friends, Unni Prasanth, who used to work with Akashvani and RedFM in Thiruvananthapuram, had visited us in Edamalakkudy sometime between 2009 and 2010. Lodged at Chinnathambi’s hut, we discussed the state of education here and the lack of reading habits. That was the first time the idea of creating a library here was first broached,” recalls Murali Maash, as he is known amongst the locals. (Maash is an endearment in Malayalam for teachers.)

A few months later, he shares that Unni along with his friend, BR Sumesh, a sub-editor at Kerala Kaumudi, came back with 160 books that they had collected themselves.

“Together, we carried all these books and walked to Edamalakkudy, covering several hamlets along the way. Otherwise, there was no other way to reach here. We planned to establish the library at Iruppukallu, but we had no building or even an area to set it up. That’s when Chinnathambi stepped up and offered to maintain a library in his humble tea shop,” he says.

Chinnathambi’s logic was simple. “People would come to his shop for tea and snacks and they could either read the books or borrow them at a minimal fee. Shortly after, our library took flight, with more and more people in the community visiting the shop for books and not just tea,” Murali Maash says.

Like how any library functions, this one, christened Akshara, also maintained a lending register and had a one-time membership fee of Rs 25 along with a monthly charge of Rs 2.

Interestingly, the library’s stash of books didn’t comprise of magazines or best-selling novels. Instead, there were translated literary works like Silappathikaram, other classics, political works and books authored by famous Malayalam writers including Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, MT Vasudevan Nair, Kamala Das, M Mukundan, Lalithambika Antharjanam amongst others.

How the world came to know about this small library in a rather obscure place is when a troop of journalists lead by none other than P Sainath visited Edamalakkudy.

“For them, ‘kaatil oru library’ or a ‘library in a forest’ was something unheard of and they wanted to help Chinnathambi expand the library. One of the journalists, KA Shaji, put up a Facebook post, which led to a massive collection drive for about 1,000 books. Alongside, IV Babu, Mangalam’s editor, teamed up with his friends and donated an almirah to safeguard the books,” he shares.

Until then, Chinnathambi would keep all the books in jute sacks that one usually uses to hoard coconuts or rice. However, the almirah couldn’t keep all the books together, and they had to put some of them in different boxes.

In nearly one decade of its existence, Chinnathambi, quite dejectedly, shares with us that despite being promised funding and infrastructural resources from the panchayat, he hasn’t received any support till date.

“We were told that an amount of Rs 50,000 had been earmarked and even allocated to the local body. When the library was established, we were motivated by the panchayat to keep up with the work but on loose promises that never saw the light of the day. Initially, it was easy to maintain these books at my shop, but how long can I keep doing it entirely on my own at this age,” he adds sadly.

At present, Chinnathambi is in Adimali, owing to his wife’s ill health and could only spare some time to talk to us. In the last few years, Murali Maash shares that Chinnathambi’s health has been failing. This made the former step in.

“Also, the maintenance of so many books was taking a toll on Chinnathambi. In June 2017, we moved these to the school and set up a library here. We retained the name Akshara,” he adds.

Murali Maash also adds that the local community has played a crucial role in maintaining the library and keeping it running all these years.

He mostly attributes G Raju, who is the President of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at the school.

“He is one of the few elderly individuals in Edamalakkudy who were lucky enough to study till high school and understands the significance of a library. Along with the PTA, he has been incredibly supportive,” he concludes.

You may also like: 50k Books, 120 School Libraries & One Big Dream You Can Make Come True!

A library might not mean a lot for most of us living in cities and towns, but for people living in the remote hamlet of Edamalakkudy, it is a privilege that is offering them a window into worlds far away from their own, thanks to people like Chinnathambi and Murali Maash.

If you wish to help Chinnathambi, you can reach out to him at 8547411084.

Courtesy: Murali Maash.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Along the streets and lanes near Elamkulam in Kochi, if you see an auto rickshaw zooming past faster than other vehicles, it is most likely being driven by ‘Parakumthalika’ Prema. Meaning flying saucer, parakkum thalika is often used in Kerala to describe super fast vehicles.

At 50, Prema PA sets a rare precedent for women across the country.

A single mom, she struggled throughout her life to carve a solid space for women in one of the most male-dominated professions while also ensuring that her kids never slept on empty stomachs.

“My husband left me, when I was carrying my second son about 25 years ago. Shortly after, my baby was born, and I left my marital home to return to my parents’ place. At that time, my responsibilities didn’t just include taking care of my sons but also my parents. So, I stepped out in search of a job when my younger one was only 57-days-old,” Prema tells The Better India.

However, the first option that came along her way was to work as a domestic house help.

“Things might have changed now, but over two decades ago, one had to slog every day, just to earn a meagre monthly income of Rs 250. Even a layman knows that this wouldn’t help us survive the month! So I was adamant that I would struggle as much as I could, but never let my kids starve,” she shares.

Prema decided to work as a daily wage labourer on construction sites through Kerala’s pioneering poverty eradication programme, Kudumdashree—a job she held for the next 17 years.

“I would also double up as a cook at some households for extra income,” she recalls.

Life wasn’t luxurious, but it wasn’t bad. Staying true to her word, Prema made sure that all the needs of her kids were met.

