Engineers’ Dairy and 650 seeds

Dear Reader,

I have often observed that some events can be life-changing. They come as a loss of sorts, suddenly, unexpectedly. It could be losing a loved one or being fired from a job. However, hidden behind these traumatic events are opportunities to give a new direction to life.

This is what happened with Charmy and Shreekant Malde, both engineers. Shreekant lost his father to cancer, prompting the couple to rethink their lifestyle and food choices. At that time, Charmy, a chemical engineer, was a professor in a prestigious college and Shreekant, with his Master's in Software Engineering, had a successful IT career.

The duo quit their jobs in 2017 and started GauNeeti in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, with four Gir cows. Today, the farm has 170 cows and offers organic A2 milk at Rs 120 a litre in Ahmedabad, they told my colleague Chandhini.

GauNeeti also sells butter, ghee, cookies and other products across India, the UAE, and Australia. It provides sustainable livelihoods to local women and clocked Rs2 crore in turnover last fiscal. Charmy and Shreekant are happy, contributing to society and the environment through chemical-free milk and milk products.

My colleague Riya spoke to Pranita Vaman last week. Pranita completed her MBA at TISS, Pune and began capsicum farming in a polyhouse in Junnar in 2020.  She had seen her father cultivate fruits and vegetables, but she understood the necessity of controlled farming amid climate change.

From capsicums grown over one acre in a polyhouse, she made a profit of Rs 10 lakh. Today, she grows red, yellow and green bell peppers over 25 acres, earning Rs 4 crore annually. The profit is Rs 2.25 crore.

That is why I say the combination of education and farming is extremely potent and profitable.

I spoke to Gajawada Swaroopa from Telangana last week. In 2016, she began collecting native seeds after realising that the youth among farming families were giving up agriculture. She has saved seeds of 450 types of vegetables, and around 100 varieties of flowers and herbs to prevent biodiversity loss.

A simple yet amazing woman, Swaroopa propagates the seeds in her terrace garden and on a small plot of land. She sells them to gardeners across India at nominal charges to promote biodiversity conservation.

Our Sunday feature is on the Bidar Fort in Karnataka. The 15th-century fort is home to palaces, gardens, gateways, and more. But its greatest wonder is the underground Karez water system that kept the fort on a dry plateau alive for centuries. Today, the 600-year-old tunnels provide water to nearby fields. Do look it up!

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi

Engineer couple quits jobs, builds dairy business with Rs 2 crore turnover and exports to UAE, Australia

Pune's MBA woman farmer earns Rs 4 crore annual turnover from capsicum farming

Telangana woman farmer saves 650 varieties of native vegetable and flower seeds; sells across India

Bidar Fort: Palaces above, hidden waterways below