Pathanamthitta: Kuttoor panchayat president Sreelekha Reghunath has a habit of growing plants from a very early age. She has not quit her love for plants and continues to maintain vegetable garden at home. She never uses vegetables from market.
"I am used to collect saplings and stem cuttings of plants wherever I go. When the plant grows and blooms, it gives me deep happiness," Sreelekha said. She added that they never buy vegetables from outside. The 40-cent land is full of long beans, snake gourd, cucumber, yam, taro, ginger, turmeric, brinjal, spinach and tapioca.
Sreelekha wakes up at 5 in the morning and goes for a walk with her neighbours. After returning, she starts working in the farm. She manages all works in the farm. Her husband Reghunathan Pillai, a painting worker, and children Aswin and Akhila also helps her in farm works.
As the duties in the panchayat also was affected during lockdown, she could concentrate more on cultivation. Bitter gourd, long beans and cucumber were harvested once this season. As most of the houses in neighbourhood have cows, there is no scarcity for cow dung fertilizer.