Sometime in 1993, she became a part of the first ten women under Kudumbashree to be trained in driving two-, three- and four-wheeler vehicles. “Even though I got the license for all the three kind of vehicles, I couldn’t take up a driving job back then as my little one was just a year old,” she says.

Funnily enough, the auto that Prema has been driving since the past five years was originally bought for her elder son. “I had received a loan of Rs 2 lakh from Kudumbashree to start a business, and I bought this auto for my son. However, he didn’t wish to pursue it after a few weeks of toiling. I didn’t want it to lie unused, and thus, I entered this field,” she laughs.

Initially, it was a struggle. “Most other drivers on the road were men, and they weren’t very open to the idea of a woman doing their job. But that has changed over the years. Passengers have been incredibly supportive, and even male auto drivers have changed their perceptions towards me. They now see me as one of their own and help me when I’m stuck with a flat tyre or other faults. Overall, I feel happy with what I do, and this job pays me more than any other work that I’ve done to date,” she proudly adds.

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While her elder son is self-employed and does welding works, her younger son is a painter. On an ending note, Prema tells me that things turned out this way for her because she refused to give in to fate.

“We all wish for a lot of things, but as women, we put our wishes aside. Also, merely wishing is not enough; we need to strive relentlessly, until it becomes our reality. If you are motivated enough and willing to work hard, you can learn anything at any age,” she concludes.

For us, Prema is a super mom, who is, as the saying goes, willing to go extent for her children. This Mother’s Day, we salute this amazing woman and every mother across the country whose struggles and sacrifices have made us who we are.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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Home to the famous Sabarimala Temple, Pathanamthitta district in Kerala holds a special place in the hearts of many pilgrims. However, this district, in the central Travancore region, has also quietly made its mark in developing its human development indicators.

Pathanamthitta is not merely home to some of India’s cleanest air (annual reading of 26 µg/m3, having the least particulate matter in the air in India), the district also boasts of basic human development indicators that should be the envy of every administrative unit in India.

If you want to raise a child in a clean environment in the country, Pathanamthitta should find itself near the top of the list.

For starters, half the district is covered in forest, amounting to approximately 1396.95 square km. Surrounded by hills, experiencing plentiful rains and the bracing sea breeze, the district comprising of 68 village also has a low population density. In fact, it’s one of the few districts in India that saw a reduction in population from 12.34 lakh in the 2001 census to 11, 97, 412 in the 2011 census.

With a population density at a mere 452 persons per square km, this is nearly half the State average of 859. Alongside fewer private vehicles and less polluting industries, the district has the necessary environmental conditions.

Going beyond the low air pollution, the district has also performed exceptionally well in public health, particularly childcare.

According to a Harvard University and Tata Trusts commissioned study, only 12.5 per cent of the district’s children are underweight compared to the national average of 35 per cent. The district also ranks exceptionally low in child stunting at 15.9 per cent compared to 61.4 per cent for Kaisarganj district in Uttar Pradesh and the national average of 35.8 per cent. There are a couple of factors that allow this district to maintain such high standards of childcare.

Better infrastructure

Sample this description in a recent Mint report of a Family Health Centre in the district.

“The hospital building looks like a beautiful house. The rooms are clean. The walls host pleasant artwork. The compound includes a small front lawn.”

Responsible for this transformation is Mission Aardram, a 2017 Kerala government initiative.

“Mission AARDRAM aims at creating ‘People Friendly’ Health Delivery System in the State. The approach will be need-based and aims at treating every patient with dignity. Through the state-of-the-art investigation and intervention protocols, it envisages transforming all Primary Health Centers into Family Health Centres as a first level Health delivery point. The mission envisages ensuring quality care at Primary Health Centres. All high footfall hospitals will be transformed to patient-friendly Out-Patient (OP) service providers. The services include web-based appointment system, virtual queues, patient reception at registration centres, waiting rooms with wi-fi facilities and so on,” says this description.

Earlier, these facilities that run on solar power were open from 10 am to 1 pm, but the timings have now been extended to 6 pm. Also, depending on a particular locality needs, on any given day of the week, a speciality clinic is set up.

For example, Fridays are for those living with mental health issues, while Mondays are dedicated to pregnant women. These centres also conduct yoga classes in the morning, health and lifestyle awareness sessions and physical activities like martial arts for children in the evening.

The district also possesses a general hospital which has three super speciality wards.

Unlike bigger cities, the district’s low-income families avail of these services the most. Under state-sponsored schemes, both lab tests, medicines and consultations are free with the only cost paid is for collecting a clinic pass or outpatient ticket for Rs 5. Those younger than 18 or other social groups on the margins, meanwhile, pay even less.

Once a patient receives his/her OP ticket/pass, an attendant takes the patient for a pre-consultation check up (measuring pulse, etc). However, more than the staff at the hospital, it’s the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers who have done exceptional work in monitoring the district’s public health status, keeping close tabs on the potential spread of diseases, and raising awareness on basic health concerns and hygiene, according to the Mint report.

With strict monthly supervision from the top, these ASHA workers have done quality work in detecting potential illnesses early in young children. This is also precisely why these health centres aren’t filled to the rafters with patients. Prevention, indeed, is better than cure.

