How Cheruvayal Saved 54 Rice Varieties From Hybrid Seeds
This amazing man named Cheruvayal Raman has saved 54 varieties of rice in the past 20 years. He has spent almost all his life cultivating rice which he inherited from his Adivasi community of Kurichiyas in Wayanad. Being a man attached to his culture, he didn’t like how the villagers were replacing the native paddy with hybrid seeds.
Not only he disliked it but he wanted to do something in order to preserve the native paddy. Hence, he sows native seeds in a 1.5-acre area of his field.
Why did Cheruvayal Raman not like the idea of hybrid seeds?
According to C Raman, Wayanad is a region known for its paddy cultivation. However, for the past years, it has been losing its value. He has been on this path of preserving paddy cultivation since the early 2000s. He aims to stop his region’s paddy from being replaced with hybrid and genetically engineered seeds.
Most importantly, C Raman is attached to paddy cultivation since the age of ten. However, before that, he was only woking in the fields part-time. It was after his uncle’s death when he fully devoted himself to farming. Today, he is 72 years old and has considerable years of experience in the fields, he can identify the varieties of rice just by sight.
How does C Raman perform the cultivation and storing?
When his uncle died, he left him 40 acres of land which Raman has been cultivating on his own. At present, he stores different kinds of rice varieties such as Manny Veliyan, Thondi, Chembakam, Chettuveliyan, Channalthondi, Kanali, and Palveliyan. Moreover, he stores aromatic rice as well in varieties namely Jeerakasala, Gandhakashala, and Kayma.
What is more fascinating is that he stores them in his 150 years old mud house. His love and dedication to the cultivation reflect through the hard work to which he commits. In simple words, he himself cleans and dries all the seeds before stashing them at home, after every harvest. Stashing it at his home doubles up as a storeroom. Above all, he has been doing this all alone God knows for how many years.
How do people take his passion?
Raman’s dedication and passion have become the centre of so many people’s appreciation who come to learn his techniques from across the world. Also, did you know that he does not sell his seeds but rather lends them on a condition? So, according to the condition- the borrower has to return the same quantity of seeds from their fields after harvest.
Cheruvayal Raman moreover believes that his knowledge is not limited to himself only but is openly there for everyone. He states that his doors are always open for those who have the heart to learn. He has achieved Plant Genome Saviour Award and P K Kalan Award from the Kerala government among many others.
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Author: Simran K Parmar
A post graduate in English Literature, secular humanist, critical thinker, an outspoken atheist, follower of equality and a lover of philosophy. craftedfashion94@gmail.com
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