In Kanjikuzhi, a village close to Cherthala in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, a farmer has breathed new life into an age-old custom. S P Sujith Swaminikarthil has reimagined the ‘pookkalam’ — the colourful floral carpet laid to welcome Onam, not as one thing to be picked and positioned, however one thing to be planted and grown.

As a substitute of gathering recent flowers as is customary, he cultivated a residing pookkalam proper on his farmland. A once-empty stretch of land has grown right into a vibrant show of color and cautious design.

A floral masterpiece within the fields

From a seed of creativity, it was one thing that stopped passers-by of their tracks. Sujith planted over fifteen kinds of flowers, together with bendhi (marigold), vadamulla (globe amaranth), and pichipoo (a jasmine selection). 

The vegetation have been organized in neat, concentric circles, mirroring the design of a standard pookkalam, however this one is alive, rising instantly from the soil.

Masking six cents of land with a 24-metre radius, the show has develop into a hanging sight. The wealthy colors and pure textures have drawn tons of of tourists, many seeing such a creation for the primary time.

Farming meets pageant

The venture was extra than simply ornamental. Sujith included edible crops like inexperienced chillies and spinach alongside the flowers. In all, round 25 plant varieties have been sown, mixing magnificence with perform. 

He invested roughly Rs 25,000 into the venture, to reap each greens and flowers through the Onam season.

Santhosh Kumar M, vice-president of the native panchayat, referred to as it a robust image of what occurs when farming is approached with creativity. It captures the spirit of Onam and exhibits how agriculture may be one thing joyful and provoking.

A journey again to the land

Sujith’s story is one among return, not simply to farming, however to objective. After graduating in resort administration and dealing with a serious gold agency, he selected to stroll away from the company world in 2012 and reconnect with the soil.

What began as small-scale vegetable farming on leased land steadily grew right into a mixed-farming observe throughout ten acres in Cherthala. Right this moment, he grows greens, flowers, and extra, integrating conventional strategies with trendy concepts.

His work has been extensively recognised. He’s a multiple-time recipient of the Kerala State Greatest Farmer award and was a part of a state delegation to Israel to check superior farming strategies. 

That have impressed him to arrange a mannequin plantation again residence, one that mixes sustainability, innovation, and aesthetics.

Sujith’s residing pookkalam reshapes how we take into consideration celebration, land, and custom. At a time when most floral carpets wilt by night, his continues to bloom. It stands as an emblem of gradual magnificence, rooted, rising, and related to the earth. It honours Onam’s spirit not via repetition, however via reinvention.

(Edited by Vidya Gowri Venkatesh)