For doctors, the temptation to make the jump to the private sector isn’t great considering that the salary they receive meets industry standards.

Remittances and state investment

Kerala’s historic record of focussing on human development indicators, particularly in health and education, has been very well documented.

However, back in the early 1990s, Pathanamthitta district itself, which was carved out of neighbouring Alappuzha, Kollam and Idukki in 1982, ranked among the highest in getting remittances coming in from abroad, particularly from locals working in the Gulf countries.

Sample this Economic Times report from 2009 about one stretch of this district.

According to this report, as of 2009, the bank deposits for the Kumbanad-Pullad-Thiruvalla belt were estimated to be Rs 5,400 Crore. All this money fueled a spurt in private investment, particularly in constructing better private schools and hospitals.

Along with this jump in private wealth, however, came a strong aspiration for quality public healthcare infrastructure, particularly considering the State’s strong record on it. If you follow any election campaign in this district, the question of material development is inescapable, particularly on the subject of expenditure in public infrastructure.

This is non-negotiable for the district’s voters. If elected representatives don’t deliver, they face an ouster. During the recent floods in Kerala, of which Pathanamthitta district was one of the worst affected, authorities managed to prevent any significant outbreak of vector-borne diseases, a constant worry in these circumstances. While infrastructure did suffer great damage, local medical authorities were quick to avert many medical crises.

Also Read: Kerala Continues to Lead The Way in Healthcare, Says This NITI Aayog Report

In short, what the district has, is a robust public health infrastructure built on long-term state-backed investments, competence, awareness, and an expansive outreach mechanism.

(Edited By Saiqua Sultan)

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In 1999, when 29-year-old PK Muraleedharan left for Nenmanalkudy, a tribal settlement in Kerala’s Idukki district, little did he know that his life was to change forever.

Muraleedharan was a volunteer with Kerala’s District Primary Education Project (DPEP), which had to set up Multi-Grade Learning Centres (MGLC) in remote tribal locations across the state and run these as single-teacher schools.

At that time, the only tribal LP (lower primary) school was in Edamalakkudy. It was supposed to cater to children from 28 oorugal (tribal) settlements, which were scattered across the forested region.

However, some of these settlements were so far away that it would take an entire day or two for children to travel to school. Additionally, the trail was heavily dense with wildlife which served as a major deterrent.

Taking cognisance of these issues, the state education department decided to open single teacher schools in these settlements, and Muraleedharan was one of the volunteers sent for this mission.

Nenmanalkudy was home to the Muthuvans, a reclusive tribal community known for its unwavering adherence to their ancient customs and practices. Also, the kooragal (small huts) here were scattered across a forest replete with reed bamboo and not in close vicinity of each other as observed in most tribal settlements across India.

Muraleedharan was aware of what he was getting into, but he hadn’t foreseen the many barriers that he would have to overcome.

“There were about 35 children aged between 5-15, who had no prior schooling experience. There were no infrastructural facilities, and the only available option was a small shed, which was a former granary,” recalls Muraleedharan, or Murali Maash as he is lovingly referred by the community, to The Better India.

The unavailability of a proper school building wasn’t the only problem he would face.

First, there were no teaching materials. “Let alone a blackboard, the state education department did not even allocate any notebooks or slates for the kids,” he shares. Second, the children didn’t have any clothes other than the ones they were wearing, and an inherent lack of hygienic practices was evident in their way of living.

Furthermore, they were not exposed to routine or discipline, making it impossible to get them to sit together to study.

“In the Muthuvan community, children are exposed to the wilderness from the time they are about three months old, and there is no restriction regarding movement. This makes them unaccustomed to closed spaces. So, getting them to sit together in a class was extremely difficult,” he says.

But one thing would prove to be the ultimate barrier—language.

The dialect used by the Muthavans has its roots in Tamil and is exclusive to their community.

“I’d never come across the dialect before, and apart from a few male elders, who could somewhat understand Malayalam, no one knew any language other than their own. Here I was, entrusted with the responsibility of teaching these kids, but how would that be possible when the closest we came to communication in the initial days was through improvised sign language?” he says.

To overcome this issue, instead of teaching them Malayalam, Muraleedharan decided to begin with exposing them to the importance of good hygiene and sanitary practices.

“I would take the men to the nearest stream in the forest so that they could bathe and wash their clothes. Since they had nothing else to wear, we’d wait till these dried up. That is how the initial months were,” remembers Muraleedharan.

Slowly, he started to pick up their dialect, and to familiarise the kids with Malayalam, he began to teach them songs and rhymes and make them sing along with him.

While he was hoping for a positive change, things did not go as planned. The number of children going to school kept dwindling until there were only three kids, who were all from family.

Muraleedharan couldn’t figure out what had happened, so he began visiting every single hut in the area. To his surprise, they were all empty, and there was no sign of human presence anywhere.

“After a three day investigation, I found out that the entire community had migrated to an ooru (singular for tribal settlement) named Vazhakuthu, where cardamom farming was underway. They were planning to return to Nenmanalkudy only when the harvesting was over,” says Muraleedharan.

Understanding that they had a better scope of livelihood in Vazhakuthu, Muraleedharan decided to stay on and continue his role in the new ooru. Here, he would be teaching 55 kids from both colonies.

