Engineer Dairy Farmer and Little Millets

Dear Reader,

There is no love like mothers’. It is said that mothers can move mountains for their children. I believe so too, having seen it as a daughter and mother. 

Jyoti Padma also moved mountains (well, almost) for her daughter who was diagnosed with lactose intolerance during her infancy. Worried that her daughter would not be able to enjoy something as simple as milk all her life, Jyoti, an engineer, began researching cows and dairy farming.

That quest has led to a successful organic dairy enterprise, earning Rs1 crore in annual revenues. And yes, Jyoti’s daughter has no lactose intolerance from the A2 cow milk her mother produces at her farm near Mumbai. Jyoti told me that she rears only indigenous or desi breeds as their milk is higher in proteins and easily digestible. Do read this mompreneur’s story.

From Odisha, my colleague Niroj wrote about how hundreds of farmers in the state’s tribal-dominated districts have adopted the System of Millet Intensification (SMI). This system increases production through adequate spacing, seed treatment, and organic manures in little millet cultivation. The result is higher millet output at lower costs, helping farmers earn better.

India is currently in the midst of the festive season. Navratris, garba and dandiya nights and Durga Puja make this period full of gaiety. My colleague Partho visited the Chitteswari Maa temple in Kolkata and wrote a very interesting piece.

The worship of Chitteswari Durga, carved in neem wood, was started in Cossipore in the 16th century by Chitey Dakat (a dacoit) after he had a divine dream. Almost five centuries later, the oldest temple in North Kolkata continues the Durga Puja tradition. Partho spoke to the current priest and detailed how the practice has continued for almost 500 years!

Our Sunday story is on Agumbe, the village of King Cobras in Karnataka.

In the Money section, my colleague Karan has written how the ever-rising living expenses make it tough to save and create a large enough corpus to buy a house. He has given five tips that will make it easy to save money for buying that dream home.

Happy Reading!

Warmly, 
Rashmi