Mushrooms in Huts and Saffron in a Room

Dear Reader,

Ten years ago, if somebody had told me that you could grow saffron, a cool-climate crop from Kashmir, in the heat of Nagpur, I would have laughed it off. Our minds are conditioned to follow the norms and believe the obvious, limiting our ability to think differently. 

But Divya and her husband Akshay Holey believed they could grow saffron in their house. They researched, met farmers and replicated the climate of Kashmir in an 80 sq ft room. They successfully cultivated saffron, the world’s costliest spice, indoors. That was in 2021. 

Divya told me they now earn Rs40 lakh annually by selling saffron grown over 400 sq ft and providing training to others. They are both 30 years old and their story is inspiring indeed.

My colleague Riya spoke to Vikash Verma from Hisar, Haryana, last week. Seeing his family struggling to make ends meet by growing wheat and cotton, Vikash decided to take mushroom farming training when he was just 18. Due to a lack of investment in putting up air conditioners and structures with PUF panels, he opted for growing mushrooms in thatched huts in 2016.

Can you guess his annual income now? It is Rs2.25 crore with a profit of Rs1.25 crore (all from the huts). Riya has detailed his success strategy in the story. 

My colleague Niroj from Odisha wrote about ‘jhola kundis’ - shallow wells for water harvesting that have changed the lives of tribal farmers in Odisha’s Koraput district. Between 2021 and 2024, 60 jhola kundis (shallow wells) have been constructed in 52 villages. 

Over 205 vegetable growers can now cultivate crops throughout the year and at much lower costs. Their incomes have gone up by two to four times. It’s interesting how low-cost interventions can uplift so many lives.

Our Sunday story is about Murund Jajira Fort near Alibag. I am sure that many of our readers from Maharashtra must have visited this place. But do you know it was built by Malik Ambar, who came to India as a slave from Ethiopia? Don’t miss this piece on the fort with secret passages and hidden tunnels.

Happy Reading!

Warmly,
Rashmi