The classes were held in a small structure named sathram, where teenage boys and unmarried and widowed men lived together.

The sanitary conditions in Vazhakuthu were the same as Nenmanalkudy, and Muraleedharan had to run through the same cleanliness initiatives as before.

His continued dedication and eagerness to learn the language eventually helped him break the ice, and he established a good rapport with the kids. He also adapted his teaching ways to suit their needs.

For example, he understood that they were not used to the four walls of a classroom, and would instead conduct lessons outside. He also began to get more involved in community activities.

As DPEP hadn’t provided these teachers with learning materials or resources, they were left to figure out innovative ways to teach the kids entirely on their own, using a monthly allowance of Rs 750.

Muraleedharan spent money from his own pocket to purchase notebooks, stationery and picture charts for them.

“The charts were all relatively new for the children, as they had never seen most of the things included in them. Slowly, we progressed to writing basic Malayalam, starting with names of things and animals around them,” he adds.

This, too, was an arduous task as there was no common ground between both tongues. So, Muraleedharan taught them how to write names of things and beings from their dialect but in the Malayalam script.

“I also got them to recite and write songs from their community, to help them present something in front of a group. Around this time, DPEP provided me with various multigrade training programmes entirely focused on teaching tribal kids from different age groups together. It wasn’t possible to follow the state syllabus here, so one had to improvise with systems like flash cards. This proved to be a rather successful methodology and became a self-teaching tool,” Muraleedharan remembers.

The mechanism also helped him differentiate between kids who were fast learners, and the ones who were not. He then made groups with mixed capacities, where quick learners would help out the late bloomers.

By then, three years had passed, and Muraleedharan became well versed with the Muthuvan dialect. This helped him bridge the gap with the womenfolk and converse with them. 

“I would speak to them about the importance of education, and how that could prevent them in so many ways. There was a time when these parents would consider these classes as a waste of time, but they eventually saw the benefits of doing so,” he adds.

However, Muraleedharan’s problems were far from over. This mode of education could never equal the teaching methods in mainstreams school or their syllabus. Another major roadblock was was that the kids were much older than their city or town counterparts.

Also, the UP (upper primary) schools were in towns like Adimali and Munnar, which required travelling for a day through the jungles on foot, and then taking a bus. The parents were simply unwilling to take the risk.

“I was adamant and wanted to help a few deserving kids progress further, so I took a risk and managed to successfully get them enrolled in a school in Adimali in 2003. I was responsible for getting them to school and home safely,” Murali remembers.

All this time, Muraleedharan lived with the Muthavans at their sathram and ate whatever they would cultivate and consume themselves, mostly including paddy and ragi.

“There was no other way because one couldn’t travel this far to the depths of the forested area on foot. However, living there helped me not just educate the young ones but also the adults and elders of the community,” he adds.

Muraleedharan also helped the tribal community become aware of the local governance system and how things worked. Seeking help at both political and government levels, he helped them get voter IDs as well as ration cards.

In 2008, the increasing wild animal attacks forced the community to move from Vazhakuthu to an area named Olakkayam. A few huts already existed there, and the children from these houses also became Muraleedharan’s students.

This move proved beneficial for the Muthuvans, in terms of a stable income. Though they were traditional farmers, they would rarely produce anything other than grains and cardamom. Thanks to Muraleedharan’s intervention, they began growing and selling pepper.

“The Employment Guarantee scheme was already functioning across the country, and I felt that it would benefit the community, so I travelled to Munnar, where I met the regional scheme coordinator. He came back with me to collect the necessary documents of all interested individuals. By this time, Kudumbashree had also spread its wings in the region and helped the women earn a livelihood through various agrarian initiatives. Things slowly began to look better for the Muthuvans,” he adds.

In 2011, Muraleedharan started an adult literacy drive wherein the children taught their elders to read and write.

During this time, Muraleedharan also penned down two books, Edamalakkudy Orrum Porulum and Gothramanasam, both of which cover the history and life of the Muthuvans in detail.

“There was no electricity in these areas. One had to walk for kilometres to purchase kerosene for lamps. So, simple hearths were what illuminated these oorugal, and I would write these books in that light. This was our life in the woods,” says Muraleedharan.

He also remembers the struggle of feeding the children during school hours. “The midday meal scheme was yet to come, and even then, it would take a long time before our children would be able to access these benefits. I took it upon myself to provide these kids with kanji (rice gruel) at noon, as most of them probably came to study on empty stomachs. It was only after 2005 that I started receiving an allowance of Rs 8 per child from the state,” he adds.

While certain aspects of the education system had significantly become better, Muraleedharan knew that there was a lot of change still needed.

It would, however, take a decade for this to happen.

In 2017, Muraleedharan and other like-minded teachers teamed up and formed a cluster of five single teacher schools in Edamalakkudy, with support from SCERT (Kerala).

“We zeroed in on the tribal community hall in the Mulagathara area, and today, four teachers (including me) run the schools. We also offer lodging to kids who can’t travel every day. They stay here from Monday to Friday and go home over the weekends,” he explains.

He further shares that this establishment has managed to progress from the initial multigrade structure to a class-like system, which follows the state syllabus for tribal schools, mainly because most kids have learnt Malayalam by now.

