Wouldn’t you like to enjoy the luxury of having a garden at home from where you could take all the fresh fruits and veggies? Well before this luxury comes a lot of hard work and dedication.
Today Hatke Story will introduce you to one such hard-working woman who created a beautiful terrace garden – Kalpana Kumari! Not only did she succeed in getting access to homegrown fruits and veggies, but she set an example for all of us that nothing is impossible. All you need is hard work and dedication. What compelled Kalpana to turn to terrace gardening when the rest of the world is going behind smart gadgets and easy life? Let’s find out, shall we?
The Learning Years of Kalpana Kumari
She was a student of St. John’s School. Kalpana spent most of her school years in a hostel. She recalls that she was always interested in arts and crafts as a child. She took up the math stream as she looked forward to becoming a Civil Engineer. But life had something else planned for Kalpana, and her father convinced her to take up Agriculture Engineering.
Although she took it up reluctantly, she found interest in agriculture in the first year of her college. Since she was already inclined towards planting trees and caring for them, the exciting subjects strengthened her will to do something in this direction. As they say, strong will makes the universe provide opportunities. Kalpana got opportunities to attend training sessions in different districts in south India in the second and final years of her college.
These pieces of training were mainly about the mechanism of Agricultural Engineering. The A1 course is about tractors. Kalpana can build and unbuild a tractor. She can drive it too! It is incredible to watch Kalpana take over and handle with perfection, something that is popularly considered masculine work. Hard work and dedication are the magic potions that helped her break the stereotype. Narrating the proudest moment in her life, Kalpana said that she was pleased when the people of her village saw her driving a car and called her father to congratulate him.
Taking us back in time, Kalpana says she loved math. The rest of the subjects did not interest her as much. Well, this is another thing that sets her apart from the crowd. While exploring opportunities, Kalpana realized that there is not much scope for Agricultural Engineering in Telangana, so she shifted to the banking sector. Today, Kalpana and her sisters live closer to Hyderabad, and her parents live in Karimnagar.
The Budding Gardener
The turning point in Kalpana’s life came when she realized that her mother was finding it difficult to step out to buy fruits and vegetables. Her father was not always available to do the grocery shopping. When she analyzed all this in 2019, Kalpana came up with the idea of terrace gardening. Kalpana’s mother, who comes from a farming background, had started growing small saplings on a piece of land near their house. Since the land belonged to someone else, they would always get it removed right at the flowering time. Kalpana witnessed her mother’s heartbreak on multiple occasions. She didn’t want this to happen again.
The Gardening Debut
So, she started her first set of organic gardening on January 1, 2020. She started with the leafy vegetables. Her inspiration came from a lady who is more than 70 years old. She lives with her husband while her children stay abroad. Interestingly, this lady takes care of her garden with 500 plants. Kalpana thought, “If she can, I can too.” Also, she thought there was nothing better than a person educated in agriculture taking up farming. Their knowledge of technique and strategy will bring out better results.
Very soon, she realized that terrace gardening had helped her tremendously. During the lockdown, she and her family didn’t have to step out for many things. Everything was available at home. Kalpana observes that creating and maintaining a terrace garden is not an easy task. It would help if you looked into the finances and hard work and dedication. It would help if you had mud, a mixture of many things in different proportions. 30% soil, 30% compost, 30% of either cow dung or vermicompost, and other things.
Kalpana bought ten saplings every month with the pocket money she got from her parents. She proudly says that she has nearly a hundred saplings today, especially those that her mother would need in the kitchen.
A Specially Chosen Verity
Kalpana specifically researched more about grafted plants (a new stem taken from an old tree and grafted) like the star fruit, fig, naseberry (sapota), lemon, white brinjal, cherry chillis, and more. It helped her and her family a lot in health and taste. She is pleased with the outcome and believes this is a good workout opportunity.
Although she didn’t receive approval from her family, now everyone is proud of her. Her father never directly appreciated her, but he proudly shows off her garden to friends and relatives. Her mom is immensely proud of the convenience her daughter has created for her. Kalpana’s hard work and dedication finally seem to have paid off.
A Green Future
Kalpana is now preparing for a government job, and in the future, she aims to take up the farming practices that her grandparents are currently carrying out in the village. Kalpana is immensely inspired by IT professionals earning a lot more than their salary through organic farming. Today, she shares her knowledge with all those inclined toward farming or gardening. She gives all the guidance that she never had access to.
Kalpana successfully inspired people around her to start their terrace gardens. Kalpana is looking towards a future where she can start farming, sustain herself and help others be self-sustained. Let’s hope that Kalpana inspires many people and we get access to healthier and tastier food.
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