After recovering from stomach cancer, a Hyderabad woman's enthusiasm for natural farming, combined with tenacity and years of hard labor, has finally paid off this year in the shape of approximately 1,500 kg mangoes in the first harvesting alone. Her perseverance in the face of adversity has been an inspiration to many others interested in natural farming.
Battling Cancer
The discovery of a malignant mass in Parvathy's stomach in 2016 was devastating for the 55-year-old. Her husband, Dr. Suryanarayana, a city-based radiologist, couldn't pinpoint the source of cancer but speculated chemicals, pesticides, and insecticides in the fruits and vegetables they ate were the underlying perpetrators.
The couple from Habsiguda chose to chase their aspirations to keep themselves engaged after a year of therapy. Parvathy, a postgraduate and certified mathematics tutor, sought to rekindle her passion for farming, and she enlisted the help of her husband. They took part in natural farming training programs, attended seminars and conferences, spoke with specialists, and learned more via YouTube videos. They started a fruit garden in an abandoned field in their ancestral town Chopakatlapalam in Telangana's Khammam district.
Turning to Natural Farming
According to a media report, the pair harvested around 1500 kgs of seven different varieties of mangoes. The mangoes were grown without using any kind of chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides.
They had planted 300 plants in the year 2017, 101 of which have borne fruits now. However, the trees are still small, and the couple is optimistic that the next year their mangoes yield would increase more.
The family chose not to sell their mangoes at the market and they instead put up a display board outside their house for passers-by to see. Morning walkers who buy mangoes come back with praises for the flavor and smell of their organically cultivated mangoes.
Selling Organic Products Online
Besides spreading the word through WhatsApp groups among friends and family, their daughter Usha launched the 'Tathayya Natural Farms' Instagram profile to reach out to more clients. Customers can either pick up mangoes individually or use services such as Dunzo, Uber Connect, Swiggy Genie, and others to do so.
Born and brought up in a village, Parvathy says she always has been interested in farming. She tried her hand at terrace gardening and kitchen composting earlier but after recovering from cancer, the couple decided to try out full-fledged farming and do their bit to give people the taste of some chemical-free fruits.
Apart from mangoes on three acres, they grow other fruits like guava and sapota on another four acres as well as paddy – all in an organic way.