As they were now following the class system and lodging, the kids had to be provided with three meals and evening snacks.

“But we only had funds for midday meals. Thankfully, many of our friends, folks at SCERT as well as VV Shaji, a social activist and educationist, offered to help. In fact, Ramesh, a research officer from SCERT, became a close acquaintance. I also contributed eight months’ salary for this purpose, ” adds Muraleedharan.

Finally, the Edamalakkudy panchayat offered to help, and since January last year, the funds to provide the meals for morning and night is supplied by them. The local body also provided an amount of Rs 3.5 lakhs to upgrade the school.

“With that money, we were able to buy chairs and desks for the kids, as well as necessary resources like whiteboards, mic sets, a computer, a projector as well as a generator for the school, since electricity is still a problem here,” he proudly adds.

The school even has a library, about which you can read more here.

As for the kids who were staying at the school, Suneesh Babu, the DySP of the Janamaithri police station, and SI Fakhruddin and ASI Madhu in Munnar, provided them with mattresses and pillows.

In addition to that, they also bought bags, umbrellas, notebooks and other supplies for the kids and chairs for the teachers.

Muraleedharan says that the constant monitoring from SCERT researchers has been helpful. There is immense support from all these quarters as well as national bodies like the Child Rights Commission and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA).

“Today, I can say that the school gives equal value to academics as well as art and cultural activities. I feel that these kids are happy and that they’re no less than any other child across the state,” he says.

As we conclude one man’s two-decade-long journey of bringing education to one of the most remote tribal regions in Kerala, we wonder about his personal life and if that ever came in the way of his selfless commitment to the cause.

“My wife was a teacher, just like me, and passionate about this cause. Sadly, she passed away in 2006. I have a son and daughter, and because of the nature of my work, I had to leave my kids with my parents in Mankulam. I visit them every month end and spend a day or two before returning to the tribal settlements. My son has just completed his degree while my daughter is in Class 8,” he informs us.

Murali Maash is no less than a living legend for the Muthuvans.

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Eschewing a life of comfort, he wholeheartedly embraced uncertainty, discomfort and risks for the welfare, upliftment and most importantly, education, of an extremely reclusive tribal community who consider him as one of their own.

We salute this teacher and hope his incredible story inspires you all.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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I still remember my first ink pen that an aunt gifted to me. It wasn’t the prized ‘hero’ pen, but for the nine-year-old me, this dollar-patterned pen marked a significant milestone: bidding goodbye to pencils forever and with that, inching closer to secondary school, officially.

Trust me; it was a big deal back then.

I’m not very sure if the current generation can relate to the romanticism surrounding ink pens. But for many, a prized ink pen was as inherent in their lives as a smartphone is for most of us now.

Talking about ink pens, did you know that in the lanes of Thrissur, Kerala, a rather unique kind of hospital has been offering its services for the past 40 years?

Before you begin to wonder why I am bringing together two seemingly unconnected areas in a single sentence, let me tell you that the patients of this hospital are pens and the doctor has been treating them all since 1979!

Welcome to the Honest Pen Hospital.

The signboard outside this hospital carries a hand-painted illustration that is even more epic: a broken fountain pen being carried on a stretcher by two compounder fountain pens!

At ‘Doctor’ KA Nassar’s pen hospital, you will be able to find all kinds of pens. Contrary to the idea that cheap and disposable plastic pens have phased out ink pens, he manages to find customers lining up for ‘consultations’ every single day. However, he doesn’t charge any ‘consultation’ fees.

From civil servants, film stars, scientists, politicians, doctors, teachers to students, people tend to hold on to that one fountain pen that shaped their lives. The small ‘hospital’ shop is teeming with every type of repair equipment that you can come across, in addition to a diverse collection of pens ranging from cheapest ball-pens to international brands that are easily priced in thousands.

Just for your information, the far-ranging types of pens that Nassar has in his shop include fake note detecting pens, pens equipped with watches, cameras, mini light bulbs and calculators, others that have a seal, and still others that come with erasable ink as well as highlighter ink!

If you look closely, Nassar’s hands carry fading yet discernible ink stains, owing to years spent in repairing his ‘patients’.

At any given time, this man would have hundreds of pens on his desk for repairs, but even then, he’d make time to speak to anyone with concerns about their pens and would share esoteric tips that you’d seldom come across on the care and maintenance of pens.

Nassar’s tip for keeping your pen healthy: “You should use your pen daily, or else ailments will crop up.

How did this man come to open a pen hospital? It was initially his father, Koluthu Parambil Abdulla, who opened the Honest Pen Hospital, back in 1959.

Besides the common folk, eminent personalities like Indira Gandhi as well as her son, Rajiv Gandhi had sought the services of Abdulla at one time.

“The fact that my father started something as unique as this quite fascinated me right from childhood. I used to study in a school that was opposite to my father’s shop, and every day, during lunch breaks, I’d go to observe my father and his skill with pens. Just by looking at them, he was able to figure out what was wrong with them,” Nassar tells The Better India (TBI).

Nassar feels that his father’s love for pens passed down to him. As time went by, he would frequent the shop more often until one fine day, in 1979, he took over the work that he had grown up observing.

