Thrissur: People only have to look on both sides of the Tagore Road in Panamparambu in Perinjanam here to enjoy greenery of Kerala. One side of the road is full of paddy and the other side is full of vegetables. They are all the result of hard work by Anil Kumar, a tourist bus driver who lost his job during lockdown.
With his decision to make the wayside cleaner and beautiful, Anil Kumar first planted flowering plants and later started vegetable cultivation. He planted spinach and chilli first and gradually started growing Chinese potato, turmeric, okra, brinjal and the like.
Apart from this, Anil Kumar also experimented with the paddy variety 'Jyothi'. He planted the seeds given by a farmer friend three months ago. Now the paddy plants have grown to a height of 3 feet and are ready for harvest by next month. The 'paddy field' occupies about 20 metres of land along the road side.
Though the seeds and saplings are bought at his expense, Anil Kumar has no complaint if neighbours took the vegetables and other crops for their needs. He said that he only want to see the happiness of people while getting fresh pesticide-free vegetables and expects nothing in return.
Anil Kumar's family consisting of his mother Kamalakshi, wife Beena, children Anagha and Abhiram also support him in this venture. Anil Kumar is of the opinion that all who want to maintain the greenery of our land should come forward to grow plants and make the place beautiful.
