Moringa and Khes

Dear Reader,

For most of my life, I was only familiar with the benefits of drumstick, the long, slender pods of the moringa tree. They were added to sambhar or turned into potato-drumstick curry. Only in the last few years have I learned about moringa leaves being rich in immunity-boosting and life-sustaining nutrients.

Today, moringa leaf powder is a superfood with anti-oxidants and a solution for many health problems like diabetes and asthma. That’s also why moringa farming is rapidly gaining traction in India – the cost of cultivation is low, and returns are high. 

My colleague Anu spoke to scientist Dr Kandasami Saravanan, who quit his job at the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) in 2017 to pursue organic farming. He uses no-till cultivation to grow moringa leaves on his farm at Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu. He processes them into moringa soup, podi (condiments) and powder, which sell at over Rs800 per kg and also exports them to the US and Europe, where the demand is high. 

Last week, my colleague Riya spoke to Gaurav Sabharwal, who took up indoor saffron farming after his father’s demise when their family shoe business was not doing well. He grows saffron in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, in just a 300 sq ft unit without soil and water. He sells the world’s costliest spice at Rs500 per gm (Rs5 lakh per kg) under the Shoolini brand and also trains others in indoor farming. 

My colleague Anu has also put together a piece on seven MBA farmers who are running profitable farms. It’s interesting how they all found their unique business models to skip the middlemen and mandis and make profits. Education can change everything, including agriculture. This story goes on to show that.

I had the opportunity to speak to Kiran R Singh last week. Wife of an ex-Navy officer, she is reviving Punjab’s dying craft of weaving khes – cotton bedspread, traditionally a part of every woman’s wedding trousseau. When handlooms gave way to power looms, the quality and design suffered, ending the era of khes.

Kiran, who had experience working at the Naval Wives Welfare Association, replicated the model at her ancestral village Balwar in Punjab. She now sells handwoven khes, durries, embroidered tea linen, and other items under the Balwaar brand. Through her efforts, Kiran has saved a craft from extinction.

Our Sunday story is on Maharashtra’s Korigad – the ancient fort with a plateau and twin lakes on its top! The lakes drain through the fort’s wall, making for a spectacular waterfall during rains.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,

Rashmi