More than repairing pens, what brings Nassar joy is to meet people who share the memories of their pens with ardent fondness.

“It is perhaps my undivided attention that brings ease to people still attached to their ink pens in a time when these have little value. Money was never a determinant. I love the emotions people attach to their pens. There are those for whom it brought recognition and even jobs, then there are those, for whom it was a gift from a loved one or those who received them for excelling in exams. It is quite thrilling to hear these trips down memory lane, and you’d find no better listener than me,” smiles Nassar.

While his father got the rare opportunity to fix the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s prized possession, Nassar’s tryst had been with none other than the former President, APJ Abdul Kalam.

The man had sought Nassar’s services himself, after hearing so much about his ‘curing’ abilities and Nassar did not fail to deliver.

Nassar’s expertise with pens doesn’t end at repair or maintenance but also recommendations. Having dealt with pen-patients from France, US, Japan and even Germany, this pen-doctor can guide you through buying the right pen, based upon your liking, occupation and even your handwriting!

“Pens are like babies. The love and concern that any parent would have for their offspring: that’s how you should treat your ink pen; otherwise they’ll fall sick,” says the man, who has fixed lakhs of pens till date.

One thing that bothers Nassar is the crisis that disposable, single-use pens and their widespread use have brought to the environment. To counter that in his capacity, he collects the discarded pens and re-sells them by replacing the refills. “That way, they’ll be used again and reduce the waste burden. I’d still vouch for ink pen usage, as they’re long lasting and not detrimental to the environment,” Nassar says.

While the entire world has moved on to the digital sphere, we might wonder from where Nassar manages to procure clients.

“Times have indeed changed, and I’ve heard a lot of people saying that the usage of ink pens has died down, as single-use refill pens are more convenient. However, you will neither hold any of these pens close to your heart nor will the emotions flow from the nib to the paper, the way it does with an ink pen. That feeling is irreplaceable, and nothing can beat that. For the aficionados of ink pens, this feeling will never fade, and for them, my doors and ears will always be open,” he concludes.

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If you have an ink pen that has fallen ill, you know where to go! Just remember, the consultation hours are between 10 am to 6 pm.

(With inputs from Ramseena Umaiba and MB Jayasree)

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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How often have you seen a dupatta of a rider or a pillion rider’s threatening to entwine into the tyre of a two-wheeler?

Let alone seeing, I can’t count the number of times when I’d alerted someone to pull up their dupattas or stoles to prevent the inevitable.

But road safety rules are something India rarely gives much heed to. From something as simple as refusing to wear helmets to serious situations like drunk driving and driving on the wrong side, many lives have met untimely ends because of the devil-may-care attitude towards rules, despite them being instituted for our own safety.

No amount of public service initiatives or penalties seem to have any effect upon us all, for we continue to see rules being flouted and innocent people being killed due to someone else’s negligence.

What could effectively work in drawing the attention of a seemingly nonchalant population to follow road safety rules?

A 19-year-old boy from Kerala feels that photography is the key and if you check out his series which tries to raise awareness on the same, you would agree too!

Featuring his friend Anas and younger sister Hasna, Hafiz Sajeev’s pictures set their premise on seemingly innocent yet potentially fatal scenarios—like a stray dupatta that could get stuck in the tyres or opening the car door on the wrong side of the road!

Photography has always been a passion for Hafiz who is pursuing VFX and animation at an animation and visual effects institute in Kochi. He honed his photography skills through a mix of YouTube tutorials and experimentation.

To share his work with the world, his girlfriend inspired him to sign-up for an Instagram account, and also helped him coin a rather catchy username for his handle: Thrikkannan, meaning, the three-eyed one.

“That’s how it started. After completing my 12th, when I started going for classes at the Institute, I began observing how road safety measures were taken for a ride by most people.

A flying dupatta is a ‘small thing’, but this very ‘thing’ has the potential of taking not just one life, but also many in the resultant accident. Another common practice that I’d observed was how people who’d parked their cars on the wrong side would open their doors with little regard to the flowing traffic behind them. Not only are they endangering their own lives, their actions could also prove detrimental to the innocent riders, explains Hafiz.

His friend Anas is an aspiring actor and Hafiz couldn’t think of a better person to model in his photoshoot.

“The scenes we’ve recreated here are the results of such mishaps. They’re raw and unapologetic, hence I believe they’re not only effective in garnering attention but also drive a sense of alarm in people to follow the rules,” he adds.

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An incredibly talented photographer, Hafiz has also worked on sand mining in Alappad and education for kids of underprivileged background, and is currently working on a project centred on deforestation and its effects on summer.

You can follow his work on Instagram here.

Picture Credits: Thrikkannan/ Instagram.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Creativity lies in solving problems by thinking out of the box. Three students from AKMHSS Kottor in Kerala, along with their mentor, will prove just that.

This teacher-students team has managed to create a sanitary napkin using what is considered to be the world’s worst aquatic weed—water hyacinth.

The brainchild of E Aswathy, P V Henna Sumi, and S Sreejesh Warrier, all students of class 11, along with their biology teacher/mentor K S Sarath, the sanitary pads have been winning accolades at various science fairs across the country.

