Good old memories bring 102-year-old Kerala woman back to paddy cultivation; villagers join harvest

At an age when most people slow down, 102-year-old Chirutha is doing the opposite — growing and harvesting paddy at her home in Kozhikode’s Kuttiady.

The centenarian from Kallad in Maruthonkara panchayat has surprised her village by planting paddy saplings, nurturing the crop and completing the harvest in her own courtyard, defying age-related limitations with care and commitment.

Courtyard becomes a paddy field

The paddy harvest inside the house compound turned into a moment of celebration in Kallad. Villagers gathered to take part, singing traditional folk songs and sharing the joy, transforming the harvest into a community event.

A wish remembered, a promise kept

The idea of growing paddy again emerged during conversations with her children and grandchildren, as Chirutha recalled memories from her childhood. During these moments, she expressed her desire to return to farming.

Her son, Sugunan, stepped in to fulfil that wish by preparing a small paddy field in the courtyard of their home.

A life shaped by farming

Chirutha has decades of farming experience. In her younger years, she planted and harvested paddy in the fields of her ancestral home. She later took up upland paddy cultivation at Pasukkadavu hills.

Drawing from this experience, she managed the recent crop with support from her children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

Memories across four generations

Having witnessed the changing lifestyles of four generations, Chirutha holds on to vivid memories of a time when families depended entirely on home-grown food. Her attachment to farming dates back to those years.

Though agricultural workers were once employed at home, she recalls secretly working alongside them in the fields, despite her parents’ objections.

Chirutha said her renewed interest in farming came from the nostalgia tied to those memories. Beyond agriculture, she has also shown that age is no barrier to creativity, having acted in a short film titled Karunam, which focuses on issues faced by senior citizens.