Greenhouse Microgreens and Saffron

Dear Reader,

Serving the society selflessly is a virtue. But if you are not already a millionaire and have a household to run, you will need money to meet your expenses and see you through your twilight years. Social service and spiritualism must go hand in hand with materialism. Otherwise, survival becomes difficult.

Vidyadharan Narayanan learnt this the hard way. He spent 30 years of his life working in the social sector but in his fifties, he realised he did not have much savings to fall back on. Worried about his family’s future, Vidyadharan tried his hand at some businesses, but nothing worked. 

At this lowest point in his life, he discovered organic farming of microgreens and started with some trays in the corner of a room in his house. The investment – Rs5,000. 

The initial success brought him some stability, and he invested around Rs 1 lakh in a greenhouse microgreens unit over 300 sq ft. He did not invest in ACs and other paraphernalia and now harvests microgreens worth Rs 1 lakh a month, writes my colleague Anu. If you want to grow microgreens with low investments, look up this one.

My colleague Niroj wrote a heartwarming story about the reforestation of a barren hill in Odisha. Sagarapali villagers have turned the Kaladunguri Hill into a green oasis by planting over 48,000 saplings. They take turns guarding the forest and now grow mushrooms, turmeric and millet to reduce pressure on the forest and earn much higher incomes. 

Their work shows that transformation must begin with us. Government support will follow.

March 20 was World Sparrow Day. Do you know how it started? The day was the brainchild of the Nature Forever Society (NFS) and the Eco-Sys Action Foundation of France. 

My colleague Rama spoke to NFS founder Mohammed Dilawar.  He has helped place over 7 lakh nesting boxes and 20 lakh feeders for sparrow conservation across India. Dilawar’s work in the last 20 years is bringing back sparrows to urban homes and public places and helping in biodiversity conservation.

Last week, I spoke to Avanish Goel, an ex-banker, who is now growing saffron in Dehradun. Avanish quit as the COO of CAMS Insurance in 2018 and has built a business around saffron farming and training. He sells the world’s costliest spice at Rs5 lakh per kg and is happy to have quit the rat race.

Our Sunday story is on St Mary’s Islands in Udupi, Karnataka, where Vasco Da Gama set foot before reaching Calicut. The blue waters, a beach full of seashells and rows of coconut trees add charm to the geotourism hotspot.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,
Rashmi