Water hyacinth is known to be a major invasive plant that multiplies rapidly, forming a dense layer on the surface of ponds, lakes, and even rivers. The Agriculture Minister of Kerala had proposed a project seeking help from people in finding innovative means of tackling this issue.

Issues arising from water hyacinth infestation:

• Interferes with marine transportation;
• Makes canals and freshwater rivers impassable as they clog up with weed;
• Hampers fishing and dramatically reduces the catch and the source of food and income for local populations;
• Disrupts irrigation and water supply systems;
• Displaces indigenous flora and fauna by modifying the habitat.

The Better India caught up with Sarath to learn more about they’re using this plant to make feminine hygiene products.

“Given how much of a problem the infestation of water hyacinth creates, we thought of using it to make a product and help control its rapid growth. We initially looked at products like bags and handicrafts, but since these are available in the market, we started thinking on different lines. Then we struck on the idea to make sanitary napkins,” he says.

Named Suraksha Pad, the product took almost eight months to make and test.

“The testing was conducted primarily within our own school labs and those of colleges as well. We are now working towards getting the proper certification.”

“Even the manufacturing was done outside,” he says, adding, “we had no machines to make the napkins and had to rely on other units.”

They now plan to buy the machinery and set up their own unit. Support from the government will help in this regard

Being chosen as part of Kudumbashree, a startup village entrepreneurship programme initiated by the Kerala Government, has been an icing on the cake for the team. Sarath says, “This is a three-year project and will begin from June 2019. We have already tied up with women groups in and around the area who will work with us and also earn a livelihood from it.”

Although it will take a while to release the product commercially, a single sanitary napkin is currently priced at Rs 3. What’s more, Sarath claims that they can absorb 12 times more than the regular ones!

If the volumes are large, the team believes that this amount could be reduced.
The innovative solution kills two problems with one stone—reducing water hyacinth infestation, and promoting good female hygiene.

The manufacturing process emphasises sterilisation to ensure that the product is safe to use. The hyacinth stalks are cut, and steam sterilised for about 30 minutes. The stalks are then ground to a powder and dried for 4-5 days. Then, the powder is mixed with cotton to develop the absorbent layer, and bees wax is used to seal the barrier layer.

In the final stage, the Suraksha pad goes through UV sterilisation for about three minutes, after which it is ready to use.

Following these processes, the team has applied for a patent. The women’s groups are expected to take over the production processes in due course.

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This story is indicative of how imagination and ingenuity can be used to convert challenges into opportunities.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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In Kerala, the fisherfolk living by the coastline consider the sea to be their god. It rules their stars and gives them their livelihood.

Which is why, when fishing companies dump several tonnes of fish waste into the sea every single day, these communities feel devastated and helpless.

Because, it is through this act, that their temple, their home and only mode of sustenance, is being indiscriminately polluted.

Maheshwary, a woman farmer from the fishing community based in Ernakulam, is on a mission to undo this damage and has found an unusual use for the fish waste that could save the sea from such large-scale littering.

She collects fish waste from stalls and mixes it with formic acid to make Fertifish—an organic fertiliser that has proven to boost crops and give bumper yields!

In a conversation with The Better India, she mentions the origin of this idea.

“I hail from a fishing community from Vadanappally along the coast in Thrissur. I’d grown up seeing my father make use of the fish waste by sprinkling salt in it and then adding it to the bases of coconut palms. Believe it or not, every single one of these palms gave nearly double the yield year after year!” she shares, in conversation with The Better India.

That was a long time ago. However, Maheshwary never forgot her father’s lesson and was prompted to walk the same path many decades later, after seeing the rampant dumping of fish waste as well as plastic waste along the 35 km coastline in Munambam. She had moved to the coastal town after her wedding.

“I can tell you that roughly 23 tonnes of fish debris is dumped by big fishing companies and other fishermen right into the sea, every single day. In addition to the fish waste, plastic waste and other forms of garbage are also dumped. Together, these are not just polluting our sea but also annihilating the already endangered marine life. I was very disturbed when I remembered my father’s practice and decided to do something along the same lines so that the waste could be used in a better manner, thereby preventing pollution,” recalls Maheshwary.

That was early 2011. To further actualise her dream, a training program for creating value-added products from fish by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) came along her way.

“I’m a farmer and grow bananas and other crops on a leased plot, where I’ve used this compost. The yield has been substantially better compared to when other types of composts and manures have been used! When some of the CIFT authorities saw my innovative solution, they asked me to never stop making these, and that’s how I started collecting fish waste from stalls to make more,” she recalls.

But Maheshwary did not want to do this on an individual scale. Seeing the amount of daily waste rotting along the coastline, she began approaching not just the local panchayat but also every possible platform that could help in eradicating this practice.

“I have been doing this since 2011. However, I’ve only faced disappointment or been given false hopes. Despite knowing that this revolutionary compost can save the coastal ecology, and help farmers get better yield, these officials have failed to take my idea into consideration, which I believe is because of the powerful fertiliser and pesticide lobbies. Doing this on my own is not economically viable, as we hail from an impoverished background and setting up the infrastructure to produce this on a large scale requires certain funding beyond our capabilities,” says a despondent Maheshwary.

