Thrissur: There are many varieties of fruits on the 1-acre forest nurtured by Gopalakrishnan of Mannamangalam here. But none of them were ever harvested by him. The entire forest is dedicated for the animals and birds. The trees and plants are flourishing to provide shade and food for the wild boar, rats, squirrels and birds.
Gopalakrishnan retired from the State Bank of Travancore as a computer operator in 2014 and received Rs 15 lakh as retirement benefits. He used this to buy 1-acre rubber plantation close to a forest area in Mannamangalam. He cut the rubber trees and planted fruit trees, wild plants and medicinal herbs.
There are over 1000 varieties of plants including over 350 types of trees. Among them, 200 are fruit trees like jackfruit, durian and seedless jamun. Many medicinal herbs also are growing in the forest. But the entry is strictly restricted for birds and animals. So, there is only a narrow path leading to the jungle. Not even a cycle can pass through this way.
Gopalakrishnan and wife Chinnamma are planning to name the dense forest as ‘Pranah’. They are residing at Ponnookkara. Gopalakrishnan strictly upholds the values of Sree Narayana Guru and married Chinnamma, who belongs to another religion, in 1984 by publishing a matrimonial ad in the newspaper. The couple’s only son Azad is working as a software engineer in Kochi.