She also shares that while she has enough space to develop the fertiliser on a large scale, she lacks the equipment. For example, a pulveriser, drums and other relevant materials.

“An investment of Rs 3000 can provide people with 9000 kg of compost. But often, they hesitate from doing so because of misgivings about the stench and then the expenditure. Even though it has proven to give better yield, neither the people nor the government seem to be interested in taking this forward. When we have a solution to clear up our mess that is killing marine life right in front of our eyes yet fail to implement it, it breaks my heart,” Maheshwary concludes.

Currently, Maheshwary sells Fertifish in her shop, Jaivasree, where she also sells her organic farm produce. The shop is located in Ernakulam.

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She waits for the day when financial support comes her way so that she can finally put an end to the rampant littering of the sea.

If you wish to aid Maheshwary in any way, you can reach out to her at 9446317126.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Plastics have become an unavoidable part of our lives. Try as you might, you can’t get away from it fully. According to reports, humans around the globe buy a million plastic bottles per minute, and 91% of all plastic is not recycled.

India’s annual plastic consumption is expected to cross 20 million tonnes in 2020. The main issue with plastics is they break down into microscopic particles and seep into our soil and water bodies. Imagine that the plastic straw you used for a few minutes to sip a drink will lie on this planet for a thousand years!

Given the sheer scale of consumption, the earth is running out of space to accommodate this growing mound of plastic waste.

In India, many states are coming up with innovative methods of combating this menace.

Eraviperoor Panchayat in Kerala, for instance, has implemented a plastic recycling project which makes use of non-recyclable plastic for laying roads.

The Better India caught up with Renjith Abraham, who is associated with Suchitwa Mission, a local self-government department of the Kerala government, ensuring that non-recyclable plastic is put to good use.

An idea is born

In 2012, Rajagiri College, Ernakulam, had experimented with polymerised roads by using waste plastics for blacktopping 500 metres of campus road.

This news soon spread and inspired the former president of the Grama Panchayat who was looking for ways to manage plastic waste. The Panchayat Council approached the Public Works Department (PWD) for technicalities. When their idea was approved, they started using shredded plastics along with bitumen for tarring roads, says Renjith.

Kudumbashree is a self-help initiative by the Kerala movement. Its workers go from door-to-door every fortnight to collect non-recyclable plastic.

Various awareness drives are also organised to sensitise the locals and ensure participation from everyone.

Anything that cannot be recycled constitutes non-recyclable products. Examples are food storage containers, styrofoam, disposable diapers, bottle caps, and even PVC pipes.

A plastic shredding machine that can shred 500 kg of plastics a day was installed where all the collected plastic is deposited. The shredded plastic is sold by the panchayat to the PWD, which then uses it in its road construction. So far, the panchayat has sold 800 kg of plastic to PWD at Rs 20 per kg.

Does this use of plastic degrade the quality of roads?

According to studies, there is no reduction in the quality of the roads. Melted plastics, in contrast, bind the aggregates of different sizes, thereby increasing the life of the road.

Renjith informs me that the usage of plastic reduces damage to the road by water—thereby increasing durability—and the strength of the road to take on more traffic.

Bitumen, also known as asphalt, is a black substance made from petrol, used for covering roads. Using less bitumen could potentially save on cost and resources. Bitumen concrete requires petroleum, which is becoming a scarce commodity. Renjith says, “Now, with plastic being replaced to a certain amount, almost 8 per cent of bitumen is being saved.”

How is this scaling up in Kerala?

The initial success of using plastic waste to construct roads has enabled the Government of Kerala to embed this into a state-wide initiative as a part of its integrated waste management system.

The Suchitwa system is the the nodal waste management programme of Kerala. It has invested in the plastic shredding infrastructure as part of its Resource Recovery Facility, which also addresses recovery of all kinds of waste.

The shredded plastics stored in Resource Recovery Facilities (RRF) located at local bodies are being given to Clean Kerala Company (CKC) at Rs 15 per kg. These are supplied to the PWD department and local self governments at Rs 20/kg.

Renjith says, “The plastic shredding systems established across the state as part of RRF have shredded 9,700 tonnes of plastics used in blacktopping 246 kilometres of road. One prerequisite for higher efficiency in this process is the segregation of waste at source—it is critical to ensure a smooth recovery process.”

Kerala’s model of waste management

A small state with a high population density, Kerala faces serious land constraints for developing engineered landfills. The government recognised that the best way to address the issue is to follow the 3Rs of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

An analysis of the waste profile showed that almost 80 per cent of the waste consisted of wet, biodegradable waste, which is best handled at source—households, institutions and communities.

The campaign “My waste, My responsibilities”, initiated by the state government, brought people together and motivated them to handle waste at the local level. This is also practised across the state, with separate bins for biodegradable and recyclable waste.

Non-biodegradable waste is collected and transported to the Resource Recovery Facility, where it is sorted and forwarded for reuse and recycle, respectively. Plastic shredding machines are part of these facilities, which process plastic waste into road construction material.

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This win-win initiative solves two problems in one go—addressing the burgeoning waste problem, and providing indigenous, innovative construction materials for our infrastructure while employing thousands. This is an initiative, which we believe, should be emulated across the country.

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

Images courtesy: Suchitwa Mission

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